A variety of cooking tips in no particular order
partially freeze and it will slice easily.* A roast with the bone in will cook faster than a boneless roast -
the bone carries the heat to the inside of the roast quicker.
* For a juicer hamburger add cold water to the beef before grilling
(1/2 cup to 1 pound of meat).
* To keep cauliflower white while cooking -
add a little milk to the water.
* Let raw potatoes stand in cold water for at least half an hour
before frying to improve the crispness of french-fried potatoes.
* Buy mushrooms before they "open." When stems and caps are attached
snugly, mushrooms are truly fresh.
* Lettuce keeps better if you store in refrigerator without washing
first so that the leaves are dry. Wash the day you are going to use.
* Do not use metal bowls when mixing salads.
Use wooden, glass or china.
* A Perfect Pastry Crust? In your favorite recipe, substitute a
4:1 ratio of lard:butter.
* To make your own corn meal mix: combine 1 cup corn meal, 1 cup
all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 4 teaspoons baking
powder. You can store it in a tightly covered container for
up to 6 months.
* It's important to let a roast — beef, pork, lamb or poultry –
sit a little while before carving. That allows the juices to
retreat back into the meat. If you carve a roast too soon,
much of its goodness will spill out onto the carving board.
* Microwave a lemon for 15 seconds and double the juice you get
before squeezing.
* Microwave garlic cloves for 15 seconds and the skins slip
right off.
* When slicing a hard boiled egg, try wetting the knife just before
cutting. If that doesn't do the trick, try applying a bit of
cooking spray to the edge.
* Rescue stale or soggy chips and crackers: Preheat the oven to
300F. Spread the chips or crackers in a single layer on a
baking sheet and bake for about 5 minutes. Allow to cool,
then seal in a plastic bag or container.
* The best way to store fresh celery is to wrap it in aluminum
foil and put it in the refrigerator–it will keep for weeks.
* Store freshly cut basil on your kitchen counter in a glass
with the water level covering only the stems. Change the
water occasionally. It will keep for weeks this way,
even develop roots! Basil hates to be cold, so NEVER put
it in the refrigerator. Also, regular cutting encourages
new growth and healthier plants.
* A dampened paper towel or terry cloth brushed downward on a cob of
corn will remove every strand of corn silk.
* Fresh eggs' shells are rough and chalky; old eggs are smooth and
shiny.
* No "curly" bacon for breakfast when you dip it into cold water
before frying.
* When working with dough, don't flour your hands; coat them with
olive oil to prevent sticking.
* Use a gentle touch when shaping ground beef patties. Overhandling
will result in a firm, compact texture after cooking. Don't press
or flatten with spatula during cooking.
* Never heat pesto sauce – the basil will turn black and taste bitter.
* Butter pie pastry scraps: sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar, and
bake like cookies.
* A jar lid or a couple of marbles in the bottom half of a double-boiler
will rattle when the water gets low and warn you to add more before
the pan scorches or burns.
* When mincing garlic, sprinkle on a little salt so the pieces won't
stick to your knife or cutting board.
* If your cake recipe calls for nuts, heat them first in the oven,
then dust with flour before adding to the batter to keep them from
settling to the bottom of the pan.
* Noodles, spaghetti and other starches won't boil over if you rub
the inside of the pot with vegetable oil.
* Brown gravy in a hurry with a bit of instant coffee straight from
the jar… no bitter taste, either.
* To hasten the cooking of foods in a double boiler, add salt to the
water in the outer boiler.
* Stuff a miniature marshmallow in the bottom of a sugar cone to
prevent ice cream drips.
* To keep potatoes from budding, place an apple in the bag with the
potatoes.
* Cure for headaches: Take a lime, cut it in half and rub it on your
forehead. The throbbing will go away.
* Don't throw out all that leftover wine: Freeze into ice cubes for
future use in casseroles and sauces.
* If you have a problem opening jars: Try using latex dishwashing
gloves. They give a on-slip grip that makes opening jars easy.
