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Post by littlemama on Sept 22, 2017 12:08:54 GMT
If you drop a raw egg, sprinkle salt over it and wait a few minutes. It will solidify and you can wipe or sweep it up easily
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maryannscraps
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,731
Aug 28, 2017 12:51:28 GMT
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Post by maryannscraps on Sept 22, 2017 13:28:51 GMT
When you mince garlic with a knife, add a little salt and it won't stick to the knife as much. Clean garlic smell off your hands by rubbing your hands on stainless steel (I use the faucet). As soon as you're done with a pan, fill it with hot soapy water. It will be so much easier to clean later. Buy your spices from Penzeys -- they are the best!
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Post by jeremysgirl on Sept 22, 2017 15:46:53 GMT
We cut everything with a pizza cutter. Spaghetti, pancakes, toast, roller knife for the win! With three kids I've probably babied them for far to long because it is just easier to cut up all their food with a pizza cutter. My 10 year old struggles with a knife, but can work the pizza knife. And I love my good knives. When my kids were little, we would have soft tacos and it was so hard to get them to hold the shells. So I started making them like quesadillas. Then it dawned on me one day to use the pizza wheel to cut them into small triangles for easy pick up for them. I have been using my pizza wheel on all kinds of stuff ever since.
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Post by KelleeM on Sept 22, 2017 15:52:39 GMT
Hot pan, cold oil, food won't stick. I learned this from Jeff Smith aka The Frugal Gourmet. I do the water in microwave as well but add a few slices or half of a lemon to deodorize. I’ll pile on to the sharp knife tip as well.
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Post by chitchatgirl on Sept 22, 2017 16:12:00 GMT
Crumble up the Oxo cube in the foil before tearing it open. Much easier to add to the pan or whatever. I think I'm missing something here. What's an Oxo cube?
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Grom Pea
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,944
Jun 27, 2014 0:21:07 GMT
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Post by Grom Pea on Sept 22, 2017 16:29:33 GMT
Crumble up the Oxo cube in the foil before tearing it open. Much easier to add to the pan or whatever. I think I'm missing something here. What's an Oxo cube? I think it's a bouillon cube
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Post by papersilly on Sept 22, 2017 16:54:20 GMT
always have a clean sink before going to bed.
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mlana
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,523
Jun 27, 2014 19:58:15 GMT
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Post by mlana on Sept 22, 2017 17:22:02 GMT
The best tip I ever received was from Martha Stewart just after she started selling thru Kmart. On one of her 30 second tip videos that I saw playing on a monitor in Kmart she said “Baking is a science, not an art. Follow the recipe and measure precisely and you’ll get the same results time after time.” Whoah! Mind blowing moment! I started being more precise in my cooking and guess what? My results became more predictable.
Her advice to cook with a note pad at hand to note down any changes you might make to a recipe was also golden. I hate having something turn out awesome and then not being able to remember what i did differently that made it so much better.
My favorite advice to give is “It’s all in the prep.” If you spend time 1 day a week prepping, as in doing all of your cleaning, cutting and chopping at one time, you will not only save yourself hours on nightly prep and cleanup, you will be more likely to actually cook each night. Being able to open the fridge and take out everything I need for dinner and actually have it cooking within minutes while having a clean counter is awesome! I’ll pull out the food processor or Vidalia chopper to do a week’s worth of prep, where I wouldn’t to do just a single night’s prep. I find that this really does cut down the actual prep time even more.
Marcy
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oh yvonne
Prolific Pea
Posts: 7,996
Jun 26, 2014 0:45:23 GMT
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Post by oh yvonne on Sept 22, 2017 17:56:22 GMT
I love this thread, and most of my faves have already been shared, so the only thing else I can think of is if you get a bit of eggshell in a dish you added egg to, use the shell to scoop it out. It works like magic, the little piece just clings to the other shell as if it were a magnet.
Parchment paper rocks my world. I used to only think of using it for certain dishes that called for it. Now it's almost completely replaced using foil to line my sheet trays. I get the big box at Costco and it lasts forever.
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Post by #notLauren on Sept 22, 2017 18:03:48 GMT
what is "Oxo"?
