If I’m not outside piddling in the yard, then I’m usually in the kitchen baking, copying down new recipes, or reading a recent email about cooking that my aunt has sent me. Here are 7 tips of my favorite tips to use in the kitchen. I hope you find these tips useful, and possibly even interesting enough to pass on to someone else!
This is a tip I read about many years ago. I couldn’t imagine it working that well, but tried it anyone after scorching some oatmeal. I added about an inch of water and dumped in some baking soda. It’s hard to say how much, since I’m bad about measuring anything. It was probably around an eighth of a cup. After adding the water and baking soda, I let this concoction boil for a few minutes and then turned it off. The charred oatmeal was floating in the pan! If there’s any residue left over, it easily scrapes off with a scrubby after using the baking soda and water mix.
I like doing this when I’m cooking spaghetti sauce. Every time I stir the sauce and then lay the spoon on the bread, there’s a bit more sauce on it. It’s a great snack to munch on while I wait in line to fill my plate when the sauce and spaghetti finally finish cooking. This trick also saves me from having another dirty dish to add to the collection in the sink after dinner. If I use bread for something greasy, then I let the cats have the piece of bread as a treat.
The ground where I live is filled with limestone. The well water tastes amazing, but eventually the coffee pot, tea kettle, showers, and toilets have a build up of lime deposits. Everything seems to have a white, crusty film on it. I used to only use the vinegar and water solution to clean out the coffee pot and kettle each month, but I’ve found that pouring this same mix on the shower walls and inside the toilet bowl has the same effect. Yeah Kitchen Tips!
A silver spoon will take care of any onion or garlic smells that your hands absorb when peeling or chopping either of these. Lemon juice or a slice of lemon will get rid of any fish smells. I also toss in a lemon wedge into the garbage disposal every now and then. This cleans out the disposal and adds a fresh scent to it too.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve scorched gravy in a pan. There’s no reason to throw the entire pan out. All you have to do is simply pour the gravy on top in a new pan and keep on cooking it. As long as you don’t stir the burnt chunks in with the good stuff, the gravy will taste just fine. Try to remember to only pour the gravy in the new pan, without using a spatula to scrap the bottom or sides of the pan with the torched batch of gravy.
If you still use an air popper, then this is a great trick for fluffier popcorn. Soak the kernels for about 10 minutes in some water, drain them, and then put them in the air popper. The extra moisture in the kernels helps them to pop into some amazingly fluffy puffs! There are also fewer old maids in the bottom of the air popper as well.
One of the best tips I can give to make the perfect popcorn is to soak the kernels for 10 minutes before popping. This is a great way to get fluffier popcorn and fewer unpopped kernels, or “old maids”, at the bottom of the bowl. Soaking the kernels helps to add extra moisture to them, which helps them to pop into amazing puffs.
When it comes to making popcorn in the kitchen, there are a few other tips to keep in mind to make sure you get the best results. Be sure to use a pot with a lid that fits well, and use a medium heat setting while stirring the kernels. Make sure the lid is securely on so that the popcorn doesn’t fly out of the pot when it starts to pop.
You can also add flavorings to your popcorn to make it more exciting. Some popular flavorings include melted butter, salt, and sugar. You can also add herbs, spices, or cheese to give your popcorn a unique flavor.
When it comes to storing your popcorn, it’s important to keep it in an airtight container. This will help to keep the popcorn from getting stale and will also help to preserve its flavor.
To keep brown sugar from hardening, I have a piece of a new terra cotta pot in the bag of sugar. There are also pieces of terra cotta sold in stores that are specifically for placing in a bag of brown sugar and they are shaped into fun designs. If you live in a humid climate like I do, then add some grains of rice to the salt shaker. This keeps the granules from getting all clumped together around the top of the bottle.
I’m sure some of these 7 tips of my favorite tips to use in the kitchen are ones you’ve heard before. You might even know of a better way to do something. Please feel free to leave a comment of a kitchen tip that you find useful in your home. Are there tips that your family has used for many generations? What are some new and improved kitchen ideas you’ve found?
Top Photo Credit: theladymargaret