* Add a little lemon and lime to tuna to add zest and flavor to tuna
sandwiches. Use cucumbers soaked in vinegar and pepper in sandwich
instead of tomatoes. Use mustard instead of mayo to cut the fat
and add a tang.
* Instead of the water your recipe calls for, try juices, bouillon,
or water you've cooked vegetables in. Instead of milk, try
buttermilk, yogurt or sour cream. It can add a whole new flavor
and improve nutrition.
* Steak Sauce With A Kick: Deglaze your frying pan (after searing your
New York steaks) with brandy. Add two tablespoons of butter, a little
white wine and a splash of Grand Marnier. Serve over steaks -
you'll never use steak sauce again.
* When browning ground meat, brown several pounds and drain. Divide
evenly in freezer containers and freeze. Unthaw in microwave for
quick fixing next time.
* Ground spices really should be replaced every 6 months or so!
Unless you know you will use them up fairly quickly, buy a bottle
in partnership with a friend and split the contents.
You'll each benefit from fresh spices.
* Sunlight doesn't ripen tomatoes, warmth does. Store tomatoes with stems
pointed down and they will stay fresher, longer.
* Place green fruits in a perforated plastic bag. The holes will allow
air to circulate while retaining the ethylene gas that fruits
produce during ripening.
* Marshmallows won't dry out when frozen.
* Poke a hole in the middle of the hamburger patties while shaping them.
The burgers will cook faster and the holes will disappear when done.
* For fluffier, whiter rice, add one teaspoon of lemon juice per quart of
water. To add extra flavor and nutrition to rice, cook it in liquid
reserved from cooking vegetables.
* Cheese won't harden if you butter the exposed edges before storing.
* Sausage patties rolled in flour before frying won't crack open
during cooking.
* Two drops of yellow food coloring added to boiling noodles will
make them look homemade.
* When separating eggs, break them into a funnel. The whites will
go through leaving the yolk intact in the funnel.
* Fresh fish freeze well in a milk carton filled with water.
* Make your own celery flakes. Just cut and wash the leaves from the
celery stalks; place them in the oven on low heat or in the hot sun
until thoroughly dry. Crumble and store in an air-tight container.
* When picking a melon, smell it for freshness and ripeness.
Check to see that the fruit is heavy in weight and that the
spot on the end where it has been plucked from the vine is soft.
* When tossing a salad with a basic vinaigrette, always make the
vinaigrette at least 1/2 hour ahead of time and let the mixture
sit to allow the flavors to marry. Pour the vinaigrette down
the side of the bowl, not directly on the greens, for a more
evenly dressed salad.
overnight, tilting the bottle so the water will freeze at an angle (if you freeze it straight up, the expanded water will make the bottle bulge). Next morning pack the lunch, add more drinking water to the bottle, and stick it in the lunch box to keep the food cool and be melted enough to drink by lunchtime.
them so they won't burn during cooking.* If you prefer metal skewers, which have a long life, use
square or twisted types, which will hold the food better
than round ones.
* To keep food from slipping off during cooking and turning,
use two parallel skewers rather than a single skewer.
* If you're using a wooden skewer, as you thread the food
move the pieces close together, with no space showing.
If the skewer is metal, you can leave small spaces between
the pieces.
* When using foods with different cooking times (such as shrimp
and beef), don't combine them on the same skewer. Instead,
make skewers of just shrimp or just beef, start cooking the
beef first, and then combine them on a serving platter
Okay back to the pantry Making Brown Sugar!
As you read my recipes you find ** after the ingredients noting that you can save money and make this item yourself or when in a pinch and you've run out or if it is something you only use on occasion and wish not to purchase to waste the rest of it – which is very understandable with the price of everything today!
So it's time to get busy and make some of your own brown sugar.
There is really no effort involved – it's so easy.
Place 1 cup of granulated sugar into a bowl.
Measure in 1 tablespoon molasses.
Work the molasses into the sugar using a fork until thoroughly incorporated.
For making light brown sugar – use light molasses and for making dark brown sugar – use dark molasses.