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Deleted
Posts: 0
May 4, 2024 3:01:43 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Sept 22, 2017 18:20:24 GMT
I have a few...
Clean as you go
Meal plan
Meal prep
Cover the inside of your braiser/dutch oven lid with foil so it is easy to clean after you cook (this is my favorite tip!!!)
Spend the money on really nice knives. It will cut down on how many you need because a chefs knife can do a lot.
Cook double. Makes next days dinner easier.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
May 4, 2024 3:01:43 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Sept 22, 2017 18:24:23 GMT
Throw citrus rinds in disposal after juicing to freshen up. Clean stinky disposal with baking soda and vinegar. My fave is pulverize granulated sugar in coffee grinder to make powdered sugar. I have run out before and done this. Thank you for the sugar tip!!!
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Deleted
Posts: 0
May 4, 2024 3:01:43 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Sept 22, 2017 18:26:01 GMT
I cook a lot of chicken that I still shred by using forks - I don't have room in my kitchen for a kitchen aid but I think about all the lucky peas that have one every time I am shredding that chicken One of the most useful tips I ever got was back in the mid 1980s - watching a local cooking show. She said put a wooden spoon across the top of your pot when you are boiling something (like pasta) to keep it from boiling over. It works every time! I showed that tip to my brother, he didn't believe me at first but thought I was a genius when he discovered it worked I didn't tell him that I learned it from watching a cooking show - I just let him keep on thinking I was brilliant. I have a KitchenAid Stand Mixer but I use my KitchenAid hand mixer to shred the chicken. Works the same. And all I have to clean is the beaters. I shred the chicken in the pot I used to boil it.
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twinsmomfla99
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,980
Jun 26, 2014 13:42:47 GMT
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Post by twinsmomfla99 on Sept 22, 2017 20:43:00 GMT
I was just shredding some chicken prepping dinner and I remembered how annoying it was when I used to use two forks to shred it. Someone (maybe a Pea?) recommended using a Kitchen Aid to shred it instead and it's probably the single most useful cooking tip I've ever received. What's the best bit of kitchen or cooking advice you've been given or was passed onto you? Hahaha! When I read the title, the first thing I thought of was using my Kitchen Aid to shred chicken. And yes, I learned it here. 😀
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Post by 950nancy on Sept 22, 2017 21:22:59 GMT
That water in the microwave tip is my best one. It seriously changed my life. My kids make such a mess of the microwave. I do it with a squirt of lemon in it to make it all smell clean.
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Post by 950nancy on Sept 22, 2017 21:26:59 GMT
I always put a slightly damp paper towel in with my brown sugar to keep it moist. You can also use part of a potato or apple, but the paper towel is easier.
When I cook (not bake) I throw the spices into my hand instead of measure. I know how much 1/2 teaspoon, 1 teaspoon and a Tablespoon measure in my hand.
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RosieKat
Drama Llama
PeaJect #12
Posts: 5,380
Jun 25, 2014 19:28:04 GMT
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Post by RosieKat on Sept 22, 2017 22:32:45 GMT
Not "the best tip ever" but one I figured out as a kid. If making egg salad or something similar where you need several chopped up eggs, put the peeled eggs in a bowl and use a pastry blender to chop them up. It's so much easier than trying to chop them all up with a knife when they kind of flop everywhere and fall to bits.
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Post by Merge on Sept 23, 2017 13:43:17 GMT
In addition to the sharp knives, the realization that you don't need a drawer full of gadgets if you have a couple of good, sharp knives and the basic skills to use them. Throw away the garlic press, the tomato slicer and the other 'time savers' in your kitchen. I could not live without my garlic press Really? I find the garlic press tedious and fiddly, especially if you're doing several cloves. This video shows pretty much the way I do it with a knife. You can do several cloves at the same time much faster than doing them individually in a press.
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Post by melanell on Sept 23, 2017 19:33:16 GMT
For me it was when someone taught me to hard boil eggs by bringing the water to boil, then shutting it off, and letting them sit 12 minutes. I was originally taught to boil the eggs for a certain amount of time, and no matter what I did the yolks were always overdone.
