Thursday Three this week is actually going to be Thursday Thirteen. Why? I want to, that’s why.
Okay, fine. Cause three is too few, and thirty is too many. So I’m doing thirteen lovely bullet points chock full of fabulous information.
Today’s topic? Cooking tips and tricks! Are you ready?
Here we go!
- Slightly frozen chicken is much easier to cut than thawed. This goes for most meat!
- You can freeze whole chunks of ginger, and grate it frozen into any recipe calling for ginger. Much better than ginger powder, any day! And cheaper too! Just throw the ginger root into a freezer safe bag and make sure you press all the air out while sealing.
- Don’t like to chop onions? Pop them in the freezer for ten minutes before chopping. No more crying! And easier than wearing swim goggles.
- If you cut lemons and limes halfway open and then nuke them for 20-30 seconds, you will get twice the amount of juice out of them!
- Recipe calls for buttermilk but you don’t have any on hand? Add one tablespoon white vinegar or lemon juice to one cup of milk.
- Did you end up buying a fattier package of ground beef than you wanted? If you’re making a recipe that calls for it to be fried and crumbled up, cook as normal, drain as much fat as possible, then place in a colander over the sink. Pour boiling water over the meat to wash off any excess fat.
- Substitute panko, extra crisp Japanese breadcrumbs, for ordinary bread or cracker crumbs. Doing so can reduce the crust’s fat, calories, and sodium by half.
- Puree vegetables to add body to a dish. For example, mash some of the beans in a chili or the potatoes in a chowder. This is also an excellent way to hide extra veggies in a dish. Just a few nights ago, I sauteed and pureed red pepper, zucchini and onion, then added them to my marinara sauce.
- Reduce the fat in home baked goodies by substituting applesauce, pureed prunes, pumpkin, mashed bananas, or yogurt for up to half of the butter, oil or shortening. It works! Obviously prune puree would discolor a yellow cake but does well for chocolate cake and brownies. The end result is moist and fat content is reduced.
- You can revive wilted greens by submerging them in a bath of cold water for 30-60 minutes, which replenishes the water in the leaves and allows them to regain their crispness!
- Not sure if your boiled eggs are done? Place an egg on the counter and spin it, then stop it. Let go. If it stays still, it is done. If it starts spinning again, the egg is not yet hard boiled.
- Did you over salt your soup or stew? Don’t throw it out – simply throw a couple of chunks of peeled potato into the pot, cook until just translucent, then fish out with a slotted spoon. The potato will absorb some of the excess salt.
- Hate to open a can of stock, tomato paste or a bottle of wine for a recipe knowing you only need a small bit and the rest will go to waste (maybe not the wine, at least not in this house)? Pour the remainder into an ice cube tray, freeze, then remove and place in a labeled freezer bag. Next time a recipe calls for stock, simply pop out cube and defrost!
I know that you all have some great tips! I’m sure of it! So come on, share, directly in the comments, or blog and link up.
Cause you know, sharing is caring. For reals.
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Mid-thirty something wife, mother of two, runner, yogi and wannabe renaissance woman striving to look and feel even BETTER than she did before babies.