Kitchen Tips and Faves

Posted On April 20, 2011

Since I spend so much time in the kitchen, was thinking I’d share some of those tips and tricks I’ve learned over the years. Hope some of them help you!

To get more juice out of a lemon or lime (or any citrus fruit) zap in the microwave for about 20 seconds
Spraying the inside of a plastic container with cooking spray helps prevent stains, particularly tomato based stains that often never come out
I never peel garlic before popping it into the garlic press. Just squeeze it, scrape the garlic from the outside of the press. When you open the inside, you can usually pull the skin out of it in one piece without hassle
I love my Keurig coffee maker and Tom found a great product where you can refill the containers and use your own coffee–just have to make sure you tamp it in pretty well. If course we still purchase the standard cups for the machine, but it makes me feel a tad less guilty that you can’t recycle the plastic cups since I can reuse them. http://www.my-kap.com/MYK/
Spraying cooking spray in the bottom of a votive holder will allow the candle to pop out. Water works too, but the cooking spray doesn’t evaporate if you light the candles more than once. If there is still some in the bottom you can zap container in microwave (if microwave safe) for a couple seconds, or pour a bit of boiling water in the bottom–should easily wipe out.
Silcon. Love, love, love this relatively new item on the kitchen circuit. I can’t tell you how much I love a spatula that doesn’t bend and melt. Also, the liners for cookie pans are amazing too. Makes clean up an absolute breeze. I’ve also had some cookie sheets for years that show signs of rust, but are still usable with the silcon liners. I’ve found inexpensive versions of the Silpat liners at a kitchen outlet that make them more than worth the investment (5 bucks vs. 20 bucks).
Used coffee grounds are great for adding nutrients to acid loving plants like evergreens and azaleas. Don’t toss those grounds in the trash, toss them onto your garden.
My dining table is made from dark wood, and unfortunately, if you don’t protect the surface, ugly white rings and circles appear on the wood. Pull out your trusty hair dryer and run it over the stain, and it will quickly dry out the wood, Presto no more white ring. Also, believe it or not, mayonaise, when left on the stain and rubbed into it works, just not as fast as the hair dryer method.
If your dishwasher is starting to smell snarky, run a load with a few cups of distilled white vinegar, and it will clean it beautifully. Also works for your washing machine, too. Vinegar is an amazing household ally, it’s great for whitening clothes, can be diluted with water and spot clean wood floors and is a generally terrific cleaning solution.
The forman grill is a great tool for cooking panini and wraps. My kids love “building” their own dinner by selecting their stuffings for their tortillas (these work better than bread since the toppings stay in better, particularly if you wrap them like an envelope): leftover chicken or pork, thinly sliced onions/peppers, a dash of barb-q or tomato sauce, and a sprinkle of cheese. Spray with cooking spray, and 5 minutes later, leftovers don’t feel so left over.
Bumper crop of basil or some other fresh herb? Whir it in the blender with a bit of olive oil, and pop into ice cubes. Let them freeze, then pop out into a freezer bag or container. You’ll have handy a perfect amount to toss into soups and sauces at your disposal in the freezer.
Frozen bananas make a great base for a fruit smoothie. Rather than toss a banana that won’t get eaten, throw it into the freezer and use it for a smoothie. Add any other fresh fruit, yogurt/milk and you’ll have a healthy snack or breakfast quickly at your disposal.
Speaking of bananas. Tossing peels onto your rosebushes is a great little inexpensive fertilizer that they love. Don’t toss the peels in the trash, toss them onto your roses.
Need a warm non drafty spot to let your dough rise? Pop it into the oven. Set it at 200 degrees for about 1 and 1/2 minutes, then turn it off. It’s a cozy little spot for your bread to rise. You can also leave on the oven light, or if you are fortunate enough to have a gas oven, just the heat from the pilot light will give a boost to the rising process.
Wrapping celery in tin foil helps keep it crispy longer. Who knows why this works but it does.
Magic erasers do an amazing job on cleaning stainless steel sinks. They are pretty amazing for a lot of things: removing permanent marker and ink, cleaning brown stains from pyrex dishes and baking pans, cleaning stains from coffee pots. Love whomever invented them!
Soaking pans that have burnt on food with dishwasher detergent overnight will help release the burnt on food. This has saved what I thought were ruined pans from being tossed into the trash.
Is your broiler pan starting to look a bit yucko? If it’s one of those that comes with your oven that has a porcelain type coating, pop it in the oven with the regular self cleaning cycle, and you’ll be amazed at how clean it will become.