Culinary and Kitchen Tips and Tricks

The seasoned cook or novice can always use a new trick or tip when maneuvering in the kitchen. Maybe it's a trick to make your task go a little smoother or a tip in preparing a meal. Here are several suggestions for the kitchen, some you may already know. But if you're like me, learning at least one new idea to make your time as home chef go smoother is worth the read.

Eggs are a regular grocery staple. But sometimes they end up sitting in the refrigerator a bit longer than we anticipated, and we aren't sure how old they are. Aside from the obvious rotten egg smell of a cracked, spoiled egg, here are a few ways to check for freshness. One way is to float an un-cracked egg in cool water. If it floats or tips upwards, it is stale. If you break an egg, and the yolk and white cling together, it is fresh. An egg where the yolk is flatter, and white runny, indicates an older egg.

The kitchen baster isn't just to help you marinate your turkey at Thanksgiving. I regularly use the gadget to help me remove unwanted fat or liquid from frying foods. Gently tip the pan, so the liquid pools at one side of the pan, separated from the food. Carefully use the baster to suck up the liquid. But, have a dish ready to deposit the unwanted grease or liquid. Hot substances can squirt out of the baster and cause burns, if you aren't careful.

When thickening gravy or soups, some cooks use cornstarch instead of flour. When using cornstarch instead of flour, remember to use about half as much. Some chefs prefer using cornstarch, because it thickens the recipe, without adding as much unwanted flavor.

Maybe you have an icemaker, but that doesn't mean your kitchen shouldn't be equipped with ice cube trays. Ice cube trays are a great way to avoid throwing away extra tomato sauce that wasn't all used up in a recipe. Sometimes a recipe calls for ¾ a can of sauce, but what do we do with the remaining ¼ can, throw it out? Pour the sauce into the ice cube trays, freeze, remove frozen squares from tray, repackage in freezer bags, and return to the freezer. You can then use the sauce in future recipes, as the cubes thaw quickly. You can also use this for other sauces, and juice. When we had a lemon tree, I'd freeze up cubes of lemon juice.

When dissolving gelatin, don't boil in hot water. Boiling gelatin diminishes its jelling power. The recommended process is to first soften in cold water, then dissolve in hot water. But, don't boil!

What are your kitchen tips?