Kitchen tips

Add bread to scrambled eggs

Here is an old fashioned tip to make your scrambled eggs taste better and go further. The secret for delicious, fluffy scrambled eggs is adding some bread crumbs to your mixture.

Simply beat bread crumbs into the eggs before scrambling. You'll get more great-tasting serv­ings per egg

Make different shaped fried eggs

Make breakfast time a little more exciting for your family by making different shaped fired eggs. Here is a tip to show you how to make a host of different shaped fried eggs

All you need to do is hunt out some shaped metal cookie cutters you can get them in shapes like stars, bells, trees. Place your chosen cutter in the frying pan and spray generously with cooking spray. Break your eggs directly into the metal cookie cutter.

When you've finished cooking them and if you have sprayed with enough oil they should slip easily from the cookie cutter to the delight of all.

Color code your hard boiled eggs

Do you regularly cook up a few hard boiled eggs at a time? Have you then gone to the refrigerator a day or so later and been confused as to which eggs are fresh and which are hard boiled. Here is a tip to make sure you know your fresh eggs from your hard boiled eggs.

All you need to do is add a drop of food coloring to the water when you are boiling your hard boiled eggs. That way, when you put them back in the refrigerator, you'll immediately know which ones are hard-boiled and which are not.

Test an egg for freshness

Do you tend to keep eggs in your refrigerator for too long? Do you wonder if some are still fresh or have they turned bad. Here is how to test if an egg is fresh or bad.

To test an egg for freshness, fill a cup with water and add two teaspoons of salt. Gently place the egg in the water. If it sinks, it's still fresh. If it floats, it has gone bad.

Always cover eggs in the refrigerator

Did you know that eggs absorb odors, and if you keep your eggs in a confined space like the refrigerator you really should keep them covered.

You should ignore those egg hold­ers that are built into your refrigerator door. Eggs are better off kept in their padded cartons where they can't soak up odors from other foods.

Warm eggs before you blend

Are you often using eggs in your baking and looking to make blending of the eggs easier. Here is a tip to help with the blending of your eggs.

Eggs will combine and blend bet­ter with other ingredients if they're at room temperature. If you like to keep your eggs in the fridge all you need to do to warm them quickly is put them in a bowl of warm water and wait 10 or 15 minutes before using.

Warning! Never try to warm eggs in the microwave. They explode!

Stop boiled eggs from cracking

Do you always end up with cracked eggs when you are boiling eggs. Here is a tip to stop your boiled eggs from cracking when cooking and it will also save you energy.

Using a pot with it's correct lid, cover your eggs with water, add a pinch of salt, and bring to to a gentle boil. As soon as the water is boiling rapidly, turn off the heat and allow the pot to stand, unopened, for 10 minutes before removing your eggs.

This allows the eggs to finish cooking without cracking and breaking.

Shell hard boiled eggs the easy way

Do you get in a real mess when you are trying to peel hard boiled eggs in a hurry? Here is a tip to shell hard boiled eggs the easy way. All you need to do is roll the hard boiled egg on your counter while pressing down a bit. You will feel the shell giving way beneath your hand.

Then insert a teaspoon between the egg and its shell and gently move the spoon around the egg. The shell should easily fall off.

How to peel an egg perfectly

Have you ever make a hard-boiled egg only to have half of it stick to the shell? Here is a tip to peel a hard boiled egg perfectly and easily. All you need to do is add a pinch of salt to the boiling water. when the egg has cooled you will find that the shell will come off easily.

Rescue an over salted soup, stew or gravy

Have you added too much salt to a soup, stew or gravy. There's no need to throw your soup out if you accidentally added too much salt.

Simply cut a raw potato into medium-size chunks and toss them into the pot for about 10 minutes. The potatoes will soak up much of the salt. Remove them when they start to soften, and your soup will be saved.

Separate the fat from meat juice with a coffee filter

Do you like to make your own gravy, soups or broths but hate the slow process of separating the fat from the meat juice. Here is a tip to remove the fat from meat juice with a coffee filter. 

Simply strain it through a paper coffee filter, and you're left with flavorful, fat-free broth.

Rescue a bitter tasting spaghetti sauce

 If you have made a spaghetti sauce and it tastes on the bitter side do not worry. Here is a tip to rescue a bitter tasting spaghetti sauce.

If your spaghetti sauce tastes bitter, try adding a pinch of sugar. Sugar brings out the flavor of your cooked tomatoes.

Make your own organic marinade brush

Are you always hunting around for a marinade brush for your meat? Here is a tip to make an emergency organic marinade brush.

Don't run to the store and spend money. Just grab a green onion ( Spring onion ) from your refrigerator and use the stem. Then just throw the onion into the compost bin. (Yes! Not the trash)

Did you know you can freeze your nuts?

Nuts are cheaper at certain times of the year. Are you put off buying a large amount as you think you cannot store them.

