52 tips makes a whole year of tip sharing. I think that calls for a celebration. I started it on a whim after sharing tips periodically on my Facebook page, and it soon became a weekly staple on this site. It’s made me pay attention to what I do in the kitchen as well as search for easier ways to do things. The less fuss the better, right? And when I was tip-less, many of you contributed your kitchen genius. Thank you.
This little series will continue, but first it’s time to celebrate with a giveaway of some of my favorite products that make working in the kitchen easier and, let’s be honest, prettier. Many, many thanks to the great companies listed below that made this giveaway possible.
Giveaway details:
Your chances of winning are pretty great as 9 lucky winners will be selected.
You could win:
1. Microplane (1 winner)
I use this to zest citrus, grate nutmeg, and even mince garlic. This tool has a million different uses. Find them on Facebook and Twitter.
2. Poketo Tea Towel design by Lisa Congdon (1 winner)
Crazy pretty. Need I say more? Find them on Facebook and Twitter.
3. Savora Oil Mister (3 winners)
Beautifully designed and sprays like a wizard. Seriously, my new favorite kitchen tool. Find them on Facebook and Pinterest or purchase here.
4. Case of the Ball Heritage Collection (1 winner)
One of the certified first 100 produced, no less. I use these to save salad dressing or leftover food, serve pretty drinks or cute desserts, and even as a simple flower vase. Find them on Facebook and Twitter.
5. GIR Spatula (3 winners)
This spatula has replaced all spatulas in my house. It’s sleek, easy to clean, and super durable. Find them on Facebook and Twitter.
To enter the giveaway:
Leave a comment sharing a nugget of kitchen wisdom.
The fine print:
Giveaway ends Sunday, June 23 at 11:59 pm EST. Nine winners will be chosen at random using random.org and announced Monday, June 24. Winners will have 48 hours to respond before a new winner is selected. Available to U.S. residents only.
A putty knife makes a dandy implement to use when frying potatoes in a cast iron skillet. It is thinner and more flexible than a spatula, and does a great job. Mine is carbon steel, so needs to be quickly cleaned, dried, and put away. Don’t let it soak in a sink of dishes, it will rust!
My favorite tip is to line brownies pans with parchment paper before baking. Easy breezy clean up and the brownies are ready for slicing right away! (:
Store fresh herbs wrapped in paper towels in zip-top bags. They stay fresher for much longer than if you just throw them in the crisper with a devil-may-care attitude!
An easy way to peel ginger is with the dull side of your knife – just make sure to keep your hand on the handle!
i just realized that garlic is the key of ingredients and it’s healthy 😀
This seems like a simple one, but I feel that many people pass it by: separate your produce!
Learn which foods belong in the fridge and which belong out in the open. Also, find out which foods cause the other to spoil.
I found this out a few months back and it’s changed my life.
My nugget isn’t very magical, but I’ve found that doing dishes here and there while you’re waiting for things to cook, in between steps in the recipe, makes clean up so much less daunting!
My nugget is to realize that sometimes recipes are not going turn out as beautiful as they look in photos. That doesn’t mean you should feel bad or think you are horrible at cooking. Just keep trying and having fun!
Loving all these comments! My tip is if you want homemade pizza in the summer and don’t want to heat up the kitchen, grill it! Takes 10 minutes – throw un-topped dough on the grill, cook for a few, then flip and top. Close the lid for 5 minutes and it’s done.
I know this may sound cliche… but #1-If your not cooking with LOVE, then your friends, family and loved ones might notice…..haha & #2- I believe you already exemplify this practice even though I have never tasted your cooking (I wish), but the time you take in presenting such beautiful photos and details, I know you LOVE what your doing!
That’s my nugget of wisdom…. Do what you love & love what you do! Keep up the good work.. your inspiring! 🙂
I recently learned that in order to get the peel off of garlic with less fuss, you can simply pop the clove(s) into the microwave for 5-7 seconds. The peel will slide right off. But, be careful, garlic gets hot fast!
Patience is underrated when it comes to baking, especially cookies! Fight the urge to bake the dough at room temperature; refrigerated/frozen dough always makes the perfect chewy-in-the-right-spots cookies.
Get garlic or other food smells off your hands by carefully running your fingers along the blade of a stainless steel knife while holding it under running water.
Nugget of wisdom – be sure to read the recipe all the way through twice before beginning. I have made so many tiny mistakes due to not fully understanding the recipe
My nugget is simple, coat a little oil on your measuring spoon or cup when measuring honey. No waste and perfect measuring! Melissa, when is your nugget due to arrive?
