tips..........

[Kitchen Witch]

Browning beef for the base of chili is simple, but sometimes when the meat refuses to color, it's steaming and becoming less flavorful instead of caramelizing into tasty bits. Usually caused by an overcrowded pan that provides insufficient space for sizzle. Try browning the meat in 2 different batches or 2 different pans and combine when done and add remaining ingredients.



By nature, zucchini is a water-logged veggie and it can make your dessert mushy and bland if it's just grated and tossed in with other ingredients. Place grated zucchini in the middle of a celan dishtowel and squeeze as you would a sponge to rid it of excess moisture. Once it is wrung dry, add to your recipe.



The best way to preserve fresh corn: If stored in husks, the silk mooches moisture, causing deterioration. Extend the life of your corn by by stripping off the husks and silk and wrapping in foil before chilling. This will keep the kernels sweet up to a week longer.



Skinny garlic bread: Lose the fat from the garlic bread! Toast your bread and rub it with a cut clove of garlic. The heat will release the garlic's flavor without the added fat.



A fruit crumble should consist of a soft flavorful fruit covered with a crunchy topping, but often the top layer ends of soggy. Instead of tossing the topping on the fruit, crumble the dough onto greased parchment of foil on baking sheet and bake 20 minutes; sprinkle over fruit and bake 20 minutes more.



For a more tender steak - recipes call for meats to be seasoned with salt and pepper before cooking which is fine for poultry and fish, but salting extracts the juices from beef causing it to dry out. Next time, season with pepper and wait to sprinkle with salt until after it is cooked.




That pretty, fancy decorated layer cake! Removing that first slice can be tricky and you don't want to ruin it. Cut two slices of cake before pulling out the first piece - the extra cut gives you the wiggle room you need to make it easier to remove.



Squeezing a tablespoon of lemon juice from a lemon sounds simple enough, but often the juice ends up everywhere except the spoon. Try using a sharp paring knife to trim the citrus membrane from the center of the fruit slice so it doesn't block the juice and send it every which way.



The fridge smells fine but the food lately tasted a bit off.....is that baking soda in the back of the fridge doing it's job? To find out, add 1 t. baking soda to 1/4 c. vinegar; if it fizzes, it's still good.



Keep your pie crust from burning. If the edges of the pie are becoming too dark before the filling is fully cooked, fold a long sheet of foil in thirds lengthwise and halfway through baking, mold the folded foil around the circumference of the dish and finish baking. When you remove your makeshift collar you will reveal a perfect, evenly cooked dessert.



Have you used your BBQ grill all summer and the grill grates are now caked with hardened food bits? Wad up a ball of aluminum foil and use it to scrape the gunk of the metal bars. Makes a great stand-in scrubber.

[Kitchen Witch]

Thumbprint cookies tip: Instead of using your thumb and leaving a long indentation in your cookie instead of a nice center well, use your melon baller. The round scoop is the ideal size and shape to form a well before baking. Your jam will not ooze off the side!



Bland sauteed onions: Summer sweet onions are off many grocer shelves and the standard white ones are boring - they seem to lack flavor. When sauteing the onions, add a dash of brown sugar and a pinch of salt 1 minute before removing from heat. The sugar and salt boost the flavor without affecting the taste.



In a pinch for freezing a casserole or meal or entree with no foil pans on hand? Double-line your casserole dish with heavy duty foil; fill with your food and cover tightly. Freeze for 24 hours. Then remove the casserole/meal from the pan/dish, wrap in foil and store in the freezer. When ready to bake just remove the foil and place in casserole and heat.



For a great flavor when cooking orzo - don't boil it. Instead, use the pilaf method of cooking the orzo in 2 T. hot oil for 2 minutes or until light brown before adding the water. Bring to a boil and cook 8 minutes or until tender. Sauteing the pasta first lends a nutty flavor that stands out in any meal.



Prevent that sticky mess when making marshmallow treats! After pressing the mixture in the pan most is stuck to your hands or plastic wrap and the butter-flavored spray leaves that odd taste. Dip your hands in cold water and that will combat the stickiest of situations.



Keep your knives sharper - after chopping veggies it is a common practice to scoop up the veggies using the knife blade and add to your dish or pot. Running the blade along the cutting board can dull your knife. Flip your knife over and use the spine (the dull side) of the knife to guide the chopped veggies, cheese, nuts, etc.




Bargain shopper??? That gallon of olive oil was cheaper to purchase than smaller bottles. But what happens when you get it home and you realize that you cannot use it up in the six months (the shelf life of olive oil) you have to use it after it is opened? Transfer to clean glass bottles (like salad dressing bottles which make it easy to grab and pour) and keep in the fridge to extend its lifetime to a year. Chilled oil may appear thicker and cloudier but that dies not affect the flavor. Just bring the bottle to room temperature before using to thin the oil.