Our Kitchenroundtable.net

Tips From My Email
Posted By: Cory Date: Wednesday, 19 April 2000, at 2:07 p.m.

Cottage Cheese: Will remain fresher longer if you store it upside down in the refrigerator. This slows the effects of oxidation.

Milk: To keep milk past it's expiration date add salt. A pinch of salt in a gallon will do it. The salt slows the rate of bacteria growth.

Brown Sugar: Will not harden if stored in the freezer.

Wild Rice: If you freeze wild rice it will last 3-4 months compared to a week in the refrigerator.

Power Outage: A good trick when you go away on vacation is to place a baggie with a few ice cubes in the freezer. If a power failure occurs while you are gone and the food thaws and then refreezes you will know about it when you get home.

Ice Cream: Ice cream container sealed in a plastic bag will stop ice crystals from forming when it is in the freezer.

Potato Chips: Potato chip bag open again and they're all stale and yucky?? Pop them in the microwave for 30 to 60 seconds, let stand for two minutes and they'll be crispy again.

Plant Insects: To keep those pesky insects away from your plants, combine one bulb of garlic, 1 small onion and 1 Tbs. cayenne pepper in the blender. Mix with 1 quart water and let stand for one hour. Then add 1 Tbs. Ivory liquid and mist your plants!! :-)

Club Soda: Removes stains, cleans sinks.

Poison Ivy all over the place: How do you get rid if it? Mix 3 pounds of salt with a gallon of soapy water; spray the solution on the plants leaves and stems.

Tomato Paste: It seems a whole can of tomato paste is many times too much for some recipes. Suggestion: take a piece of waxed paper, putting it on a cookie sheet and putting teaspoonfuls of the leftover paste on the paper - another sheet on top and freeze this. When frozen just peel them off and put them in a baggie and when you need a tsp. or tbs. of paste you have it without opening a whole can and there is no waste. --OR-put small amounts in an ice tray and then just pop them out when I need them.

Quick Whipping: A teaspoonful of cold water added to the white of an egg causes it to whip more quickly while increasing the quantity.

Moldy Fruit: What should you do with fruit with mold? Throw it away rather than simply cutting off the mold since mold on fruit goes much deeper than what appears on the fruit.

Broccoli Stalks: Don't discard the tough ends of broccoli stalks. Use them for making soups.

Measuring Honey: Measuring honey with a spoon is easy but getting it all off the spoon is another matter. So first rub the spoon with margarine.

Dropping Cookie Dough: To get cookie dough to drop without sticking dip the spoon in milk first.

Leftover Pie Dough: Extra pie dough? Cover it with some parmesan and gruyere cheese and you'll bake a delicious appetizer at the very same meal with your pie as dessert.

Easy Shelling: Pecans are easy to shell if they are first soaked in boiling water for 10 minutes or so. Or microwave 2 cups of pecans or brazil nuts in 1 cup of water for 5 to 6 minutes on HIGH.

Storing Cake: If you store half and apple in the container which you are storing a cake, the cake will retain its freshness.

Cheesy Apple Pie: Don't just serve cheese with apple pie, bake it right in. Spread grated sharp Cheddar on the bottom of the crust before adding the apple filling.

Sticking Cake Layers: Cake layers sticking to the bottom of the pans? Put them back in a warm oven for a short time. The layers will then come out without a problem. Or, try lining the bottom of your pans with waxed paper.

Outdoor cooking-Fast Starter: Stuff a crumbled sheet of newspaper under your coals, then roll another sheet of news paper into a cone and poke it through the coals to the paper to form a chimney. Ignite the paper. It will carry the fire into your charcoal. --OR-Break down and buy a Gas Grill!!!

Make cleaning easier: To make cook-out clean-ups easier, take a preventive step and spray the cooking grill with non-stick spray before placing the grid over the coals. Food won't stick nearly as much as it does on an untreated grid.

Juicy News: Always use tongs when turning meat on the grill. This way, you'll avoid piercing the meat, which causes it to lose its natural juices.

Gardening Tips:

The Worm Turns: Plant dill around your tomato bed. It's a great way to keep tomato horn worms from getting the better of your plants.

When to Pick: The best time to harvest fruits and vegetables for maximum flavor is in the morning.

Save That Leaky Hose: Don't throw that leaking hose away. Simply add more holes and you'll have a sprinkler for your lawn...

Household Cleaning Tips:

An easy way to clean the ceiling fan is to cover your hands in a pair of old socks, and dip them in warm sudsy water and run your hand over top and bottom of each blade.

Next time you clean the blades to your ceiling fan apply a thin coat of floor wax to them. It will keep future dust from clinging to them.

Wipe mini blinds with a damp fabric softener sheet to eliminate static that collects dust.

Use a blow dryer on low to clean pleated lampshades.

Pet hair will come off your furniture easily with a roller lint brush.

Make your own furniture polish by mixing: One teaspoon lemon oil with two cups mineral oil.

Water rings may be removed by rubbing petroleum jelly thoroughly into the spot.

Polish ashtrays with furniture polish before using and they will wipe clean easily.

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