Back in January I shared my favorite tricks and tips from the kitchen, Show and Tell here
Many of you were kind enough to share your secrets and I have rounded up a few others to go with them
Michael Lee West from Rattlebridge Farm shared a tip she learned from her chef son~
Cut tomatoes with a bread knife, it helps keep the juices in, handy when making salsa. I have found it’s a great way to get thin slices too. Once you’ve mastered slicing, learn how to Paint Tomatoes here 🙂
Marigene from In the Middle of Nowhere shared several tips:
When cooking root vegetables, start them in cold water because they are so dense they need time to heat all the way through. This also helps to make them more palatable because it dissolves most of the starch
She also adds a dash of vinegar to the water when boiling potatoes so they don’t turn to mush if left to cook too long
Marigene also says to keep celery wrapped in foil to lengthen it’s life and add milk to the water if you’re boiling cauliflower to keep it snow white
Johanne from French Gardener Dishes said she always zests her lemons before squeezing and saves the zest for future use. She also freezes juiced lemons and uses them to stuff poultry before roasting
I freeze lemons too, a kitchen just can’t function without lemon. For more about freezing lemons and other handy ways to use them go to Holiday Fragrance and Lemons here
You can also roll lemons on your counter top, pushing down gently, and they will yield more juice or microwave them for 30 seconds
or use lemon slices as a bed to cook fish on when you grill like this photo and technique by the Mother Huddle
Johanne also suggests cleaning up as you go, which is definitely a motto to cook by
I like to keep 1 side of my sink full of hot soapy water to toss things in as I use them
Kim from Curtain Queen Creates shared a tip about bacon. She cooks a whole batch and then freezes the strips in ziplock bags. That way she always has some at the ready. She said frozen bacon crumbles easily and you can do it right in the freezer bag~
Another way to keep cooked bacon on hand is in Bacon Jam here. You cook it in a slow cooker and store in a a jar in your refrigerator for 1 month
A spoonful is great in your scrambled eggs, on your toast or in your sandwich or burger
Do a quick touch up/clean out of the refrigerator and pantry right before your weekly grocery run. This way everything stays organized and what you have on hand will be fresh in your mind. Take 10-15 minutes to do this and make this a habit, and you will ultimately save yourself time and lots of money. Who doesn’t need more time and money! 🙂
You can see some tips on using freezer paper and Refrigerator Organization here
To see the tips from January’s Show and Tell click here
Keep the tips coming and we can have a regular Show and Tell every month! Share something fabulous or a guarded secret, shhhh…
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