Cooking and baking tips + 1 more

• Using spray and cook (non stick spray) on your pan before frying your steak helps reduces splattering.  

I have added this tip to my list of cooking and baking tips which I previously posted just after I started my blog and thought I would share them with you all again.

Cooking and baking tips

 

• Fresh herbs are best added during the last 10 minutes of cooking so they don’t lose their aromatic flavour.  If you are substituting dried herbs for fresh in a recipe, use one-third the quantity.

• Fresh, room temperature eggs are best for cooking and baking.  The fresher the egg, the easier it is to separate the yolk from the white and the yolk is less likely to break.  Room temperature egg whites beat lighter and fuller than refrigerated ones.

• To test the freshness of an egg, gently drop it into a glass of cold water.  If it sinks to the bottom it is fresh.  If it floats suspended in the middle of the glass, it is still useable but use it soon, however if it floats all the way to the surface, discard it.

• If you accidently get a piece of egg shell in with your egg after cracking it into a bowl, use one half of the shell to scoop it out.

• Remember to preheat your oven before you start baking or cooking.

• If you happen to over salt a pot of soup or a stew, drop in a peeled potato. The potato will absorb the excess salt.

• For crisper salads, place a saucer upside down in the bottom of the salad bowl before filling with salad. Excess moisture will run underneath the saucer and this will help keep the salad crisp and fresh.

• You can substitute crumbled cornflakes for breadcrumbs.

• When baking bread, do not preheat your oven.  You will be amazed at the resulting lightness of the bread.

• For lighter fluffier pancakes, substitute half the milk with ice cold water or soda water.

• To prevent a cheesecake from cracking in the centre while baking, place a small dish of water in the oven.

• Drain deep fried foods on brown paper bags or brown paper as opposed to paper towels to retain crispness.

• Dip the blades of scissors in hot water before cutting marshmallows to prevent the blades getting sticky.

• Rinse your measuring cup or spoon in hot water before using syrup or honey so the syrup or honey won’t stick to the cup or spoon.

• Keep popcorn fresh and encourage more kernels to pop by storing it in the freezer and use your popcorn straight from the freezer.

• Sunlight doesn’t ripen tomatoes, warmth does. Store tomatoes with their stems pointed down and they will stay fresher, longer.

• To keep potatoes from budding place an apple or two in the bag with the potatoes.

• To prevent nuts settling at the bottom of your cake, heat them first in the microwave oven then dust them with flour before adding to the batter.

• To get more juice from a lemon or lime, microwave it for 10 to 15 seconds before juicing.

• Stand raw potatoes in cold water for at least half an hour before frying to improve the crispness of chips.

• Ice cubes will eliminate the fat from soup and stew. Drop a few into the pot and stir lightly, the fat will cling to the cubes.  Remove the cubes before they melt. Alternatively, wrap ice cubes in paper towel and skim over the top.

• A dampened paper towel brushed downward on a cob of corn will remove every strand of corn “hair”.

• To stop your bacon curling and shrinking, dip it into cold water before frying.

• A little salt placed in a frying pan will prevent splattering.

• When making many meatballs a fast and simple way is to shape the meat mixture into a log and cut off slices.  The slices roll easily into balls. Another option is to pat the meat into a square and cut it into cubes, which again roll easily into meatballs of uniform size.

• Hamburgers cook faster if you poke a hole in the middle while shaping them. The holes disappear as they cook.

• Butter or oil the rim of a pot when cooking rice or pasta to prevent it boiling over.

• Roll a chilli between your hands before cutting it lengthwise; this loosens the seeds and allows you to scrape them away easily.

• A recipe book is easier to read if you hold it open with a wooden pants hanger that clamps shut. You can then hang it from a knob on a kitchen cabinet door.

Do you have any helpful tips?

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