Household Hints
Susan
Add a cup of water to the bottom portion of the broiling pan before sliding
into the oven. The water absorbs smoke and grease.
Vanishing Unpleasant Cooking Odors
While cooking vegetables that give off unpleasant odors, simmer a small pan of
vinegar on top of the stove.
Or, add vinegar to the cooking water.
Add a few teaspoons of sugar and cinnamon to an empty pie tin and slowly burn
over the stove. Your family will think you have been baking all day.
Tenderizing Meat
Boiled Meat: Add a tablespoon of vinegar to the cooking water.
Tough Meat or Game: Make a marinade of equal parts cooking vinegar and heated
bouillon. Marinade for two hours.
Steak: Simply rub in a mixture of cooking vinegar and oil. Allow to stand for 2
hours.
And if you want to stew an old hen, soak it in vinegar for several hours before
cooking. It will taste like a spring chicken.
Don't Clam Up
Clams and oysters will be simple to open if washed with cold water, then placed
in a plastic bag and put in the freezer for an hour.
Preventing Boil-overs
Add a lump of butter or a few teaspoons of cooking oil to the water. Rice,
noodles or spaghetti will not boil over or stick together.
Preventing Skin On Sauces And Jellies
Spread a thin layer of melted butter or cream over jellies, puddings and other
sauces right after cooking. Stir and all the skin and foam will disappear.
Preparing Cut Fruit Ahead Of Time
Toss the freshly cut fruit in lemon juice and it will not darken. The juice of
half a lemon is enough for a quart or two of cut fruits.
Or, cover with 1 cup syrup made of equal parts of water and sugar cooked until
syrupy.
Softening Butter
Grating a stick of butter softens it quickly.
Soften for spreading by inverting a small heated pan over the butter dish for a
while.
Measuring Sticky Liquids
Before measuring honey or other syrup, oil the cup with cooking oil and rinse
in hot water.
Instant White Sauce
Blend together 1 cup soft butter and 1 cup flour. Spread in an ice cube tray,
chill well. cut into 16 cubes before storing in a plastic bag in the freezer.
For medium-thick sauce, drop 1 cube into 1 cup of milk and heat slowly,
stirring as it thickens.
Getting The Catsup Out Of The Bottle
Insert a drinking straw, push it to the bottom of the bottle, and then remove.
Enough air will be admitted to start an even flow.
Unmolding Gelatin
Rinse the mold pan in cold water and then coat with salad oil. Your mold will
drop out easily and will have an appealing luster.
Hamburgers In A Hurry
Poke a hole in their centers when shaping. The center will cook quickly and
when the hamburgers are done, the holes are gone.
Shrinkless Sausage
Sausages will shrink less and not break at all if they are boiled about 8
minutes before being fried.
Or,you can roll them lightly in flour before frying.
Removing The Corn Silk
Dampen a paper towel or terry cloth and brush downward on the cob or corn.
Every strand should come off.
Cutting Sticky Foods
Before chopping, flour the pieces in a paper bag. Or, dip your shears or knife
in hot water while cutting.
What A Ham
Ridding the ham of the rind: Slit the rind lengthwise on the underside before
placing it in the roasting pan. As the ham bakes, the rind will pull away and
can be removed easily without lifting the ham.
A Good Cup Of Coffee
One pinch of salt in the basket will remove some of the acid taste. For clear
coffee, put egg shells in after perking. And remember, always start with cold
water.
Your Own Mini "Mr. Coffee"
Put a teaspoon of "drip" coffee into a small strainer (2 1/2 inch diameter) and
place in a cup. Pour boiling water over grounds until cup is full. Let steep to
desired strength. It's not a bad idea to place mini coffee filters (Make Your
Own) in the strainer before adding coffee.
Two Favorite Hints
A different flavoring for tea; Instead of using sugar, dissolve old-fashioned
lemon drops or hard mint candy in your tea. They melt quickly and keep the tea
clean and brisk.
Iced Tea: Add a small amount of very hot water to instant tea before adding
cold water. The crystals will dissolve completely for better flavor.
<font color="#800080">Phebes
There is a great difference between worry and concern. A worried person sees a
problem, and a concerned person solves a problem." -Harold Stephens </font>
Stolynn
<b><font color="#FF6600">Lynn
My Orioles SUCK
</b></font>
Susan
LOL ... take it back, take it back ...
Katie
<b><font color="#0000FF">~*~Katie~*~</font color>
<font color="#FF0000">I wish for just one moment you could be me,
so that you would know just how much I love
you.</b></font color>
Nettorfret
Dampen a paper towel or terry cloth and brush downward on the cob or corn.
Every strand should come off.<<<
THIS I need to try
oye what a chore.....
Nettie
<A HREF="http://hometown.aol.com/nettorfret/myhomepage/photo.html">Netties
Nook</A>
<font color="#3366CC"><I> "anything you do...let it come from you, and it will
be true".
Call Me Mistress
>Every strand should come off
Which reminds me....
have ya'll seen the informoercial with that guy getting the hair YANKED off his
back by some waxy stuff?? The cloth they use comes off looking like it has a
dead squirrel on it or something.
But his back looked smooooooth
Sindy
I lost count.
EvieC123
waxy stuff??<
EWWWWW no, and I hope I never do!