Breathe through your mouth when cutting onions and your eyes won’t water as much! And don’t cut up the roots until the end which release those crazy fumes! Great giveaway, Melissa!
Clean as you go! The. You can enjoy your hard work.
If you want to figure out if your oil is hot enough to fry put a wooden spoon in it and if bubbles form around the wood it’s ready to go!
After you finish using a skillet that does not have a non-stick coating, go ahead and de-glaze it (w/ water) while it’s still hot. This makes clean-up so much easier!
Someone once told me that when baking you use baking soda if you want things to spread (like cookies) and baking powder if you want things to puff (or rise). It’s an easy trick to remember: soda = spread, powder = puff.
To make a delicious and simple bolognese, instead of using ground meat and adding my own seasonings, I buy sausage from the butcher counter and have them remove the casing in the store. I combine sausage with half of an onion, 2 garlic gloves and a 14 oz. can of diced tomatoes. The seasoning in the sausage adds enough flavor to make it tasty and makes the process of homemade sauce so much faster!
Use nutritional yeast instead of cornstarch or flour to thicken sauces and stir fry – adds a lot of vitamin B-12!
Two tips:
Pop your onions in the freezer ten minutes before chopping them for tear-free cutting.
Freeze leftover coffee in ice cube trays to throw into iced coffee without watering it down.
Thanks for the great giveaway!
“Don’t try to make something unhealthy, healthy.” – Words of wisdom from my hubby when I baked ‘black bean’ brownies. 🙂
My little nugget is to freeze leftover soups, purees (pumpkin), pie filling (bumper crop of apples?), flat in the freezer in ziploc bags, so afterwards you can set them upright almost like books for easier visual when searching.
my tidbit is to not be afraid to NOT use a recipe! Sometimes you can make really inventive dishes by using the leftovers and thinking of different flavor combinations and just giving it ago!
Chill coffee in ice trays to use in homemade iced coffee. It won’t dilute the drink.
I always take any leftover coffee and freeze it into cubes, excellent to use in iced coffee!
Put chopped herbs from your garden in an ice cube tray. Pour a little water in and freeze. Store cubes in a ziplock bag for fresh herbs in a flash. Works with pesto too!
If you don’t use a whole can of tomato paste, freeze it and you can throw small amounts into whatever you need it for (it will melt!)
Instead of throwing veggie scraps away, freeze them. Once you get a big bag full simmer in a pot full of water for an hour and voila! Veggie broth!
Use beer instead of water in your chili – SO MUCH MORE FLAVOR!
To keep food from sticking to your knife while chopping rub lemon juice over the blade.
If a recipe is not already divided into wet and dry ingredients lists- That is the first thing I do. (On another paper).
This is a good inventory AND helps to make sure you don’t forget something!
I just learned this one from Erin over at Naturally Ella! If you don’t have a cherry pitter, place the cherry on top of a beer bottle and push the pit through with a chopstick.
Freeze lemonade in ice cube trays, then pour over iced tea for a quick chilled arnold palmer, so great for summer! 🙂
I always pre-measure ingredients for baking before I start. I also usually put all the ingredients in order by step!
recipes are like road maps, the fun starts when you stray from the path
If you need to slice raw meat, place in the freezer for about 10 to 15 minutes. You don’t want to referee it, just make it slightly more solid. So much easier (and safer) to slice!
Freeze tablespoons of leftover tomato paste to use later in soups, sauces, etc. I always have extra! Thanks for this great giveaway. I’ve enjoyed reading the tips!
Waste not! Always look for a way to reuse items. Ex. With fruit that is about to spoil, wash, dry and freeze. Use to make smoothies!
when cleaning lettuce or other greens, fill your salad spinner with water. Put the strainer part in and wash your greens . The grit sinks to the bottom. Lift out the strainer, discard the water and spin the greens dry.
Love all the tips. What a great giveaway!
Keep a jar of bourbon or vodka in the pantry to add used vanilla pods to. You’ll have homemade vanilla in a few months for very little expense and those pods don’t get wasted.
instead of tossing out too-ripe fruit, toss it in your freezer and save for a smoothie!!
I JUST learned about aluminum free baking powder! I always thought that baking powder just tasted that way and I avoided it!!! Total game changer!!
For scones, pie crusts, etc when you need to cut butter into the flour, I freeze my butter and then grate it instead of using a pastry blender or cutting it into small cubes. It is so much easier! I just use the largest hole size on my grater.
When you make pasta always a save out a cup or so of the pasta water to add to the sauce. There is nothing more amazing than a sauce made with pasta water, butter and parmesan cheese!