Don't want to buy dark brown molasses? Add more light molasses to make dark brown sugar.
Make as much as you need – no waste for those that use it rarely.
an overabundance of tomatoes
I'm always asked – what to do with an over-abundance of tomatoes.
For the life of me – I've never had an overabundance of tomatoes – I always wanted more to do more with them!
I enjoy canning tomatoes. There are 3 basic kinds of tomato sauce: uncooked, slightly cooked and long-simmered. The longer you simmer, the thicker your tomato sauce will be.
Tomatoes can be canned with or without any seasonings. Just remember – how you season will effect how you wll be using the sauce. Most of my canned tomato sauce is unflavored giving me the option of using the tomatoes for anything I like.
Tomatoes can be canned in pint, quart and quart-and-a-half jars with no problems.
Cooked tomato sauce can be simmer anywhere from 2 hours to 20 hours or more. Depending on the size of the pan, type of tomatoes, etc. It's not unusual to be up a good 48 hours making tomato puree in my house. Maybe that's why I don't sleep much – that is how I was raised.
Sometimes I will make a regular "spaghetti sauce" with or without meat and ready-to- eat. Also pizza sauce which I can mostly in pint jars. And marinara.
I may skin and crush tomatoes, saute in a bit of olive oil with onion and a combination of green and red bell peppers, seasoned with marjoram, basil, parsley, salt and pepper and let it thicken – I like that as a pizza topping or as a topping on a large, thick slice of homemade bread or crusty Italian – pop in the oven to cook/heat and to me it's a complete meal.
I have also done this by freezing the sauces or crushed tomatoes in pint and quart jars. I fill the jars – place UNCAPPED in the refrigerator for 24 hours – then I cap and place in the freezer.
You can use plastic containers or resealable bags if you cool the mixtures first.
I have also scored the bottoms (cut an "X" through the skin), cored and placed in a pot of simmering water to remove the skins, smash, seed and place in jars as is; freeze as above. Those I like to use for soups, stews, goulash, Spanish rice, bean dishes, etc.
A friend of mine will freeze clean, whole tomatoes in plastic bags for future use. I tried freezing a couple like that – just to see what it was like and I didn't like it.
I also froze a quart jar of grape tomatoes. I used them in a one skillet-type dinner and I don't think I will do that again. It wasn't the same; I'll stick to doing all the work at once and not taking any short-cuts.
I was also asked about freezing bell peppers. Clean, core, remove seeds and membranes, place in place bags, let the air out and seal. I freeze them in halves or by cutting just the tops off and cleaning. Then I can stuff them either way or cut frozen pepper slices to place on casseroles for "presentation". I always make sure I have plenty of green and red bell peppers frozen for soups, stews, sauces, casseroles, stuffings, rice dishes, etc. so I am freezing them all year 'round. When they are on sale I always buy extra for that reason.
And I still dry them in the dehydrator for use in any dish as well. It's more time consuming but it's well worth it and much cheaper than what you pay in the stores for little bottles of dried green or red peppers! I can fill a large glass jar with dried peppers for less than what you would pay in the store.
Adding to the pantry – Make Your Own Confectioners Sugar
Making your own confectioners' sugar (a/k/a powdered sugar, 10X, icing sugar) is the easiest!
You will see ** next to many ingredients in my recipes here on site. That is a note that you can make it yourself.
Making your own ingredients is great when you are in a pinch and run out or can't get out for some reason, helps to save money, and is also nice for those of you that don't use some items when cooking or baking as often and you do not want to waste any.
A note first – the sugar granules can scratch your plastic blender or food processor and if so, you can use a coffee or spice grinder to do the job.
I actually have a mini-processor that I've "broken in" quite well – so it's the scratched one I use for jobs like this.
for each cup of confectioners' sugar you need – place 1 cup granulated sugar in your blender or processor and (blend) pulse until you have a fine powder.
