Helpful Cooking Tips
eCookbooksgalore has some fabulous helpful cooking tips that you can use everyday when cooking or baking in your kitchen. These cooking techniques are a sure thing to making your life in the kitchen easier. Click on one, two, or all the cooking tip link(s) below to start solving your culinary problems. Need to convert measurements, be sure to check out the conversion table. ~ Put fruit juice in ice trays to use in ice tea, lemonade, or Jello. Top of page ~ Lettuce will not "rust" in the fridge if wrapped in paper towels. ~ Mix powered salad dressings into plain low- fat yogurt for reduce calories. Top of page ~ Add chop raw potatoes to soup when salty or whole potatoes and remove before serving. ~ Use instant potatoes instead of flour to thicken soups, stews and gravies without lumps. ~ Leaf of lettuce dropped into a pot of soup will absorb the grease. ~ Steak, roast, or poultry bones can be frozen until needed for stock soup. Top of page ~ Dough will not stick to your hands when kneaded inside a large plastic bag.
~ To help yeast dough rise, use a heating pad with temperature on medium.
~ When milk is used in making bread, it will produce a finer texture.
~ When baking bread, do not preheat oven. Turn on oven then pop the bread in immediately. Top of page ~Add a little sugar to the water of old potatoes to improve the flavor. ~ Sweet potatoes will not turn dark if put in salt water. 5 tsp of salt to 1 qt of water after peeling. ~ Add a tsp of lemon juice to each qt of water to cook rice. Rice will stay white and separated. ~ Put a tbsp of butter in water when cooking rice, pasta, and dried beans to prevent from boiling over and sticking together. ~ Cook vegetables with one or more bouillon cubes instead of salt to improve the flavor. ~ Add salt to flour when used for thickening gravies, it will help to prevent lumps. Top of page ~ Put a little salt or flour in the pan before frying and less grease will splattered. ~ Bake fish over onions and celery to prevent fish from sticking and to add flavor. ~ Meat loaf won't crack when baking if cold water is rubbed on it before going in oven. ~ Putting meat in strong vinegar water for a few minutes will make the meat tender. ~ Choose chicken breast meat due to being the leanest part of the bird. ~ Boil chicken with wine instead of butter to reduce fat and calories. ~ Avoid ground beef sticking to your hands by dipping your hands in cold water before handling the meat. ~ Do not use a spatula to press down beef patties. It will squeeze out juices and flavor. ~ Ground beef should be used within 2 days of purchase if not frozen. ~ Add a splash of lemon juice into meatballs before cooking them. Top of page ~ Icing won't become grainy if a pinch of salt is added to the sugar. ~ Use cocoa to dust baking tins so cookies and cakes won't have a floury look. ~ A piece of raw spaghetti works well to light birthday candles. ~ If icing starts to runs down the side of the cake, sift powdered sugar over it and the drippings will stop. ~ Make chocolate cake better by adding a tsp of vinegar to the cake mix. ~ Cakes will last longer if an half of an apple is placed in the cake tin when storing. Top of page ~ Add a tablespoon of cornstarch to the sugar when making meringue, it won't weep. To prevent soggy pie crust in an unbaked pie shell, brush it with a thin coating of egg white. ~ To cut a pie into 5 equal pieces, first cut a Y in the pie and then the two large pieces can be cut in half. ~ A pie crust will be more easily made and better if all ingredients are cool. ~ Keep apples from turning brown is brush them with lemon juice. Top of page ~ To remove odors from a cooler, wipe with water and baking soda solution. ~ To keep marshmallows from sticking together, add a little powdered sugar to bag. ~ Pita bread packs better and stays in better shape while camping then regular bread. ~ Prepare soups, stews, or chili ahead of time. Freeze and keep in cooler. Reheat for quick meal. ~ Pre- chop ingredients such as onions, peppers, etc at home. Pack in zip- lock bags. ~ Pre- cook select meats and freeze for quick meal preparation. Top of