I use the last bits of fruit from the crisper (and often extra bites from the kids plates) to make a big batch of smoothies. I then freeze them in individual plastic cups with lids in the freezer. Just move from freezer to fridge the night before and you have a perfect smoothy in the mornings.
I have a very small kitchen and NO storage space so I like items to have dual purposes. For instance I use my handy metal cupcake carrier as a roasting pan as well. Works perfectly and keeps my kitchen clutter free=)
store all your herbs in a glass filled with water, in the fridge, & loosely cover with a plastic bag….the herbs stay fresh for upto a month!!
Keep fresh ginger in the freezer. You can keep it fresh longer and it’s much easier to grate with the micro plane.
Keep a bowl/container of cold water near you when chopping onions! A splash of it on your wrists will help your tears stay in your eyes:]
Measure salt over your sink instead of what you are putting it in. That way you don’t put too much in the recipe!
I always want to make cookies, but I never have “softened” butter on hand! So I improvise by cutting a stick of better in to small pieces and putting this on the counter. It really speeds up the process of softening the butter!
Many recipes can easily freeze. Double or triple and put a meal away for later.
A glass of wine while cooking is perfectly acceptable.
hmm.. love your blog, Melissa!!
My little nugget of wisdom is to play music while you are cooking! There is something so cathartic about it. I live in Los Angeles, and sometimes, music and the kitchen are my only time to drift away and get caught up in the meal I am preparing. Spotify is great!
Use some lemon juice to clean wooden cutting boards. Works like a charm.
The most useful tip I’ve learned so far is that quality products are worth the money. When it comes to blenders, mixers, food processors, etc. don’t go cheap.
Keep a big box of baking soda in your pantry, and use it for everything from deodorizing cutting boards to scrubbing away rust to polishing your sink. That stuff is my staple.
Keep a “trash bowl” out while prepping/cooking to hold your all your scraps and compostables so that you can dispose of them at once rather than running back and forth to the garbage, the compost bin, and the counter.
I love adding ginger to dishes but do not use it enough, so when I look for it in the fridge it will be moldy. Solution? Put it in the freezer! Now I just take it out of the freezer and use a microzester to add some ginger flavor to any meal I so desire 🙂
Save the ends of bread (if no one eats them) and bread that is starting to dry out to use for homemade breadcrumbs. Break the bread into small pieces and dry on a cookie sheet for a few days until hard. Grind in the food processor or blender until fine crumbs form. Store in the freezer to keep them fresh. Use to bread chicken or fish, in meatloaf or meatballs or in any recipe that calls for dry breadcrumbs.
When baking, and this is sometimes more a problem for me than it should be, always make sure you added everything before you put it into the baking dish.
a nugget of kitchen wisdom :
Cook when you in good mood so you don’t ruin other people’s mood 😉
One of my favorite tips as of late is to let your meat/chicken/fish sit out for 30 minutes or so before you cook it. Bringing it to room(ish) temperature helps it to cook more evenly… also make sure to let it sit for a few minutes after cooking it to keep all the juices intact!
For fresh tomatoes that need a flavor boost – slice or chop them (for a salad) sprinkle sea/kosher salt to draw out the juice. In the Winter I also add dried herbs (basil, Italian seasoning, etc). After 10-15 minutes I add olive oil and vinegar (wine, sherry or balsamic) and let marinate while I make the rest of the salad and dinner. This is just the basic version, there are so many variations – creativity is limitless!!
Baking soda not only helps when making cookies, it helps in cleaning too! My favoritie trick is sprinkling about 1Tbsp in a coffee and /or tea stained mug, adding a sprinkling of water, and rubbing the damp baking soda all around the inside of the mug. You’ll finally be able to see the spakling interior of your mug, and impress your friends with your know-how are the same time!
spray cooking oil in a spoon before scooping honey into a bowl or something – honey drizzles easily and it will make cleaning spoon easier later.
Always crack you eggs in a second bowl, you never know when you will get a bad one!
Use a spoon to scrape the peel off fresh ginger root
use one mister for oil, another for vinegar
You can freeze extra buttermilk – then just thaw, blend and use when needed.
I LOVE to mix some melted chocolate chips (1/4 cup or so) with some coconut milk (1/2 to 3/4 c.), along with some vanilla and instant coffee to make a quick dairy-free desserts.
Always make sure you have ALL the ingredients before you start (or send angry people to the grocery store…)
Use a pastry blender to break cooked ground beef into small pieces for tacos!
Toss your onions in the freezer for 30 minutes to an hour before chopping – much easier on the eyes!
Always crack your eggs in a seperate bowl than the batter in case you accidentally get a shell or a bad egg. Then, your whole mix won’t be ruined!