NOTE: Commercially-made confectioners' sugar has additives and/or cornstarch in it as well. If you want to achieve that same taste – add about 1 to 1 1/4 tablespoons cornstarch to each cup of sugar you are grinding. Just remember to re-measure your confectioners' sugar before using it!
slump, grunt, Brown Betty, pandowdy, buckle, crumble, crisp, cobbler
A Basic Sunday Meal
It's Sunday – it's an Italian household – what can I say?
Being Sunday – the pot of meat sauce is on the stove. I cut up a chuck roast in small pieces to fry and I also added my ground meat to it. I'm not up to making meatballs today so I'll cheat by adding the chunks of chuck. Besides – it is so good that way. Well seasoned, and cooked until it melts in your mouth with a thick rich pasta sauce.
The market had chickens on sale – perfect for a pot of chicken soup for whatever ails you. And I have the breasts and thighs that I fried in a separate pan and I've got some sauce over them. I love chicken in sauce, but it gets stringy made that way and I don't want the bones ending up in someone's throat, so I keep the chicken in sauce separate for serving – never toss your pasta with the chicken pieces if there are bones in them!
I'll cook up some rigatoni to go with it. Such a thick, rich sauce deserves a chewy pasta. And I've grated my Pecorino Romano to serve with it – saves time later.
I've got my salad mix done and in the refrigerator – I just need to add the tomatoes and make my dressing.
Homemade bread is on it's second rise. Can't go without that today.
And of course, chicken is in the pot for a big pot of soup. Once I get that strained, I'll add carrots, celery, peas, corn, potatoes – and then we can sop some up with homemade bread as well. Any extra soup broth will get bottled and frozen. Ladle into quart bottles and place in the refrigerator for 24 hour to cool completely. Cap them tomorrow before placing in the freezer.
Just an easy meal for today and I know I'll have soup leftover for tomorrow.
Dessert?? I made a no-roll crust for a pie – that baked in no time (I love making no roll crusts – they are done in no time and with no mess!) I filled that with sliced bananas (better to use them or lose them) topped with cooked banana flavored pudding. There's a can of whipped cream and chopped walnuts to top it off.
How To Make Homemade Ravioli Recipe
Our house always smelled so good – my entire life. Every day baking bread, the big pots of sauce being made, the special aroma of pasta cooking in the water, and all the other goodies and meals we enjoyed! And that is just how my home smells today.
Today’s meal – homemade ravioli.
Today I started off with making my bread – using my recipe for my No-Knead Bread (2 loaves recipe)(recipe posted on site) but I added more flour at the end so that I was making a bread dough that I would have to knead. (versatile recipe!)
After the first rise, punch down, shaped into 2 loaves and let rise for the second time.
Then I started my sauce.
I had some rope Italian sausage in the freezer and I don’t like to keep sausage in the freezer too long – it gets salty. So I fried that in some olive oil until just about done, then I added my frozen ground round. Once the frozen meat was thawed, broken up and browning – I seasoned with Kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper, ground fennel, garlic, parsley, onion powder.
I let the meat cook until well done, added my tomato puree and tomato paste. Added about 2/3 can (puree can) water.
Seasoned with Kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper, parsley, garlic, basil, a bit of chili powder, a bit of paprika, and just a bit of Italian seasoning. Fresh grated Pecorino Romano and a sprinkle of sugar. Bring to simmer, and allowed to simmer for about an hour and a half. Taste and adjust seasonings after the first 30 minutes.
Lettuce was then washed and cut for salad, cucumber was peeled and sliced. Covered with plastic wrap and set in fridge – just need to add tomatoes and dressing.
Combined my ricotta cheese, Kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper, and parsley; covered and refrigerated until ready to use.
By this time the bread was done with the second rise and in a preheated oven – 350* F. Baked until golden, hollow-sounding when tapped – about 25 minutes. Buttered the tops – such a light and tender bread!
Placed my flour in a large bowl and beat the eggs with a fork and sprinkled with a bit of salt, made a well in the center and added 4 large eggs. Beat the eggs and start to incorporate the flour. Lightly kneaded the dough and let rest on the counter with the bowl turned upside down over it for 20 minutes.
