GENERAL COOKING TIPS

KEEP YOUR RECIPES ORGANIZED - Nothing is more frustrating when you're ready to start cooking than not being able to find your recipe. Keep things organized by finding a system for filing your recipes that you can keep close at hand in the kitchen. A great option is to buy one of those photo albums where you peel a plastic sheet and underneath is a sticky surface. This makes recipes easy to find and at any time you can remove or replace them!

FRUITS & VEGGIES

STIR-FRYING VEGETABLES - Stir-fried vegetables are a quick & easy side dish option. Or serve them over noodles or rice for a delicious meal. The secret to stir-frying is to have the pan or wok very hot & the veggies cut into similar sized pieces so they cook evenly. Great choices are peppers, mushrooms, onions, carrots, snow peas & beans. Avoid starchy veggies such as potatoes & yams. Stir-fried veggies should be  flavored near the end of the cooking time for best results.

24 TIPS FOR A LIFETIME

1. Stuff a miniature marshmallow in the bottom of a sugar cone to prevent ice cream drips.

2. Use a meat baster to "squeeze" your pancake batter onto the hot griddle for perfect pancakes every time.

3. To keep potatoes from budding, place an apple in the bag with the potatoes.

4. To prevent egg shells from cracking, add a pinch of salt to the water before hard boiling.

5. Run your hands under cold water before pressing Rice Krispies Treats in the pan. The marshmallow won't stick to your fingers.

6. To get the most juice out of fresh lemons, bring them to room temperature and roll them under your palm against the kitchen counter before squeezing.

7. To easily remove burnt-on food from your skillet, simply add a drop or two of dish soap and enough water to cover the bottom of the pan, and bring to a boil on the stove top. The skillet will be much easier to clean now.

8. Spray your Tupperware with nonstick cooking spray before pouring in tomato-based sauces. No more stains!

9. When a cake recipe calls for flouring the baking pan, use a bit of the dry cake mix instead. No white mess on the outside of the cake!

10. If you accidentally over-salt a dish while it's still cooking, drop in a peeled potato. It absorbs the excess salt for an instant "fix me up".

11. Wrap celery in aluminum foil when putting in the refrigerator. It will keep for weeks.

12. Brush beaten egg white over pie crust before baking to yield a beautiful glossy finish.

13. Place a slice of apple in hardened brown sugar to soften it back up.

14. When boiling corn on the cob, add a pinch of sugar to help bring out the corn's natural sweetness.

15. To determine whether an egg is fresh, immerse it in a pan of cool, salted water. If it sinks, it is fresh. If it rises to the surface, throw it away.

16. Cure for headaches - take a lime, cut it in half and rub it on your forehead. The throbbing will go away.

17. Don't throw out all that leftover wine. Freeze into ice cubes for future use in casseroles and sauces.

18. If you have a problem opening jars, try using latex dishwashing gloves. They give a non-slip grip that makes opening jars easy.

19. Potatoes will take food stains off your fingers. Just slice and rub raw potato on the stains and rinse with water.

20. To get rid of itch from mosquito bites, try applying soap on the area for instant relief.

21. Ants, ants, ants everywhere! Well, they are said never to cross a chalk line. So get your chalk out and draw a line on the floor or wherever ants tend to march. See for yourself!

22. Use air freshener to clean mirrors. It does a good job and, better still, leaves a lovely scent to the shine.

23. When you get a splinter, reach for the scotch tape before resorting to tweezers or a needle. Simply put the tape over the splinter, then pull it off. Scotch tape removes most splinters painlessly and easily.

24. And finally...look what you can do with Alka Seltzer:

CLEAN A TOILET - Drop in two Alka Seltzer tablets, wait 20 minutes, brush, and flush. The citric acid and effervescent action clean vitreous china.

CLEAN A VASE - To remove a stain from the bottom of a glass vase or cruet, fill with water and drop in two Alka Seltzer tablets.

POLISH JEWELRY - Drop two Alka Seltzer tablets into a glass of water and immerse the jewelry for 2 minutes.

CLEAN A THERMOS BOTTLE - Fill the bottle with water, drop in four Alka Seltzer tablets, and let soak for an hour (or longer, if necessary).

UNCLOG A DRAIN - Clear the sink drain by dropping three Alka Seltzer tablets down the drain followed by a cup of white vinegar. Wait a few minutes, then run the hot water.

BARBECUING

PLACE FOOD IN THE RIGHT PLACE ON THE GRILL - Grills give off heat in a very different way than your stove or oven. To ensure your food is properly cooked and not burnt, be sure to grill meats and veggies approximately 4" from the heat source. With chicken, which is more likely to burn, 6"-8" away is best.

MEAT & POULTRY

STOP MEATLOAF FROM STICKING TO THE PAN - Tired of meatloaf that sticks to the pan? Toss in a slice of raw bacon before adding meat to the pan, & say goodbye to the sticking. It may not be the healthiest alternative but it does work (and it tastes great)!

SAUCES & SEASONINGS

REDUCE THE POWER OF GARLIC & ONIONS - Sometimes you don't want a strong garlic or onion taste. Get a milder flavor by sauteeing them in butter or olive oil for a few minutes prior to adding them to other foods. This will release their natural sweetness & give a wonderful flavor.