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Post by pb on Sept 23, 2017 20:42:51 GMT
I buy my lettuce in those big plastic bins and immediately open them when I get home and place wadded up half sheets of paper towels in and among the lettuce. Change out every three days or so. Never have spoiled lettuce anymore.
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carhoch
Pearl Clutcher
Be yourself everybody else is already taken
Posts: 2,990
Location: We’re RV’s so It change all the time .
Jun 28, 2014 21:46:39 GMT
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Post by carhoch on Sept 24, 2017 0:58:01 GMT
I could not live without my garlic press Really? I find the garlic press tedious and fiddly, especially if you're doing several cloves. This video shows pretty much the way I do it with a knife. You can do several cloves at the same time much faster than doing them individually in a press. I can chop garlic just fine but I like to put garlic in my salad dressing and in there I don’t want any pieces.
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Post by disneypal on Sept 27, 2017 18:26:53 GMT
I have a KitchenAid Stand Mixer but I use my KitchenAid hand mixer to shred the chicken. Works the same. And all I have to clean is the beaters. I shred the chicken in the pot I used to boil it. Thanks - I don't have a KitchenAid mixer (stand or hand) but I do have a pretty powerful hand mixer handed down from my mom and I used it last night to shred the chicken - boy what a time saver that is!!
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Deleted
Posts: 0
May 4, 2024 3:01:43 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Sept 27, 2017 19:38:59 GMT
I have a KitchenAid Stand Mixer but I use my KitchenAid hand mixer to shred the chicken. Works the same. And all I have to clean is the beaters. I shred the chicken in the pot I used to boil it. Thanks - I don't have a KitchenAid mixer (stand or hand) but I do have a pretty powerful hand mixer handed down from my mom and I used it last night to shred the chicken - boy what a time saver that is!! Yay!
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Post by lemondrop on Sept 27, 2017 19:42:41 GMT
My favorite tip I have gotten from the Peas was to freeze herbs in ice cube trays and they you can have fresh herbs all year long from your garden. I freeze left over red wine too and use it when cooking (however, I don't have left over wine very often... ) I also freeze lemon juice when my friend gives me a bag of lemons from her amazing, prolific tree.
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Post by alexa11 on Sept 27, 2017 21:40:42 GMT
Speaking of boiled eggs- this isn't really a tip but it has simplified my life- could be because I'm lazy in the kitchen... But I have recently discovered the eggs that are already boiled in the grocery store. OMG- not only boiled, but peeled. I don't care that 2 bags (dozen) costs me over $5- they are worth every penny.
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Post by scrappysurfer on Sept 28, 2017 1:50:01 GMT
I buy my lettuce in those big plastic bins and immediately open them when I get home and place wadded up half sheets of paper towels in and among the lettuce. Change out every three days or so. Never have spoiled lettuce anymore. Just found the best tip I've ever gotten on this board! How how long does the lettuce last? And this works for romaine, spring mix, etc? We find it so hard to eat all the greens in these bins before it goes bad.
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Post by pb on Sept 28, 2017 2:17:13 GMT
I buy my lettuce in those big plastic bins and immediately open them when I get home and place wadded up half sheets of paper towels in and among the lettuce. Change out every three days or so. Never have spoiled lettuce anymore. Just found the best tip I've ever gotten on this board! How how long does the lettuce last? And this works for romaine, spring mix, etc? We find it so hard to eat all the greens in these bins before it goes bad. I have found the biggest box lasted six days...it may have lasted longer but we finished it. I did have to change out the paper towels every two or three days. I use it with any box I buy so I'd say it works for all.
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Post by juliet on Sept 28, 2017 4:49:30 GMT
I use kitchen scissors for everything! I hardly use knives anymore. Cutting meat into cubes, cutting sandwiches, cutting herbs...
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Deleted
Posts: 0
May 4, 2024 3:01:43 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Sept 28, 2017 12:03:10 GMT
That eggs shell pieces attract each other. If you drop a tiny piece of shell when you crack an egg, fish it out with another piece of shell. It will cling to it like a magnet.
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