Filled a large pot with water to bring to a boil to cook the ravioli.
Floured my counter and rolled my dough; cut.
You can see what I used to cut my ravioli disks – a large plastic tumbler. Love that tumbler – I only use it for making ravioli and pierogi. Filled each disk with some ricotta cheese mixture and sealed with the tines of a fork – just like mom, gram, great-gram, great-great gram, etc. This is how we’ve done it in my family for generations.
The leftover dough was cut into “patches” – if I would have cut them in long strips they would be called “rags” – that’s what we call them. And when you're having rags for dinner – it's the absolute best in the world! Chewy and flavorful. Real belly-busters!
Placed in boiling salted water until done.
While the ravioli were cooking, cut the tomato for the salad and made the vinaigrette.
Couldn’t ask for a better old-fashioned, home-cooked, comfort food!
COCOA: Dutch Process VS Regular
Substitution for 3 tablespoons (18 grams) Dutch-processed cocoa:
3 tablespoons (18 grams) natural cocoa powder plus pinch (1/8 teaspoon) baking sodaSubstitution for 3 tablespoons (18 grams)
natural cocoa: 3 tablespoons (18 grams) Dutch-processed cocoa plus 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar or 1/8 teaspoon lemon juice or vinegar
Note: Due to the differences between natural and Dutch-processed cocoa powders, do not substitute one for the other in recipes.
Note: Do not confuse unsweetened natural and Dutch-processed cocoa powder with sweetened cocoa drink mixes. They are not the same thing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dutch-Processed or Alkalized Unsweetened Cocoa Powder is treated with an alkali to neutralize its acids. Because it is neutral and does not react with baking soda, it must be used in recipes calling for baking powder, unless there are other acidic ingredients in sufficient quantities used. It has a reddish-brown color, mild flavor, and is easy to dissolve in liquids. Its delicate flavor makes it ideal in baked goods like European cakes and pastries where its subtle flavor complements other ingredients.
Natural Unsweetened Cocoa Powder tastes very bitter and gives a deep chocolate flavor to baked goods. Its intense flavor makes it well suited for use in brownies, cookies and some chocolate cakes. When natural cocoa (an acid) is used in recipes calling for baking soda (an alkali), it creates a leavening action that causes the batter to rise when placed in the oven. When used alone in cakes, cocoa powder imparts a full rich chocolate flavor and dark color.
Cocoa powder can also be used in recipes with other chocolates (unsweetened or dark) and this combination produces a cake with a more intense chocolate flavor than if the cocoa wasn't present.
Most recipes call for sifting the cocoa powder with the flour but to bring out its full flavor it can be combined with a small amount of boiling water. (If you want to try this in a recipe, substitute some of the liquid in the recipe for boiling water.)
Often times, you may notice that more butter and leavening agent are used in recipes containing cocoa powder. This is to offset cocoa powder's drying and strengthening affect in cakes.
There are two types of unsweetened cocoa powder: natural and Dutch-
processed and it is best to use the type specified in the recipe as the leavening agent used is dependent on the type of cocoa powder.
Some prefer using Dutch-processed cocoa as a slight bitterness may be tasted in cakes using natural cocoa and baking soda.
To convert a cake recipe that uses bittersweet or semisweet chocolate to one using cocoa:
Substitute 1 tablespoon plus 1 3/4 teaspoons (9.5 grams) of cocoa, 1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon (14.5 grams) granulated white sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons (7 grams) unsalted butter for every ounce (28 grams) of bittersweet or semisweet chocolate. Also, dissolve the cocoa in at least 1/4 cup (60 ml) hot liquid to bring out the cocoa's full flavor.
To convert a cake recipes that uses unsweetened chocolate to one using cocoa:
Substitute 3 tablespoons (18 grams) cocoa plus 1 tablespoon (14 grams) unsalted butter for every 1 ounce (28 grams) of unsweetened chocolate. Dissolve the cocoa in at least 2 tablespoons of liquid in the recipe to bring out the cocoa's full flavor.
