A collection of easy cooking tips and help for all those little kitchen and cooking problems.
Easy Cooking Tips
How to Boil and Egg – Bring eggs to room temperature before cooking to prevent craking due to extreme temperature change. First bring a pan with enough water to cover eggs to a boil. Using a slotted spoon gently place eggs into water. Do not place too many eggs in pan as this will cause them to knock and crack. Lower the heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes. The eggs should be simmered gently (medium to low heat). Carefully remove eggs using a slotted spoon and place in a bowl of cold water. This will stop the eggs from cooking further.
How to Microwave a Potato – Wash potato well making sure to remove all dirt. Gently pierce (using a fork) in several areas to prevent potato from exploding! Place on microwave-safe plate and microwave on high for approximately 5 to 10 minutes (this varies from microwave to microwave). Check to make sure potato is soft. Once potato is soft coat outside with oil, wrap in foil and place in oven at 350F for another 10 minutes.
Garlic – When sautéing garlic always use a very low heat and stir continuosly to avoid garlic burning and tasting bitter. If you‘re adding onions and garlic, always add garlic after onions have cooked for a few minutes as onions take longer to cook.
Keeping Cakes Fresh – To keep a loaf of cake fresh longer, cut in half and cut slices from the middle first instead of end. Then push the two leftover sections together to make a loaf shape and keep cake from drying out.
How to Store Cookies – Cookies should be completely cool before storing. Store different types of cookies separately to avoid flavours changing. Use an airtight container and keep for up to 5 days.
Cooking Tips – Melting Chocolate – When melting chocolate immerse the bowl of chocolate into a saucepan that‘s filled with a little water. Heat over very low heat stirring continuously. Becareful water doesn‘t splash into the chocolate as it will immediately stiffen! If it does ad a little bit (1 tablespoons) of vegetable shortening to soften again. Do not use butter or milk. The moisture will cause the chocolate to stiffen even more. Stir well.
Cooking Tips – Grilling – To keep foods from sticking, simply rub grill with a little oil before cooking.
Baking Chicken and Fish – To keep moist bake covered and add a little additional liquid (2 tablespoons water or broth). This will keep meat from drying out and help retain moisture.
Steaming – Place vegetables on steamer and steam gently for a few minutes. Sprinkle fresh or dried herbs to steaming water to give a nice flavor. You can also use broth in place of water.
Measuring Herbs – Dried herbs tend to be much stronger in flavor than fresh herbs. Use 1 teaspoon of dried herbs for every 1 tablespoon of fresh herbs.
Canned Tuna – When buying tuna canned in oil keep in mind the oil has been added to the tuna during the canning process. When buying canned salmon in oil, the oil comes from the fish itself rather than being added during the canning process.
Lemon & Lime Measurements – 1 lemon or lime gives you about 2 tablespoons of fresh juice and 1 tablespoon grated zest.