To prevent cracks in cheesecakes, do not open the oven at all for any reason during bake time!! After the timer is up, just turn off the oven and leave cheesecake in the oven for about an hour to cool. Works every time 🙂
Love your site!!
Nugget of Wisdom:
No matter what age you are, never be discouraged to cook in the kitchen. Cooking is not about being perfect, but it is about having fun and learning through your experiences.
If you cut onions with contact lenses on, you won’t cry!
Invest in a Kitchen Aid stand up mixer! The best appliance in the kitchen. The homemade ice cream maker is a close second!
My tip is to always make sure you have everything you need for your recipe before you start making it. Nothing like needing 2 sticks of butter and only having 1 when your in the middle of the recipe.
Always make extra waffle batter – freeze any leftover waffles and just pop them in the toaster whenever you want one!
My nugget of kitchen wisdom…measure accurately when baking!
If you want your homemade whipped cream to keep, dissolve 1 teaspoon gelatin in 2 teaspoons warm water and add after vanilla or other add ins. I also always freeze my whisk and bowl before whipping, for stiffer peaks!
Boil a pot of water and add a dash of cinnamon to cancel out the smell of fried foods in the kitchen!
Ice water in the frying pan loosens the scrambled egg gunk from the bottom.
Clean as you go was mine too LOL. Another one is keep the pantry stocked with staples
I find it so worthwhile to keep a personal journal about my adventures in the kitchen. I have one small notebook that I use to write down all the baking recipes I try, as well as notes on what did or did not work in those experiences. I have another small notebook for the cooking recipes I try, usually with a note on what I was doing the night I made it, like date night or dinner with friends. It’s so fun to look back at every once and a while for a laugh or a smile.
Clean as you go!!
Peel ginger with a spoon! It’s the best way to remove the skin and keep ALL of the tangy flesh!
Always keep reusable ziplock bags in stock… You can use them as piping bags to fill cupcakes or decorate pastries 😉
When making your own pizza, use the broiler to increase the temperature of the pizza stone. I bring the oven and pizza stone to the highest temperature the oven allows, often 500 degrees. After that I blast the pizza stone with the broiler for 10 minutes. Right before I’m ready to slip the pizza onto the stone, I switch the oven back to 500 so that the ingredients on top won’t burn. I learned this from Jim Lahey’s book, My Pizza. As my sister said after she sank her teeth into my latest pizza, “It’s crusty! It’s chewy! It’s the best pizza crust I’ve ever had!”
My nugget is jank, buuuut I prefer to shred a rotis when it’s warm. Takes half the time! And it feels good. Sorry.
Stay organized. Clean as you go. Have a ball!
Love your blog!!! My tip (maybe not as clever as most of the others here) is to have a bowl or baggie nearby (I like the sink) as you prep your veggies. For peelings or any other assorted trash, add it to the bowl and toss it all in the compost or trash when you’re done cooking. I think I learned this from my mom, so I’ve always done this, but just learned the hard way that my boyfriend doesn’t! He recently clogged the garbage disposal with tons potato peelings and we spent the whole night trying to unclog the mess!
Am I the only one that always seems to have leftover cilantro? I’ve come up with a good solution. Cut the cilantro as the stem where the leaves stop growing. Throw stems and all into the food processor with the juice from 1/2 lime, few glugs olive oil and some salt to taste. Use it to marinade fish, chicken or pork. Freeze and toss in a crock pot to make yummy pork tacos, or add to soup.
My nugget of kitchen wisdom comes from my grandma. Don’t be too strict with recipes. You can always taste and add a little more of this or that.
Don’t use pre-filled spice racks. Buy dried spices as you need them to avoid lost flavor.
My daughter is moving to North Carolina into her First apartment. Would love this!
Should a mandolin slicer take a chunk out of your finger get back on that horse and keep using it. Wise up and use the cut glove.
peel ginger with a spoon, much easier than with a peeler and you get more than you would if you use a knife plus you dont risk cutting yourself!
Congratulations! I love cooking and baking just about anything! When baking, try using non-stick silicone cupcake liners when making cupcakes of any kind – but if you don’t have or can’t find silicon liners, you can substitute foil liners; just remember to remove the paper liners wedged in between each and just use the foil cupcake liners to prevent the cupcake sticking!
If you can’t use it, freeze it!
Here’s my nugget: Always (always) turn up the jams while you’re cooking. Relax and have fun… even if you completely blow it.
My “nugget” is to always add shredded (or thinly sliced) carrots to tomato sauces. It really helps to neutralize the often too bitter taste of the tomatoes.
My nugget of wisdom is to always use real butter and none of that fat free stuff and don’t be afraid to make a little bit of a mess.
