As I find more tricks of the trade, Ill update this page and post again ;)
~Keep a Bag in the freezer for bread. Put the heels of your loaves, leftover hot dog and hamburger buns. Even bagels. About every 6 months (for me, a family of 4) you'll have enough for your breadcrumbs. Recipe later!
~Keep another bag for leftover vegetables. Peel a carrot? Keep the peel. Cut up fresh broccoli, but only like the tree tops? (Guilty!) Keep the tree trunks! When you chop an onion, keep the "paper" and the first layer of onion in the bag. Chop the onion until you don't feel comfortable cutting anymore. For me, that's about a 1/3 of the onion. Keep it! Keep the tops/bottoms/ribs of green onions and jalapenos! About every month, I have enough to make a vegetable broth!
~Speaking of broth, don't throw that super market rotisserie chicken away after dinner! Pick it as clean as you can, and make a stock of it. Recipe soon!
~Buy your bread at the Bakery section of the Supermarket. Its cheaper, healthier, and doesn't have all the preservatives! Since it doesn't have all the preservatives, keep it in the fridge, it will keep longer.
~Always Always ALWAYS read you're ingredients before you buy that "convenience food" I've learned that if its got under 5 ingredients and/or you recognize them, its a good product. The first item on the list is what that product is made up of the most. Second product is second most prevalent item, and so on.
~Half and Half is just that; 1/2 milk, 1/2 heavy cream, use accordingly
~I find that buying single serve alcohol is best if you don't normally keep it in your house.
~If you don't like to use alcohol, Substitute for broth or apple juice
~Substitute applesauce for butter in quick bread recipes (like banana bread and brownies) It will save you the fat and sneak in a fruit! Use the same amount applesauce you would butter.
~Depending on what I'm cooking, I half the sugar in the recipe. I usually don't miss it. We're such a sugar addicted society, we could use a little reduction ;)
~You can easily replace honey for sugar in most recipes. Because honey is sweeter on the tongue, you can use less of it in a recipe, and its all natural, not refined! For every cup of sugar, you should use 3/4 plus 2 teaspoons honey, for a rough 4:5 ratio. Keep in mind honey has a strong flavor on its own, so it depends on the recipe you're looking at. For a crispy cookie, you can replace up to 1/3 the sugar with honey; with brownies: 1/2, Fruit desserts: up to 2/3. There are some rules, however. Honey is acidic, so for every cup, add 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda. There is water in honey, so bear in mind for every cup of honey, you should decrease the liquid content of your recipe by 1/4 cup. Honey also absorbs moisture, so it makes your cakes extra moist. You should decrease your cooking temperature by 25*, as well, to prevent burning. Children under the age of 1 shouldn't eat honey for botulism risks.
~Increase the fiber in your diet by switching your white flour for whole wheat. Using whole wheat flour will make for a denser product, so you can either sift your flour 1-2 times more or use 7/8 cup for every 1 cup white used. You should increase your liquid by about a tablespoon for every cup, as well. You can usually get away with a half white, half whole wheat ratio when cooking without sacrificing anything.
~Keep a wipe board by your fridge. On one side, keep a list of all the dinners you have bought ingredients for. On the other, keep a running tally of what you need from the store.
~I buy my margarine (a BIG tub of Country Crock) at Sam's. When its empty, wash it out and keep it. Its the perfect size for your ice creams!
~When making a casserole, double your recipe. Use one today, freeze another, and save for a lazy day.
~To prevent frostbite when freezing casseroles, line the inside of your Pyrex dish with aluminum foil, leaving double the amount of foil over the edge of the dish. Then, line the foil with saran wrap. Load your casserole into the saran/foil lined dish. Wrap with saran wrap, careful to remove as much air as possible. Wrap with foil, molding to the casserole and dish as much as possible. Set in freezer to freeze SOLID overnight. After frozen, the wrapped casserole should come easily out of the dish. Label dish, deep freeze for up to 4 months. When ready to cook, do not defrost, unwrap totally and place in original dish. Cook at original temperature, but cook an additional 30-45 minutes.
~Start with a clean kitchen, a full sink of water, and an empty dishwasher on your "stock cook" days. Clean as you go, and things will go a lot smoother!
~Watching your figure? Change up your taco night with lettuce shells instead of taco shells! Buy a whole head of lettuce, and tear off entire leaves. When you're through with dinner, shred the remainder and have a taco salad for lunch leftovers!
~Speaking of lettuce, the above way is the only way I have lettuce in my house. I keep spinach stocked in my house now. MUCH healthier for you, more vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.
~Buy vegetables intending on snacking, but they usually get thrown out (or in your stock bag!)? Cut them up that day, and you'll have snacks for about 5 days. I do the same with onions and green peppers, it saves on your daily cooking prep work. What you don't use goes in your stock bag.
~I still measure everything. I'm a terrible judge of spices, especially.
~ To easily remove burnt on foods from your skillet, add water to it with a drop or two of soap and bring to a boil. It will come off a lot easier.
~Put a slice of bread in your cookie jar to keep the cookies fresher and softer, longer
~When separating eggs, crack the egg over a funnel. The white will fall through, leaving the yolk intact in the funnel.
~Use an old ketchup bottle to squeeze pancake batter.
~ Most recipes only call for a tablespoon or two of tomato paste. Freeze the rest of the can in tablespoon portions.
~You can peel and chop potatoes hours ahead of time! To prevent browning, keep in a bowl of water in the fridge until you need them!
~Prevent bananas and apples from browning by tossing them with citrus juice.
~ Keep the fat from frying your bacon in a mason jar in the fridge. You can saute vegetables in the grease to give the dish a smokey flavor.
~If you run out of cheesecloth, use paper towels! (Incidentally, I buy my cheesecloth in the CRAFT department at Walmart. Not even in the "cooking" craft section, the "beaded" craft section)
~Remember:
*8 oz pasta = 4 c cooked
* 1 lb flour = 4 c
* 1 c dry beans = 2 1/2 c cooked
*1 c dry rice = 3 c cooked
* 1 lb granulated sugar = 2 cups
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