Cooking Tips

>If you increase the eggs in a recipe, decrease the baking powder by 1/2 teaspoon for each extra egg added, and vice versa.

>Burnt food can be removed from a glass baking
dish by spraying it with oven cleaner and letting it soak for
30 minutes. The burnt-on residue will be easier to wipe off.

>To clean copper bottoms on pots and pans, simply open a can of tomato
soup paste, rub it on and scrub then rinse. If you do this weekly,
your pots and pans stay shiny clean. This is a very inexpensive
way to clean copper and brass items

>Just add a pinch of salt to the water you will be boiling the potatoes or eggs in. They will remain in perfect shape after boiling.

>To slice meat into thin strips, as for Chinese dishes -
partially freeze and it will slice easily.

>To ripen green tip bananas quickly, keep them at 70 degrees F, with very high humidity and no air circulation for 2 or 3 days.


>Often recipes require the use of only the white of an egg, leaving you to decide the fate of the yolk! Here is a simple tip to store unbeaten egg yolk to be used later:Put the yolk in a small cup and cover it with cold water or milk and keep in the refrigerator. Drain off the liquid before using the yolks.

>Let raw potatoes stand in cold water for at least half an hour
before frying to improve the crispness of french-fried potatoes.

>Buy mushrooms before they "open." When stems and caps are attached
snugly, mushrooms are truly fresh

>If the gills don't smell fresh, the process of decomposition has already begun and the fish should not be eaten.

>When working with dough, don't flour your hands; coat them with
olive oil to prevent sticking.

>Cure for headaches: Take a lime, cut it in half and rub it on your
forehead. The throbbing will go away.

>Bring cheese to room temperature before melting. Melt cheese over a low heat to help prevent toughening and separation of oils and liquid.