Tip of the Week
Salt as you go. This may be the simplest of tips, but it will vastly improve your meals. I used to think salting at the end would flavor an entire dish, but it did just the opposite, leaving my meals...
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To cut corn off the cob without having to play 52-kernel-pickup, strip husk and clean. Using a tube cake pan, place corn upright in the hole of the pan to steady it. Carefully cut straight down, and...
View ArticleTip of the Week
When baking, use your nose. Without fail, my baked treats are almost always done or near done once I can smell their aroma seeping from the oven. As always, test doneness with a toothpick.
View ArticleTip of the Week
It’s pie season! When baking pies, be sure to place a baking sheet under the pie dish to catch any overflow. Your oven will thank you.
View ArticleTip of the Week
Save leftover pie scraps to make a mini pie, quiche, or pot pie. It’s too good to let it go to waste.
View ArticleLet it rest
Although this may be counterintuitive, allow your baked goods to rest. Flavor develops as it cools. More than once I’ve nearly thrown out a baked treat after trying it straight out of the oven only to...
View ArticleTip: Pouring Pie Filling
A couple weeks ago as I was doing my pumpkin pie recipe research, I stumbled across a genius tip from Aimee of Simple Bites. Before pouring your pumpkin pie filling into the pan (or any other filling...
View ArticleStoring Peanut Butter
Where do you store your (natural) peanut butter? The back of the package says to store it in the fridge, but mine always ends up rock solid. Store in the pantry, stirring every so often to evenly...
View ArticleDraining Pasta
To keep dirty dishes to a minimum when making pasta, I skip the colander. A chef’s knife held at the lip of the pot drains the water perfectly, especially when you’re making smaller quantities. I...
View ArticleCrushing Peppermint Candy
Tis the season for peppermint. Need it crushed? Skip the round hockey puck peppermints and go for regular, or better yet, mini candy canes. They are easier to crush. Place in a freezer bag, fold over,...
View ArticleVegetable Stock
Start a freezer bag or container to keep leftover/overripe/extra veggies in your freezer. When the container gets full, fill a soup pot full of water, add the veggies, some fresh herbs and seasoning....
View ArticleCooling Bundt Cakes
Always, always let a bundt cake cool completely before oh so carefully removing it from the pan. If/when your patience (or lack thereof) gets the better of you, cover it in frosting to hide the cracks...
View ArticleHow to deseed a pomegranate
Click here to view the embedded video. Skip the mess of deseeding pomegranates. Add two cut and stretched pom halves into ziplock bags before deseeding. Smack the peel of the pomegranate with the back...
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Measurements to know by heart
I’m always halving and doubling recipes which is easy until you get into the teaspoons and tablespoons. Once I committed these measurements to memory, I was golden. There are 3 teaspoons in 1...
View ArticleStoring Bananas
I may be the last person on earth to figure this out—store your bananas away from everything with a shelf-life. They have a way of making other produce decay faster and making bread products taste...
View ArticleRoom Temperature Butter
To bring butter to room temperature quicker, cut it into tablespoons or cubes. The more surface area you expose, the faster it will reach the desired temperature. The same method holds true when...
View ArticleCleaning your Microwave
Into a microwave safe bowl, add 1/2 cup of water. Cut a lemon in half, squeezing the juice into the water. Drop the two halves into the water. Place in the microwave, and heat on high for 3 minutes....
View ArticleSalvaging Overcooked Cake
Sometimes we overcook our cakes. It happens. But all is not lost. Trim off any burned edges. Brush the top of the cake with a layer simple syrup. This will add moisture back into the cake. Take it a...
View ArticleCleaning your Blender
My Smoothie King days taught me more than just how to make a good smoothie. They taught me how to clean a blender like a pro. (Adding that one to my resume.) Just after using your blender, lightly...
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