My tip is to clean as you go, it makes the final clean up so much easier.
If you don’t have time to wait for your frozen butter to reach room temperature, grate it! You’ll have it ready in no time! Thanks for hosting this giveaway!
My tip is: When in doubt throw it out!
First, I love, love, love that you used the word nugget. I had a supervisor once who hated the word (the way some people hate words like moist), so it has been stuck in my head for a long time. My little kernel of wisdom in the kitchen is to never be afraid to mix the cheeses! My husband and I are cheese lovers and frequently use it in our cooking (though sadly that will have to change due to my LI), and we have discovered some truly extraordinary combos without knowing a single fact about cheese. Just mix and learn!
Dinner parties seem to be more fun when I’ve created a special cocktail just for that event.
A great giveaway! My tip is to wrap herbs in a slightly moistened paper towel and store in an open plastic ziplock in the fridge…they keep so much longer!
Rather than storing pre-chopped vegetables, homemade dressings, and leftovers in mismatched plastic containers that create precarious toppling towers in the refrigerator, invest in a set of quart-sized glass jars to use instead. The jars are easy to label, easy to distinguish, and easy to clean, and I don’t hesitate to douse them in boiling water as I did with plastic containers. Also, glass doesn’t absorb stinky residue.
Weeknight dinners can be made very simply and quickly by roasting veggies and protein in one pan in the oven. Salmon and broccoli are great examples – just a little olive oil, salt, pepper and lemon at 450.
What a great giveaway! The only nugget that comes to mind is my no fail quick + easy garlic butter. I crush the garlic gloves, cover in olive oil, then microwave for 30 sec. Put a slab of butter in the hot oil and mix with a pinch of italian seasoning & salt. Slather onto bread. Super easy!
We simply cannot get enough of the make-you-cry, burn-your-tongue, sniffly-nose hot pepper spice in our house, and unfortunately this means our eyes and fingertips suffer in the process. Yes, you could wear gloves when chopping up that jalapeno – But seriously, who actually does that? Whenever I need to soothe that capsaicin sting on my hands or lips, I just dab a milk-soaked cloth on the affected area and allow it to dry. Sure, it may feel weird and you might get strange looks from your friends and family, but trust me, it works.
When measuring honey or peanut butter, spray the measuring cup with cooking spray first
Spend the money to get a good set of kitchen knives and keep them sharpened.
When working with tofu, instead of pressing it to squeeze out the excess water, freeze pieces ahead of time. By freezing it, the tofu becomes a lot firmer when cooking and tastier when finished!
Use milk to thaw frozen fish. This helps to take away the fishy taste and acts as a tenderizer.
I love reading these tidbits of wisdom! When grilling or baking meats make extra and freeze to utilize in another meal. Saved my family eating out many evenings!
It took me long time to finally figure this out. But have all you ingredients out and measured, chopped, peeled, etc. and ready to go. It makes the cooking experience much more pleasant and less hectic. Keeps the mess to minimum as well.
Before baking, set up all of your ingredients on a rimmed baking sheet. As you use them, set aside (off baking sheet). This way, you’ll easily know if you forgot an ingredient.
If I happen to leave my cast-iron skillet caked with egg a little too long *ahem*, I use a little bit of water and kosher salt to scrub it down.
Want light waffles? Use club soda or seltzer water in place of water. Want buttermilk? Use buttermilk powder.
To store and preserve onions longer, tie them individually in pantyhose, separated by a knot and store in a cool dark place. When you need one, cut at knot and keep the others in the hose!
When I am using lemons, I toss the lemon peels into the garbage disposal to freshen it up!
Clean as you go. Not a secret to anyone, but definitely a lifesaver!
My nugget of wisdom is to prep all of your ingredients before you start cooking/baking. Having everything measured and laid out on the counter is so much easier than searching for ingredients in the middle of your recipe! 🙂
Glad to be in such good company with these amazing brands! If you don’t have a non-slip cutting board, toss a damp rag or paper towel underneath to stop it from sliding around. Also, I buy boxes of nitrile gloves to protect my hands while peeling beets or butternut squash. The doctor is IN!
I have found that putting a little PAM on the plastic wrap before putting it over rising bread dough makes less hassle…and aids in the making of delicious homemade bread!
My tip is when filling pipping bags (for frostings, etc) put the bag in a large vase, glass, etc then fill the bag. Makes it much easier!
