20 Practical Kitchen Tips

20 PRACTICAL KITCHEN TIPS

by Lois Breneman

*Reuse plastic honey bear bottles for olive oil.  Store (uncapped) in a cabinet near your stove, so you can reach for it and squeeze oil in a pan with just one hand.  Saves time!

*For low fat baking, substitute applesauce for cooking oil in muffins and bread.  You can go with half oil and half applesauce as well.

*Brush beaten egg white over pie crust before baking to yield a beautiful glossy finish.

*If you're not sure of the freshness of eggs, put them in a basin or sink of 4-5" of water.  Fresh eggs will remain on the bottom.  If only one end of an egg tips up, the egg is less fresh and should be used soon. If it floats, throw it out.

*Put an apple in a bag of potatoes to keep the potatoes from sprouting so quickly.

*Store your potatoes separately from your onions.  The gasses given off cause them to spoil more quickly if kept together.

*Soak popcorn kernels in water for 10 minutes before popping in a hot air popper or on the stove.  After draining the water, pop like normal, but look for fluffier kernels with fewer unpopped kernels.  The extra moisture also helps the corn pop faster.

*Don't use detergents on cast iron cookware.  Simply scrub with salt and a dry paper towel.  Season with oil occasionally.

*When baking a pie crust without any filling, pour dried beans into the crust before baking, to prevent the crust from puffing up.  Save those beans in a bag to reuse just for this purpose.

*When you prepare a casserole or meatloaf, at least double the recipe and freeze one meal for an effortless meal later.

*Prepare spaghetti, chile, Spanish rice, meatloaves, and casseroles in large quantities to freeze.  I use a basin to mix ingredients, spoon them into casserole dishes, freeze, run hot water on the bottom of the dish, insert a knife into the side of the dish and pop out the meal.  Then I wrap it in foil or insert into a freezer bag and label. 

*To save money, let the grocery store sales be your guide as to what you prepare in large qualities.

*Even quiche can be prepared (unbaked) and frozen for use later.  When ready to use, simply thaw and bake according to directions.  Quick and delicious with a salad or vegetable!

*Make use of fresh and dried herbs in your cooking.  Herbs are extremely easy to grow, because they love hot sun and very little water.  In other words, they like to be neglected - easy for most of us!  Easy herbs to grow, freeze and/or dry are sweet basil, oregano, thyme, garlic chives, chives, parsley, sage, lemon balm, peppermint (keep the last two self-contained, unless you have space to allow them to spread). 

*Store flour in a shaker (as from Pampered Chef or Kroger) to use for a flour coating on meats.  Just shake whole wheat flour on one side, lay in a greased pan, shake on second side before turning.  This saves time and there is no waste as when dipping meat into a dish of flour.  I like to use freshly ground flour for more nutrients. 

*For better health, drink purified water (half your weight in ounces - if you weigh 120 pounds, drink about 60 ounces of water each day). 

*As much as possible replace white flour with whole grain flour.  Milling your own grain is best and make delicious bread. 

*Try your best not to use white sugar.  It breaks down the immune system.  Use stevia to sweeten. 

*Cook brown rice, rather than white rice. 

*Replace shortening with olive oil, canola oil or coconut oil.  Eat 5-9 servings of fruits and vegetables each day. 

There is much more you can do for better health, but taking only these few measures will improve your health.