Food Hacks And Tips

[StudioStuntz]

Here's a cool and quick way to separate the yolk from the white...any Chinese translators out there:




Incidentally, never crack an egg on the edge of a dish etc. as she did.
There's a good chance of pushing shell fragments into the contents.

Just rap it on the flat surface of table or counter top a time or two.

 

[StudioStuntz]

I don't remember where I heard this, but it works. When microwaving your food, if you arrange it on your plate in the shape of an "o" with a hole in the middle it will heat much more evenly and without leaving sections of your din-din cold. Works best with stuff like pasta and caserole type dishes, but can be applied to anything really.

Another tip is to "preheat" your microwave by nuking a mug of water for a minute or so before you throw in your bag of popcorn. It sounds weird but it really does substantially reduce the amount of un-popped kernels in the bag when it's done without risking burning your snack.

These are both things I have tested and done many times, and they do indeed work.

Thanks, it's always better when the poster has tried them.

 

[ShredderMaximus]

Here's a cool and quick way to separate the yolk from the white...any Chinese translators out there:




Incidentally, never crack an egg on the edge of a dish etc. as she did.
There's a good chance of pushing shell fragments into the contents.

Just rap it on the flat surface of table or counter top a time or two.

And not to mention any dangerous diarrhea inducing critters that may be living on the surface of the shell.

Thanks, it's always better when the poster has tried them.

No problem!

 

[StudioStuntz]

...dangerous diarrhea inducing critters?...eeek, never thought of that.

One can only guess how much shell and such got into those omelettes made from cracking those square eggs from that Green Acres episode...

 

[StudioStuntz]

Here's the scientific way to cut a cake, proposed by British Mathematician Sir Francis Galton in 1906:

 

[One Drop]

That reminds me of how my dad used to bbq chicken. On the bottom of the barbecues where you put your charcoal (we always used a Weber) place one of those disposable tin foil loaf pans about 1/4 full of water in the center and then arrange your brickettes around it, the barbecue your chicken like normal, keeping the lid on as much as possible. Whenever he did this the resulting chicken was always perfectly tender and juicy as all get out.

Adding steam slows surface evaporation, I also use a water pan when slow cooking or smoking meats.

Great for breads too but not so much for pizza, where high dry heat is used.

Biggest cooking tip and also the one most commonly ignored by amateur cooks is to do all your prep before starting to cook, and not planning your steps - if you take a few minutes to think about what you'll be doing you can organize it so you save a lot of time and give proper attention to the various dishes when needed.

 

[StudioStuntz]

I sure could use some help making pancakes, which I haven't attempted in years because mine always turn out the worst.

I tried scratch, I tried pre-mixed just add water, shake and pour, and I had to toss them all!

I like them golden brown to a half a shade darker and fluffy, not tuff like all mine.

If I could get a slight outer crust on them while still keeping them fluffy on the inside, that would be a bonus, but not necessary.

Did I over mix them, have the batter at the wrong temp?

Someone told me back then to add a pinch of corn starch, but I can't remember if that made them worse or just the same!

TIA

 

[One Drop]

Two secrets to good pancakes:

Let the mix sit for at least 30 minutes before making them.

A good pan that holds even heat and a stovetop burner that you can adjust properly.

Count on the first one or too not coming out well, then it's smooth sailing.

 

[Pilgrim]

The recipe for Impossible Cheeseburger Pie on the side of the Bisquick box works great. Good stuff!

That is all.

Pancakes? Back to the Bisquick box, dude.

 

[StudioStuntz]

I never let the batter set...oops. Was that scratch batter? I think I also over-mixed the batter too.

Should I test the pan with a drop of water and see if it dances/medium heat? I made them for a friend (the one who suggested I put the pinch of corn starch in it) and got laughed at.

Last time I tried (about 30 years ago) I was told to drop about an 1/8 of a tsp. of the mix into the pan to test the heat, yet I'm posting this now...I'm guessing not letting it rest was the primary culprit.

I'm also curious on which kind of flour to use, as the only thing I ever baked were flour-less brownies.

 

[StudioStuntz]

The recipe for Impossible Cheeseburger Pie on the side of the Bisquick box works great. Good stuff!

That is all.

Pancakes? Back to the Bisquick box, dude.

Thanks, that CP looks good too!

It's been so long I'm sure that's what I used, not a bag of flour.

It had to be the over-mixing followed by the heat.

 

[Pilgrim]

I recommended that pie to a gent on TB some years ago who said he was hopeless as a cook. I thought no one could screw it up with the directions as simple as they are. He proved me wrong, unfortunately. Nice guy, but really should not be allowed to use kitchen implements.

 

[sissy kathy]

Why would you buy tomato sauce? That's one of the easiest things to make....
... Enjoy.

-Mike

Because finding tomatoes, other than those pink monstrosities that supermarkets carry, is a frustrating endeavor in this area.

 

[sissy kathy]

I'm a vegetarian, but my Italian descent friend who is a good cook, and who also owned a pizza place back in the 1960s told me the secret to flakey pizza crust is a little bacon grease. I won't use it because I'm veggie, but I bet he is right about that.

You can substitute Crisco vegetable shortening and get the same flaky results, the taste will be different though.

 

[MJ5150]

Because finding tomatoes, other than those pink monstrosities that supermarkets carry, is a frustrating endeavor in this area.

Good point. On an episode of Food Revolution, Jamie Oliver said "Its easier to get guns, prostitutes or crack in LA, than to buy a tomato."

-Mike

 

[StudioStuntz]

Because finding tomatoes, other than those pink monstrosities that supermarkets carry, is a frustrating endeavor in this area.

The general rule of thumb with fruits and vegetables is buy fresh when they are in season.

When they are not, buy frozen next because they are picked and froze at their peak flavor and freshness.

Canned should be your last resort as far as flavor and nutrient value goes. Also more additives in canned.

Still, canned tomatoes are on average more reliable taste-wise than out-of-season fresh ones.

 

[StudioStuntz]

Good point. On an episode of Food Revolution, Jamie Oliver said "Its easier to get guns, prostitutes or crack in LA, than to buy a tomato."

-Mike

Great line, I'll have to pass it on at the local market's tomato bin.

Tomatoes get tastier the further east of the Rockies one goes, and IMO best on the east coast.

 

[StudioStuntz]

FYI

2-14.5 oz. cans of diced tomatoes has less juice (more tomatoes) than a 28 oz can does, just in case a recipe calls for more juice/water in it than tomatoes.

 

[carl h.]

Canned should be your last resort as far as flavor and nutrient value goes. Also more additives in canned.

Store bought.


Home canned is hard for any production product to compare with. I have a couple gallons of home raised and home canned in the pantry right now.

 

[carl h.]

Great line, I'll have to pass it on at the local market's tomato bin.

Tomatoes get tastier the further east of the Rockies one goes, and IMO best on the east coast.

Must be the free flowing fertilizer out there...