Whoa, congrats on 1 year of great tips! Tip that has saved my kitchen from fruit flies lately: Fill a wine glass about 1/3 full with apple cider vinegar, add a drop of dish soap. Works like a charm!
my nugget of kitchen wisdom is to cherish the moments when your little one’s ask to help cook as they are bringing the dining room chair into the kitchen 🙂 I love how my 2.5 year old daughter loves to help even if she makes the counter extra messy 🙂
Burn an unscented candle close to where you are chopping onions – it helps eliminate the fumes and vapors that cause you to cry! I keep a bag of tealights close by and pull one out when I need it. Much easier than having to reapply the mascara 🙂
I hope this is not too gross, but rice and other dry goods often (usually) have weevil eggs in them, which hatch if the food is shelved too long or you are in a warm climate (Southern California!). They are not harmful to ingest. To keep the bugs from hatching, put your dried goods (beans, rice, flour, cereal, grain) in the freezer for a few days the kills the bugs before shelving it. Actually I just leave my dried goods in the freezer.
Keep ground coffee in the freezer so it stays fresh.
And one inspired by Gina: if you want to hide anything from your husband, such as a Christmas present, just put it in the kitchen – my husband never goes in there. May not work for everyone but works in my house!
My Nugget of wisdom is to have fun and don’t be scared to experiment with new flavors and ingredients. Just be adventurous and cook what feels right!
My kitchen wisdom for me is to always use a bigger pot or pan then what you think you will need…I’ve found this to be a true for myself…
My roommate discovered that when measuring honey, if you lightly coat the measuring cup with olive oil, the honey pours out without any fuss.
the best kitchen gadget that replaces a blender,grinder,icemaker,whipper,double boiler and steamer yep it does all of this oh and weighs ingredients as you go!It does not take up a lot of kitchen space nor doyou have 50 pieces to put together and then store.what is it??a thermomix by vorwerk, popular all over the world they stopped selling them here I guess the us market doesn’t like fierce competition?I have the older tm21 the new version tm31 available even in Africa!!I got mine at aflea market for $40 current retail value $800 the new ones,,,,,i have to admit are $$$ check it out
thermomixaustralia.com, yes from the mother country!!
Also, I hope that I can do two because this innumeracy to me. Don’t be too hard on yourself, especially in baking. It is really easy to get distracted or even too focused, like staring at the oven watching the cake slowly rise by the hour or even throwing out milk because it expires in a week. But that is a little extreme, give yourself a break. Even though baking has a reputation of being too precise or too long, just do it for the fun of doing it and if you mess up, so what, you learn. It is supposed to be fun, so make it so.
Use a slow cooker to cook dry beans! Soak overnight. Rinse. throw in the cooker with kombu (optional, but makes them easier to digest), and water (to fill 2-3in above beans). Cook 5-8 hours on low. Drain and enjoy!
Exact measurements really only matter for baking. Don’t stress over it for regular cooking.
The simple three ingredient shortbread is easy and delicious. It has butter, flour and sugar, you cannot go wrong.
Measure all baking ingredients over a kitchen towel. This way, when you’re done, you can shake off the excess (flour, sugar, etc.) into the trash, fold the towel over a couple times (to keep the used surface on the inside) and throw it in the wash. No messy counters to clean!
Having a bowl on the counter for all the scraps and garbage is my trick every time I cook. So easy.
For lump free powdered sugar, keep it stored in the freezer.
Unload the dishwasher in the morning. It makes it much easier to clean up during and after dinner.
For crispy sweet potato fries.. I soak the cut sweet potatoes in water for an hour to half a day. Drain off the water and throw them in a bag with a tablespoon or two of cornstarch and shake. They turn out nice and crispy every time! I love mixing sour cream, a squeeze of lime, a tiny bit of maple syrup, and a chopped jalapeno up for dipping.
If you’re frying something & you want it to be spicy, put cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes in the oil while it’s heating. This way the spiciness is distributed throughout the dish. I do this with chili, fried potatoes & Brussels sprouts. 🙂
There are so really great tips in these comments!
Here’s mine—you can make homemade mayo with just an egg and a cup of oil in 30 seconds using an immersion blender…I posted about it today!
Boil water before making ice cubes if you want the cubes to be clear and pretty!
Adding a pinch of salt in sweet dishes and a pinch of sugar in savory dishes helps blending all the other flavors that are added.
One of my favorite tips is how I shred chicken. After it is cooked I trim off all the yucky parts and put it in a bowl and take my beaters to it. It shreds so easily without all the work.
Adding some alcohol to my homemade ice cream/sorbets helps keep them from getting too hard or icy.
A friend once told me that the key to hosting a stress-free dinner party is to have the table set before guests arrive, clean as you prep, and most importantly have a glass of wine on hand.
