Kitchen tips

Clean garlic smelling fingers after chopping garlic

Do you find after chopping or handling garlic that your fingers smell of an overpowering smell of garlic that is difficult to wash off. Here is a tip to clean garlic smelling fingers after chopping garlic.

All you need to do to remove that smell of garlic is to rub a cut lemon on your fingers and the smell will disappear.

Peel garlic faster with your microwave

If you have a lot of garlic to peel or just use it regularly then you will be pleased with this tip to peel garlic faster. Here is a tip to peel garlic faster with your microwave.

All you need to do to peel garlic faster is to put the garlic cloves in the microwave for 15 seconds. (No longer). You will be surprised to find the skins will slip off with ease with a paring knife or your fingers.

Mince garlic without the sticky mess

Do you like to mince your garlic but find that you end up in a sticky mess? Here is a tip to mince garlic without the sticky mess.

All you need to do to keep the pieces of garlic from sticking to your fingers as you chop is to first soak the garlic bulb in a bowl of water. Simple and effective!

Which peppers are hot and which are not?

Do you like a little heat with your peppers, but don't want a fire in your mouth? Before you drench your enchiladas with a bottle of hot sauce, check out the ingredients.

Here's how peppers rank from mildest to hottest.

El Paso (Mildest)
Anaheim
Jalapeno
Hidalgo
Serrano
Cayenne
Tabasco
Red Chile
Chiltecpin
Tabiche
Bahamian
Kumataka
Habanero (Hottest)

Keep potato salad fresh for picnics

Do you enjoy to take potato salad on picnics but worry that the mayonnaise is going to go off and give everyone food poisoning. Here is a tip to keep potato salad fresh for picnics.

All you need to do to keep potato salad fresh is to place the potato salad container in a larger bowl filled with crushed ice. You'll be able to enjoy the picnic without worry.

Stop avocados / guacamole discoloring with lemon or lime juice

If you like to cube or slice avocado / guacamole you will know that they can quickly lose their green color. Here is a tip to stop avocados / guacamole discoloring with lemon or lime juice.

All you need to do to stop them losing their color is sprinkle them with lemon or lime juice. Coat larger pieces with softened butter, margarine or mayonnaise before refrigerating; they should keep for up to 24 hours.

Keep cut avocado / guacamole green with cool water

If you like to serve cut or sliced avocado / guacamole you will know that it will soon lose it's green color. Here is a tip to keep cut avocado / guacamole green with cool water.

All you need to do to get your avocados / guacamole to stay green is soak them in water right after peeling. Just soaking in cool water for a minute or two prevents discoloration.

Even if you are dicing your avocado - throw the diced portions in the water for a minute and they will look much better.

Stop mashed avocado / guacamole from darkening

If you have prepared mashed avocado / guacamole then you will probably be aware that it often discolors quite quickly. Here is a tip to stop mashed avocado / guacamole from darkening.

All you need to do to prevent a bowl of mashed avocado or guacamole from darkening is to cover the surface closely with non-toxic plastic film (cling film).

Ripen Avocados Guacamole with a brown paper bag

Avocados / guacamole can take a bit of effort to ripen and it is very rare that you are able to buy some that are ripe enough. So Here is a tip to ripen Avocados Guacamole with a brown paper bag.

Avocados / guacamole ripen almost twice as fast if sealed in a brown paper bag and stored in a warm (not hot) place, such as the airing cupboard. Even a cut avocado will ripen this way, but first cover its cut surfaces closely with non-toxic plastic film to prevent discoloration.

Ripen an avocado / Guacamole with a banana

.Avocados (Guacamole) go all the way back to the 9th century - almost as long as you've been waiting for the one on your counter to ripen. Here is a tip to ripen an avocado with a banana.

All you need to do to speed up the process is to seal the avocado in a plastic bag along with a ripe banana. Keep the bag at room temperature until the avocado becomes soft and ripe.

Keep refrigerated vegetables crisp with a sponge

Do you often find that your Vegetables and fruits can get soggy in the refrigerator, and often have to be thrown out before you have a chance to use them? Here is a tip to keep refrigerated vegetables crisp with a sponge.

All you need to do is place a dry sponge in your vegetable bin, it will absorb some of the moisture and leave your strawberries, onions, carrots, and other produce crisp and fresh days or weeks longer.

Stop fruit and vegetables going brown with salt water

Quite a few items of fruit and vegetables go brown after you have cut them for a fresh recipe etc. Here is a tip to stop fruit and vegetables going brown with salt water.

All you need to do to keep your apples, pears, and potatoes from turning brown as you slice them. Just drop them straight into lightly salted, cold water. 1'hey'll look freshly cut until you serve them.

