OpinionSoup's not-necessarily-healthy, but most-definitely delicious "International Recipes from Real International People" (formerly Southern Recipes)
COOKING
& KITCHEN TIPS
A pat of butter
in the water when cooking beans, pasta or rice, will keep
it from boiling over.
Baking
soda on a damp cloth will remove grime and grease from
glass oven doors.Blanching citrus fruits makes them easier
to peel.
Can't
find your cookie sheet? No problem! Just turn any baking
pan over and use the bottom.
Coffee
grounds, left-over tea and (crushed) egg shells are not
necessarily garbage...feed them to your houseplants!
Dip
fresh fruit in lemon juice to keep it from turning dark.
Discretely
place small bowls of vinegar here and there in a room which
is likely to become stuffy from many guests; also in
recently-painted rooms.
Don't
use metal bowls for salads.
Don't
wash lettuce until you are ready to use it. Never cut salad
lettuce with a knife.
Dry
your coffee grounds in a warm oven and put them into your
cat box to help combat le odeur de pee-pee.
Easy,
no-mess crumbs: place your stale bread or crackers in a
large plastic bag, then roll with rolling pin or
substitute.
Easy-Peel
method for hardboiled eggs: drain water from eggs and shake
them around pan until shells crack; cover with cold water
and let cool; roll eggs between palms.
If
your recipe calls for dried herbs and you want to use
fresh, use twice as much as the recipe calls for.
In
case of an electrical fire (God forbid!), be certain that
you know how to turn off electrical current to any room in
your house, quickly. There may be more than one "switch" or
"breaker" or "cut-off" or whatever for any one room! Don't
ever throw water on an electrical fire; smother it. Get
help immediately.
Making
home-made candy with your children on holidays, especially
Christmas, establishes a family tradition and creates
memories that will never be forgotten.
Moth
balls will keep pets away from your indoor herbs and other
plants.
Paprika
is best kept in your refrigerator.
Pasta
will not stick to your pan if you add a few drops of oil to
the water.
Pies
can be cut cleanly by coating the knife lightly with
butter.
Puree
cooked vegetables in your blender for thickening soups.
Rule
of Thumb for water temperature when cooking fresh veggies:
If it grows underground, start it in cold water; if it
grows above ground, start it in boiling water.
Soup
too salty? Drop raw potato slices into it.
Store
mayonnaise on refrigerator door shelf, not in colder
section.
Tea
and coffee stains can be removed from china cups and pots
with baking powder.
To
keep boiling shrimp from stinking up the house, add fresh
celery leaves to the pot.
To
keep eggs from cracking when you hard-boil them, add a
little salt to the water.
To
make a nice topping for your holiday pumpkin or sweet
potato pie, put a layer of small marshmallows on the bottom
before adding the filling to your pie shell. The melted
marshmallow will rise to the surface as pie cooks.
To
prevent irritated, watering eyes when peeling onions or
garlic, hold an unlit kitchen match between your teeth.
To
ripen bananas, avocados, pears, etc., put them in a closed
brown paper bag for a couple of days.
Use
a plastic baggie as a mitt, for greasing your casserole
dishes and baking pans.
When
preparing congealed salads, first fill your mold with
water, then pour water out. Chilled congealed salad with
then be less likely to stick to mold.
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OpinionSoup
Recipes is published by
Rock & Roll Church of All Nations North America,
©2000-2006, Don Harthcock, OpinionSoup.com. Portions
of
OpinionSoup Recipes may be reproduced
on your site with proper credit and a link. This
instruction supercedes all previous prohibitions.
Taping
RR to refrigerators,
posting on bulletin boards & emailing to friends is
waycool, highly-recommended, and much
appreciated.