They will keep for up to a year in the freezer if you put them in a coffee can with a plastic lid. When you want nuts for bak­ing or nibbling, just remove some from the freezer and leave them at room temperature for a few hours.

Added too much garlic - Save that meal

Have you made a sauce, soup or stew that you were a little heavy-handed with the garlic? Don't throw it out.

All you need to do is put a few parsley flakes in a tea infuser and place it in the gar­licky meal for a few minutes. The parsley will attract and absorb the garlic, and your sauce, stew or soup will be saved.

Boiling water faster or more carefully with these tips

They say that a watched pot never boils but did you know that there are a few ways that you can make water boil quicker! And if you tend to leave a pot and it over boils there are some tips too.

To keep water in the pot and off the floor, insert a toothpick between the pot and its lid or rub a small amount of butter around the inside rim. You will find that the water will not spurt out.

If you have an uncovered pot, place a wooden spoon across the top. Again the water will stay in the pan and not spill out onto the floor.

To boil water quickly, be sure to always cover the pot. Uncovered, a gallon of water on a gas range takes approximately 35 minutes to boil, but a covered gallon only takes 23 minutes.

Keep your kids busy with magic butter

Do you find that the children want to get involved with the preparation of a special meal, but you are too busy or you have nothing for them to do? Give him a very special job. Here is a tip to keep your kids busy with magic butter.

Fill a plastic jar half full of heavy whip­ping cream and secure the lid. Explain to your little one that you're counting on him to make 'magic' butter for the meal, but it will take a lot of work. Show him how to shake the jar with a rhythm, and suggest a magical chant such as, "Milk is for cookies, butter is for bread. Milk go away, send butter instead."

Before long you'll have creamy "magic" butter for your meal.

Make a homemade recipe card

Do you have a recipe box that you store recipe cards in? Have you then found a delicious sounding recipe and want to copy it on an index card to put in your recipe box, but you don't have any index cards?

Instead of running to the store, make your own sturdy index card by cutting a rectan­gle from the center of a paper plate. They are sturdy and cheap.

Added too much garlic - Save that meal

Have you made a sauce, soup or stew that you were a little heavy-handed with the garlic? Don't throw it out.

All you need to do is put a few parsley flakes in a tea infuser and place it in the gar­licky meal for a few minutes. The parsley will attract and absorb the garlic, and your sauce, stew or soup will be saved.

Boiling water faster or more carefully with these tips

They say that a watched pot never boils but did you know that there are a few ways that you can make water boil quicker! And if you tend to leave a pot and it over boils there are some tips too.

To keep water in the pot and off the floor, insert a toothpick between the pot and its lid or rub a small amount of butter around the inside rim. You will find that the water will not spurt out.

If you have an uncovered pot, place a wooden spoon across the top. Again the water will stay in the pan and not spill out onto the floor.

To boil water quickly, be sure to always cover the pot. Uncovered, a gallon of water on a gas range takes approximately 35 minutes to boil, but a covered gallon only takes 23 minutes.

Keep your kids busy with magic butter

Do you find that the children want to get involved with the preparation of a special meal, but you are too busy or you have nothing for them to do? Give him a very special job. Here is a tip to keep your kids busy with magic butter.

Fill a plastic jar half full of heavy whip­ping cream and secure the lid. Explain to your little one that you're counting on him to make 'magic' butter for the meal, but it will take a lot of work. Show him how to shake the jar with a rhythm, and suggest a magical chant such as, "Milk is for cookies, butter is for bread. Milk go away, send butter instead."

Before long you'll have creamy "magic" butter for your meal.

Make a homemade recipe card

Do you have a recipe box that you store recipe cards in? Have you then found a delicious sounding recipe and want to copy it on an index card to put in your recipe box, but you don't have any index cards?

Instead of running to the store, make your own sturdy index card by cutting a rectan­gle from the center of a paper plate. They are sturdy and cheap.

Have stain proof recipe cards

Your recipe calls for a cup of flour and a half cup of huh? The mystery ingredient on your worn recipe card has been blotted out by a food stain. Here is a tip that will ensure that you have stain proof recipe cards. You can prevent stains from getting on your recipe cards by rubbing your recipe cards with a white can­dle.

The wax from the candle lends a protective coating so spills wipe off like magic. Best of all, your recipes will be preserved for future generations.

Organize your recipe cuttings

Are you an acid recipe collector? Do you cut recipes out from magazines and newspapers? Do you get fed up with all the bits of paper and wish that they were better organised?

Put an end to scraps of recipes sticking out of books by making your own cookbook. Simply place your favorite recipes in a photo album. The albums in which you lift the plastic sheet and insert your clipping work great.

Arrange them into categories, such as entrees, side dishes, salads, and desserts. When you clip a new recipe, you'll know exactly what to do with it and where to find it later.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10