Cleverest Cooks Tips For Very Clever Cooks! (Home Cooking - Helpful Hints and Tips)

Member Name: splodgethecat

Product:	Home Cooking - Helpful Hints and Tips
Date:	22/08/01 (170 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Saves money, Saves time, Saves effort

Disadvantages: Some might think 'I cannot be bothered'

As I consider myself quite 'canny' in the kitchen, I have quite a few hints and tips to pass on to others who would like to save time, money and effort whilst cooking. Therefore, I have listed two dozen of them here in order to pass onto other Dooyooers. Some of them you might already be aware of, but some of them might be new to you. In any case, hopefully one or two of these tips might come in handy. I have presented them in a simple list form, as I felt there was no other way to do it, rather than waffling on, so here goes;

1;
Don’t waste fruit that is over ripe. Blend with a hand blender or in a food processor, sieve and use as a sauce.

2;
If you are cooking sausage rolls and find you have some puff pastry left, roll it out, spread Marmite or sprinkle a little grated cheese on top. Fold over and roll out again. Cut into strips, twist and bake with the sausage rolls for some tasty puff pastry twists.

3;
Save left over cream and freeze in ordinary ice cube trays. The ‘cubes’ can be melted into home made soup later for a richer, creamier flavour.

4;
To make easy sour cream squeeze the juice of a lemon into half a pint of cream and leave for an hour at room temperature.

5;
Cut a complete strip off the tops of frozen food bags when you open them. You then have a strong, reusable tie to seal the bag with when returning it to the freezer.

6;
A small electric travelling jug boils just enough water to make a good sized cuppa. Saves boiling a kettle up every time you want a coffee.

7;
Don’t throw potato peelings away. Wash them, brush with oil and pop under a hot grill until crisp.

8;
Whisk a can of evaporated milk into a jelly made with half the usual amount of water for an unusual and scrummy desert.

9;
A few drops of lemon juice added to the water when boiling rice helps to keep the grains separate and adds a fres
h aroma to the rice.

10;
A tablespoon of horseradish added to scrambled egg mixture gives a delicious ‘bite.’

11;
If your sandwiches are a little dry or bland mix a tablespoon of vinegar with a little grated cheese and a teaspoon of mustard or horseradish for a tasty, moist sandwich filling which will add a ‘lift’ to any sarnie.

12;
Add a chopped onion and some grated cheese to your scone mixture for extra flavour.

13;
To liven up kids’ breakfasts, cut a hole in the centre of a thick slice of bread by cutting round a glass or cup. Place in a frying pan with a little oil and break an egg into the middle for sunny fried bread.

14;
To cut a thin slice from an unsliced loaf, run the blade of your knife under boiling water for a few seconds. You will get a thin slice with no crumbs.

15;
Put a drop of food colouring into children’s glasses and they will be amazed when you fill the glasses with water or lemonade. It will be coloured!

16;
Make delicious croutons by mixing some olive oil and garlic puree together and spreading onto a slice of bread before toasting.

17;
Spread Marmite onto a pizza base before adding your usual toppings for that spicy difference.

18;
Make a drink of hot Oxo thicker and tastier by stirring in a dessertspoon of tomato sauce.

19;
Make cheap baked beans that bit different by adding a tablespoon of curry paste or mixing in some hot chilli powder.

20;
Drain the excess juice from tins of tomatoes and freeze in ice cube trays. They can be added to soups, sauces and stews as required.

21;
Cheese grates much more easily if you chill it in the freezer for quarter of an hour before using.

22;
If your salt has gone a little damp and won’t sprinkle, place it on a small plate in the microwave for thirty seconds.

23;
Transfe
r your cooking oil to one of those squirty plant spray bottles. Instead of pouring it into your pan, a couple of squirts is all that is needed.

24;
To make super quick breadcrumbs, grate frozen bread.

I hope that someone finds some of these tips useful. I tend to live rather a frugal lifestyle anyway, so I naturally try to find ways to make things last longer and eek out further.

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