Learn to measure tsp and tbsp in the palm of your hand. Perfect for savory cooking when preciseness is not completely necessary. Here are some tips: http://www.fanpop.com/clubs/clueless/images/
Whoops: http://theboatgalley.com/measuring-spoons/
Store fresh ginger in sand. IM loving all of these tips! Thank you!
If I want to put thin-sliced red onions in salads, I rinse the red onions with cold water to make them slightly milder.
I also have a Ziplock bag with vegetable scraps in my freezer that I can use to make vegetable stock.
Wisdom from my sweetheart, who has years of restaurant experience: buy those little round sticky dots from an office supply store, and when you put leftovers in the fridge, add a dot with the date written on it. This has eliminated arguments over whether something is too old to eat and has resolved the question of, “When did we have the pasta?”.
To make flavor really pop in baked products, mix the sugar with the desired flavoring – vanilla, lemon/lime rind, and let it sit while preparing the rest of your ingredients.
My nugget of wisdom is to ALWAYS double-check the recipe as you’re working, especially if it’s new… and have fun! Keep someone fun in the kitchen to make sure the atmosphere is always light-hearted. 🙂
Hmmm.. i can’t think of a good one off hand and am sure it will come to me after i post this.. I’m just going to say don’t be afraid to try new things/different crazy concoctions.. you never know what could come of it! Ooh and another one.. if you have Pampered Chef stoneware.. or any kind of stoneware i’m sure.. it makes the BEST bacon and doesn’t stink up the entire house for days!
To get rid of the garlic or onion smell on your hands, rub your fingers over your stainless steel sink (if you have one)
Great giveaway, would love to win! I love to cook, but I’m not the greatest. My words of wisdom would be to just keep cooking/baking, never give up. It might not look great but it might taste great 🙂
Cook with someone you love. Its always more fun 🙂
Use dried beans! Cheaper and tastier than canned. After soaking before adding water to the pot to boil add a tsp of baking soda to chickpeas on low heat and stir for about four minutes. This will help with gas! Also save the cooking water to use to thin hummus or in soup.
When you make a pastry or pie dough or the like, save the butter wrapper to grease the pan with. It’s not a big thing, but I always feel so happy using those tiny, tiny nubbins left on the paper for something useful.
Genius!!
If you are out of buttermilk, you can make a great substitute: mix 1 cup of milk with a generous tsp of vinegar and let set for 5 minutes.
I use a grapefruit spoon to scoop seeds out of squash. The serrated edges make it easier every time.
Well, I have an awesome husband who does most (okay pretty much all) of our cooking, so he has more wisdom than me. BUT I do have a new mom wisdom that involves food. When you are nursing and starving and crashing… I love a good cup of coffee in the afternoon with a little bowl of nuts, dried fruit, coconut, and dark chocolate chips. It’s like a cookie. Has good vitamins and protein. And when you are a new mom, you need some sugar (chocolate). It can be made hundreds of ways! (Okay, Andrew first started this as well)
One tip that I would suggest to anyone in the kitchen is to clean up as you cook! There is nothing more burdensome than finishing a wonderful dish and then having the kitchen look like a disaster zone :/
Cold butter is the trick for perfect pie crust 🙂
I learned this from the movie, The Help, it really works! Hold a match in your mouth, (not the strike end!) when slicking onions. The sulfur will neutralize the irritating compound in the onion to prevent tears and eye irritation.
Keep nuts in the refrigerator to have them last longer.
My tip is all about onions – if you keep your onions in the refrigerator, they don’t make you cry when you chop them. Of course, that does take most of the fun out of chopping onions… just sayin’.
When using avocado, you can usually peel the skin once you have sliced it in half! This saved me from the messy scooping-out business and made the avo look professional and fresh!
Fill ice cube trays with leftover coffee and use in iced coffee drinks. Won’t water the iced coffee down like regular ice cubes.
A big jug of vinegar is my kitchen staple. I rinse berries and veggies in 1 part vinegar to 10 parts water. Kills any mold on the berries helping them stay longer and works for vegetables too. I also use about a 1/4 cup of vinegar when washing loads of towels (bath and kitchen) to kill any mold spores and put the fluff back into them.
Leave the root end intact when chopping an onion to keep the layers from separating while you chop.
always zest your lemons before juicing. freeze zest for later use.
most everything is better with a touch of lemon 🙂
Rather than storing soup in a tupperware, make ice cubes of the broth and the good stuff (chicken, veggies, etc.). It makes it way easier for individual servings and doesn’t take long to defrost. I usually do 2 broth cubes for every 1 “good stuff” cube.
Darn US residents only. Is it due to shipping?
It is due to shipping. Sorry!
If you don’t want your fiance to find the last bite of something good-hide it in the very back of the refrigerator behind the lettuce.