page ~ Cheese will not harden if the exposed edges are buttered before storing. ~ Keep popcorn fresh and more kernels will pop by placing in freezer. ~ Marshmallows will not dry out when frozen. ~ Keep potatoes from budding by placing an apple in bag with potatoes. ~ Spill something in oven, sprinkle salt on it ASAP. Will lift easily after oven cools. ~ After cutting onions, rub hands with a handful of milk. ~ Placing a half cup of vinegar on the stove near cabbage while it is cooking to absorb the odor. ~ Discolored aluminum pans can be brightened by boiling apple peelings in them for a short time. ~ Put a few pieces of macaroni in the slots in the crust to prevent boiling over in fruit pies. ~ Immerse a egg in a pan of cool salted water, if it sinks it's fresh. If it rises to surface, it is a old egg. ~ Egg shells can be easily removed from hard boil eggs if boiled in salt water and quickly rinsed under cold water. ~ Place a slice of soft bread or apple in package of hardened brown sugar to soften it. ~ To test if baking powder is old, put 1 tsp in 1/3 cup of water. If the water does not fizz then toss it. ~ Minimize bacon shrinkage by running bacon under water before frying. Top of page ~ For golden brown fried chicken, roll it in powdered milk instead of flour. ~ Bacon will lie flat in pan if you prick thoroughly with a folk as it fries. ~ When making hamburgers, mix a little flour with the meat and it will stay together. ~ Use an ice cream dippers to make meatballs. ~ Grate an apple into hamburger to add moistness and make patties. ~ Sprinkle salt in the bottom of a frying pan to prevent food sticking. ~ Sausages will shrink less and not break if rolled in flour lightly. Top of page
~ Flour - opened: 6-8 months; unopened: up to 12 months ~ Sugar - unopened: 2 years; sugar does not spoil, but changes flavor. ~ Brown sugar - unopened: 4 months ~ Confectioner sugar - unopened: 18 months ~ Whole spices - open or unopened: 2-4 years ~ Ground spices- open or unopened: 2-3 years ~ Baking soda- unopened: 18 months; opened: 6 months ~ Baking powder- unopened: 6 months; opened: 3 months ~ Ground or canned coffee - unopened: 2 years; opened: 2 weeks if refrigerated ~ Jams, jellies, and preserves - unopened: 1 year; opened: 6 months if refrigerated Top of page 16 tablespoons = 1 cup ~ Tsp- Teaspoon
~ C- Cup ~ f.g.- Few grains ~ pt- pint ~ qt- quart ~ oz- ounce ~ lbs- pounds ~ pk- peck ~ bu- bushel
Appetizers, Beverages, and Dips Salads and Dressings Soups
Breads and Spreads Side Dishes Casseroles and Main Dishes
Cakes and Frostings Misc Pies and Pastries
Camping Common items' shelf life Cooking Measurement Equivalents
Standard Abbreviations Meats
Tips for Appetizers, Beverages, and Dips
~ Coffee beans and ground coffee keeps their flavor if stored in the freezer.
~ Use yogurt instead of sour cream for dips to reduce the calories.
~ Place dried or fresh mint in the bottom of hot chocolate for a zesty taste.
Tips for Salads and Dressings
~ Peel onions under water, so the eyes won't get irritated.
~ Rinse parsley in hot water to retain its flavor and to chop it easier.
~ Stuff some paper towels in plastic bags with clean onions and radishes for longer freshness.
Tips for Soups
Tips for Bread and Spreads
Tips for Side Dishes
Tips for Casseroles and Main Dishes
Tips for Cakes and Frostings
Tips for Pies and Pastries
~ If a sifter to not available to use for dry ingredients, use a whisk instead.
Tips for Camping
Misc Tips
~ To prevent lint from clinging to jeans and corduroys by adding 1/2 c vinegar to the load when washing.
Tips for Meats
Common items' shelf life
Cooking Measurement Equivalents
12 tablespoons = 3/4 cup
10 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons = 2/3 cup
8 tablespoons = 1/2 cup
6 tablespoons = 3/8 cup
5 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon = 1/3 cup
4 tablespoons = 1/4 cup
2 tablespoons = 1/8 cup
2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons = 1/6 cup
1 tablespoon = 1/16 cup
2 cups = 1 pint
2 pints = 1 quart
3 teaspoons = 1 tablespoon
48 teaspoons = 1 cup
~ Tbsp- Tablespoon
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