by Elsha
Just wanted to share some of my favorite cooking tips!
1) You can test if an egg is still good by putting it in a pan of cold water. If the egg sinks it's good, if it floats it's not.
2) Learn your oven's hot spots by filling a cookie sheet (or two if your oven will hold two side by side) with bread slices. Bake the bread for a few minutes at 350o and then see which pieces are darker than the others. Most ovens are hotter toward the back, but the difference is more prounounced in some.
3) It's easier to slice meat if it's still partially frozen.
4) Add a splash of vinegar to your water before poaching eggs. It will help the eggs hold their shape while they cook.
5) A slice of bread placed in a package of hardened brown sugar will soften it again.
Do you have any favorite tricks?
An old Italian friend swears by the pasta doneness test - throw a piece against a wall (tile?) and if it sticks, it's done. If it falls down, it still needs time. I think this may only work for thin pasta (spaghetti, angel hair, linguine, fettucine, etc), but it worked last week :)
Posted by: Leah | June 27, 2012 at 01:30 PM
These are great! I'm trying the bread in the brown sugar one right now. What a wonderful tip.
Posted by: Jen L. | June 28, 2012 at 11:05 AM
If you over-salt a pot of soup, some pieces of raw potato will soak up the salt.
Posted by: Erica | June 30, 2012 at 11:35 AM