How to ripen green tomatoes

Do you find that when you grow tomatoes in the garden they either all come ripe at the same time or they never quite get ripe. Here is a tip to ripen green tomatoes for TWO reasons

All you need to do to ripen green tomatoes is to pick them from the vine and let them ripen slowly on the window sill.

Now the two reasons that I mentioned:

1. If all of your tomatoes come ripe too soon pick some while they are still green and they will ripen slower on the window sill. So they will be ready when the vine has finished.

2. Pretty straight forward, maybe you planted the tomatoes too soon or the summer was too short and you need to bring in the green tomatoes before the winter sets in. The window sill will be your rescuer.

If you have to store tomatoes in the fridge

Tomatoes do not like to be stored in the fridge, they struggle to deal with the temperature changes and will not keep very well. However if you HAVE to store them in the refrigerator then this tip should help them to keep a little longer.

All you need to do to keep your tomatoes fresher longer when in the fridge, store them with the stems down! Simple yet effective.

Did you know you can freeze tomatoes?

Even if you love tomatoes, you can only eat so many from your garden. Leave what you can use in a few days on the counter for everyone to admire, but don't put any in the refrigerator. Tomatoes don't take kindly to cool temperatures and quickly lose their flavor.

Yet, tomatoes freeze-just fine as long as you just want them for cooking. Spread the tomatoes out on a cookie sheet and put it in the freezer overnight. Once frozen, store them in your freezer in freezer bags.

Plus the added bonus to freezing tomatoes for cooking is that they are easy to skin. When you are ready to use a few of your frozen tomatoes allow them to naturally thaw and you will find that the skins will peel right off and you can slice them up for great additions for your home cooked meals without the fuss!

Secret to making an asparagus salad

Do you want to impress your friends with a fancy asparagus salad? All you need to do is steam the asparagus early in the morning and toss them with a bit of red wine or balsamic vinegar. Refrigerate the asparagus for several hours until they 're completely chilled.

Just before serving, add a dusting of chopped, toasted almonds. Serve, sit back, and enjoy the compliments.

Use milk or sugar for sweeter corn on the cob

Do you find that your corn on the cob is not as sweet as you would like? Here is a tip to use milk or sugar for sweeter corn on the cob.

All you need to do for sweeter corn on the cob is to add a bit of milk or a pinch of sugar to the boiling water.

Less mess when buttering corn on the cob

You can end up in such a mess whilst buttering corn, so here are three ways to have less mess when buttering corn on the cob.

1. A novel way of buttering your corn on the cob is to use a piece of bread and butter. Simply roll your corn in the bread and butter.

2. Melting some butter in a bowl and then pouring the butter over your corn with a spoon will leave less mess.

3. Putting a patty of butter onto your plate and then rolling the corn in the butter is a way to keep the butter and corn all in one place!

Try baking corn instead of boiling it

Are you looking for a new way to cook your corn? Here is a tip suggesting to bake corn instead of boiling it.

All you need to do is NOT to take the husk from your corn, leave the husks on and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for about half an hour. This little trick will be your secret to great tasting corn!

Never add salt to corn on the cob cooking water

Do you find that when you have cooked your corn on the cob it is rather tough and not tasty. One reason for this is that you may have added salt to the cooking water. Here is a tip explaining why not to add salt to corn on the cob cooking water.

When you are cooking corn on the cob, or corn that you have cut off the cob, always make a point of NOT adding salt to your water that you are cooking in.

If you do add salt it will make the corn tough and not as tasty. Apparently it is the calcium in the salt that will make your corn tough.

Keep carrots longer and sweeter with a haircut

Do you struggle to keep your carrots as long as you would like?. Here is a tip to keep carrots longer and sweeter with a haircut.

All you need to do is cut the leafy tops off before storing your carrots. Otherwise, the tops will continue to pull moisture from the carrots, making them dry and bitter.

Use aluminum foil to store your celery sticks longer

Celery is not my most favorite salad ingredient, however it does have a place when making a crunchy salad. If you are disappointed that your celery does not stay as crisp as you would like then this tip to store celery for longer using aluminum foil is the answer.

All you need to do is wrap celery in aluminum foil when putting it in the refrigerator.

It will keep for weeks.

Plastic bags will store celery for longer

If you are frustrated that your celery becomes wilted just when you fancy a celery based meal. Here is a tip that plastic bags will store celery for longer.

All you need to do is when you purchase your celery, slip a couple of small plastic bags over both ends. Then store the celery in you refrigerator and it will stay fresher and crisper much longer.

Store celery for longer with paper bags

Celery is great if you are on a diet. Did you know that it takes more calories to eat celery than it actually has, so you could well be crunching your way thinner just by eating celery.

Anyway if you find that your celery is wilting before you need to use it then this tip to store celery for longer with paper bags will keep it fresher for longer.

All you need to do is put your celery in in a paper bag and keep it in the fridge.

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