How To Make Baking Powder Biscuits Recipes
This recipe is one that was handed down for generations -
I found this one in my great aunt's recipe collection:
Sift 3 times into large bowl:
2 cups flour
3 teaspoons baking powder**
1 teaspoon salt
Cut in:
4 – 5 tablespoons lard (you can use shortening) – mixture should resemble small peas
Add:
Just enough milk to hold the dough together
Knead gently on floured surface; pat to desired thickness and cut with floured cutter.
Brush tops of biscuits with cream or melted butter.
Bake in preheated 450* Fahrenheit oven 12 to 15 minutes.
Makes 12 to 18 depending on cutter.
**You can save money by making your own.
NOTE: Yes, I still use lard on occasion. sometimes I don't brush the biscuits until they come out of the oven. Also, I bake mine between 350 – 375* F.
VARIATION: At times I have added about 2 tablespoons sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar, and 1 large egg for a nice flavor.
How To Made Baking Perfect Biscuits
I’ve put this together to help you make the best biscuits ever:
When measuring flour, I always “loosen” it before measuring by lifting it using a large-pronged fork. Always lightly spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level off using the straight-edge of a knife. Be sure to use the “nested” type measuring cups which are designed for dry measure.
When cutting in your shortening (fat – which can be butter or lard), use a pastry blender or two knives in a crisscross motion until your mixture looks like coarse crumbs. By cutting in your shortening, you are distributing the shortening throughout the flour mixture before your liquid is added. During the baking process, these little bits of shortening melt into the pockets producing the tender, flaky layers you want your biscuits to have. If you want extra-flaky biscuits, leave the shortening in larger, pea-size chunks.
I always make a “well” in the center of the dry ingredients and add my liquid all at once. Using a fork, I incorporate the dry ingredients until I have a soft ball of dough and the mixture leaves the sides of the bowl. You dough should be soft; if your dough seems too dry, add an additional tablespoon or two or milk. And of course, buttermilk will give your biscuit’s a moister texture and a bit of flavor.
When kneading my biscuit dough on a lightly floured surface, I knead just enough to thoroughly combine the ingredients – 10 to 12 times. You don’t want tough biscuits.
Your dough can be rolled using a rolling pin (if I roll I use a dowel) or you can pat your dough to a thickness of ½-inch. Patting to ½-inch thickness should give you biscuits that will rise to 1-inch in height during baking.
Now for the cutting. You can use a floured cutter 2 ½ to 3-inches in diameter; pushing the scraps together and gently re-rolling to cut the remaining dough. Once again – don’t handle too much – you don’t want tough biscuits. Many times I just cut mine with a knife. There comes a time when you need to save time or you’re too tired for fussing.
As for the oven temperature – I’ve seen so many biscuit recipes saying that you should preheat your oven to 450* Fahrenheit. I never do. I preheat my oven – but to 350* Fahrenheit. So they take a little longer – that is the temperature I prefer to bake them at. It’s your choice. Just remember to place your biscuits on a lightly greased baking sheet about an inch apart.
For a golden crust, use a shiny baking sheet.
Dark cookie sheets will cause your biscuit bottoms to over-brown.
For crusty sides – place biscuits 1-inch apart on the baking sheet.
For soft sides – place your biscuits close together.
After removing from the oven, you can brush the tops with melted butter.
Additional information:
I always use all-purpose flour for biscuit making. It has less protein than wheat/bread flour which when hydrated and worked, creates the gluten strands that make breads chewy.
Never overwork the dough – you don’t want to develop the gluten; handle the dough as little as possible.
Remember – those bits of fat imbedded in the dough will melt during baking, creating steam and giving you the flaky layers that you want.
When it comes to choosing fat for your biscuits, butter will add more flavor, but shortening will make your biscuits more tender. Shortening doesn’t contain water or milk solids like butter does.
The fat you choose must be COLD. As it melts during baking, your leavening agent takes its place so that the biscuits will rise. If your fat melts or softens before the biscuits bake they will be hard and flat because your leavening agent has no where to go.