GENERAL COOKING TIPS

USE YOUR KITCHEN SCISSORS - Right now you probably only use your kitchen scissors for opening packaging. But next time you're trimming fat from a roast, opening pitas or cutting chicken into strips, consider using your scissors! Chefs use them all the time for cutting meats & other food items. It's probably best to have a pair that are designated as food scissors only. And be sure you clean them very well after each use because they do have crevices where bacteria can hide.

BAKING

THE KEY TO GREAT PASTRY IS COLD INGREDIENTS - Making your own pastry can sometimes be a challenge. But once you master it you will enjoy having it as part of your baking repertoire. To get really fabulous pastry, the key is to make sure ALL of the ingredients are cold before you mix them together - including the flour! Then once you've formed the dough, refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes to make it easier to roll.

PASTA, RICE & POTATOES

AL DENTE PASTA - Al dente means "to the tooth". When it's cooked, pasta should be soft but still firm when you bite it. The easiest way to tell whether pasta is al dente is to remove a piece from the saucepan & test it between your teeth. The pasta should have some texture when you bite into it, but it should not be dry & hard in the middle.

FRUITS & VEGGIES

PUMP UP LIMP VEGGIES - Give limp veggies a second chance by soaking them in ice water to make them crisp after prolonged refrigeration. This is a great technique for lettuce & celery, which seem to go limp fastest. This trick also works for limp herbs.

LIGHTEN UP

Grease baking dishes & skillets with cooking spray. In addition to the cans you can buy at the stores, you can also buy refillable spray canisters at kitchenware shops & fill with your own olive or canola oil.

Use fat-free or reduced-fat dairy products such as milk, buttermilk, yogurt, cottage cheese & other cheeses.

Use egg whites or fat-free egg product (made of egg whites & flavoring) instead of whole eggs.

Reduce the amount of meat in a recipe but keep the portion size the same by upping the amount of beans, rice, veggies, etc.

Reduce the amount of cheese & nuts in recipes. Try sprinkling them on top of a dish rather than mixing them in.

Trim excess fat from meat & poultry.

Use fat-free or reduced-sodium broths.

BARBECUING

NEVER USE A FORK WHEN GRILLING - When you poke meat with a fork you allow the natural juices to run out. As a result, your meat ends up dry & tough. Instead, use tongs or grilling tools to turn & flip the meat while keeping the juices locked in.

FLAVOR BOOSTERS

One-dish meals are flavorful in & of themselves, but if you'd like to add more zip or zest to casseroles, skillets, soups or salads, try the following add-ins & toppings:

add plain or flavored feta cheese to a salad.

sprinkle shredded swiss cheese over individual servings of soup.

intensify the flavor of veggies by seasoning them with balsamic vinegar or soy sauce.

use a flavored pasta sauce instead of plain.

sprinkle canned french-fried onions over the top of casseroles.

add a dash of soy sauce to skillet & stir-fry dishes.

stir a tablespoon or two of pesto into a pot of soup.

substitute flavored mayo for plain in pasta salads.

MEAT & POULTRY

FREEZING MEAT - When freezing red meat or poultry, wrap it very tightly or seal it in a plastic bag to prevent air spoilage or freezer burn. Be sure not to pile pieces on top of each other but do pack meat as flat as possible so it freezes quickly, which will ensure its texture is not spoiled. Meat should be completely thawed in the refrigerator before cooking. Never thaw poultry at room temperature or you risk salmonella contamination.

SAUCES & SEASONINGS

A FLAVORFUL ALTERNATIVE TO SOUR CREAM - Out of sour cream, or looking for something different? Consider a quick creme fraiche, which can be made from one cup of buttermilk & three cups of heavy cream. Mix them together & let them sit on your counter for about three days. Then store it in the refrigerator for as long as two weeks.

GENERAL COOKING TIPS

SALTED BUTTER VS UNSALTED BUTTER - Butter is available both with & without salt. The salt is added for extra flavor & to help preserve it so it has a longer shelf life. The problem is that sometimes the salt in butter can be more than a recipe needs. Choosing unsalted butter gives you more control over how much salt your dish contains. If you only have salted butter, the best thing to do is omit approxmately 1/4 tsp salt per 1/2 cup (one stick) of butter used in the recipe.

BAKING

MAKE SURE YOUR YEAST IS FRESH - Yeast is a living organism, and in order for it to work, it needs to be alive when you use it. To test whether yeast is active, combine it with the amount of warm water asked for in the recipe. Then add a small amount of sugar (1/8 tsp is all that is needed). The sugar acts as food for the yeast, and if it's alive, it will begin to bubble within approximately 10 minutes. If there is no bubbling, then you know the yeast is no good.

PASTA, RICE & POTATOES

UNTANGLE SPAGHETTI BEFORE SERVING - If you have allowed your spaghetti to cool for too long and it becomes tangled, toss it back into the hot water & stir with a large spoon. Then, drain & rinse the pasta in cold water immediately. You can add some olive oil if you'd like, but it isn't a necessity.

FRUITS & VEGGIES

BLANCHING VEGETABLES - Blanching vegetables means to boil them for 5-6 minutes prior to using them in a recipe. This is particularly helpful for harder vegetables such as carrots, broccoli & cauliflower that take longer to cook. Otherwise, you end up with vegetables that are too crunchy.

BARBECUING

PREPARE THE BARBECUE GRILL PROPERLY - For a better barbecue, brush your hot grill with a thin layer of oil prior to cooking or line your grill with a layer of aluminum foil covered with cooking spray. This will ensure that the meat does not stick & need to be torn away from the grill.