Not that I’ve ever done this. A friend shared this tidbit.
I love lemon. Use it to clean cutting boards and add a little salt to remove berries or beet stains!
Freeze ripe bananas for smoothies, breads, or ice cream later!
My favorite kitchen tip that I’ve learned in the last two years is that my Kitchen Aid stand mixer will shred meat! As long as the meat is still warm, I throw it in there with the paddle attachment and shred away. Such a time saver when making pulled pork sandwiches or chicken salad with a rotisserie chicken!
Wow!! Thank you for this!!!! I just spent 30 mins yesterday shredding a couple chicken tenders for chicken salad and hated every second!
Washing dishes and cleaning as you go is key. It makes the enjoyment of the meal that much better, especially knowing that afterward there isn’t too much left to clean up.
To more easily peel garlic cloves, hold as many as you’d like between two small metal mixing bowls and shake away! When you stop after about 15 seconds of vigorous shaking, most of the work will be done for you!
Chop and store all of your veggie scraps in a big container in the fridge for easy weekend stock making!
Keep ginger hands in the freezer and use a box grater to zest the frozen pieces. It keeps longer and is easier to shred when frozen! Also, stick a cooked steak in the freezer for about 10 minutes to make it easier to slice thin for salads, and fresh mozzarella as well for easier shredding.
Use a spoon to hull strawberries. It works just as well as a knife, but leaves more of the berry in tact!
When making homemade hummus, start by shelling the chickpeas (pinching off the thin layer of see-through skin) — it makes the end result creamier and delightfully smooth.
it may sound simple, but keep your garbage can or compost container close by when you’re chopping and prepping ingredients – makes it easier to avoid the inevitable cooking mess!
After starting a raw food diet- I had a swarm of fruit flies- this gadget took care of that!
http://www.youpest.com/-p-60093.html?adtype=pla&kwd=&gclid=CMvs45Ox67cCFegWMgodPmgAkg
Use lemon juice to keep your sliced apples from browning if you are using them for salads, garnish etc.
I love saving chicken bones and leftover veggie parts (ends of carrots/onions/bell peppers, etc) to make stock. It’s basically free, since I used the stuff anyway, and it’s so much better for you than store-bought!
Use lemon juice to get the smell of garlic off your fingers (fresh lemon juice works the best!)
For me, instead of repeatedly buying and then losing/melting/giving away Tupperware containers, I’ve found it cheaper to just save glass jars. Pickles, sauces, olives, nut butters- I never realized how many things I bought came in glass, they come in just about any size I need. I use them instead of Tupperware for saving all kinds of leftovers. I’m already buying them, why not save them and use them?
When baking measure out your all ingredients before you start. It makes it easier not to forget anything and makes the whole process so much smoother.
turn on your stove vent when chopping onions to avoid those burning eyes.
Add a tablespoon of alcohol (vodka) to any sorbet recipe… It keeps your sorbet from freeze too hard.
Something I learned the hard way – Always have measured-out cream on hand when you’re making homemade caramel sauce. (May Zeus himself be with you if it’s still in the fridge on the other side of the kitchen when the caramel reaches it’s amber stage.)
I use the scentsy system instead of candles (yankee candle offers a similar product). When the wax is ready to be replaced, I pour the “used” wax into a clean, durable plastic (currently using apple sauce containers) item that is destined for the recycling bin. Once the wax rehardens, sometimes the scent is still there, so I leave it in my kitchen until the smell fades.
Run the water when cutting onions. Helps not to cry like a sobbing baby!
I learned this tip from a coworker who’s a seasoned cook. Ever had a hard time filling a pastry bag with frosting, juggling the pastry bag in one hand and the spatula in the other? Put the pastry bag in a pitcher, folding the sides of the bag over the top. This keeps one hand free and the mouth of the pastry bag wide open, ready for some frosting!
I love to cook…just being in the kitchen gives me the warm fuzzies! I would love to win these gifts and enhance my culinary skills!! Your tips are fabulous and I really like your comments! Thanks so much!
I would love to win the mister but any of the items would make working in the kitchen more of a breeze.
Ice cubes can be use to store, pesto and chicken broth.
Always wear gloves when chopping hot peppers – and don’t touch your eyes!
Soft cheeses (like goat!) are the best bases for quick sauces when the fridge is pretty empty and you’re pretty short on time. Just add a bit of pasta cooking water and any herbs & sauteed veggies you might have and viola! Better than alfredo or vodka sauce any day.
My nugget of wisdom is don’t be afraid to fail. Try, try and try again! Try new ingredients and new techniques. Cooking is a joy!