10 Easy Organizing Tricks For The Kitchen

Good old tipnut. They always have the best advice.

Click on the title above to read this great article.

Vegetable Storage - How to store vegetables

Learn how to properly select and store vegetables for maximum shelf life, including refrigeration and freezing techniques. Lots of good advice at this link.

This came from a canning group I am on. Very good tip for those of us on well water or any hard water.

"Chocolate, Bitter, Sweet or Powdered Equivalents & Emergency Recipe Substitutions"

It is always a good time to make something with chocolate.  When the mood seizes you, discovering you haven't got a crucial ingredient can ruin the mood.  Knowing its "equivalent" or substitution can save the day. 

Chocolate is made from the bean of the tropical cacao tree.  In its purest baking form chocolate comes powdered, is usually sold in tins and is called cocoa. 

There are two types of cocoa in this world; regular cocoa and Dutch cocoa.  Dutch cocoa, or alkalized cocoa has reduced the natural acidity of the cocoa bean resulting in a darker, mellower, more chocolaty cocoa powder.  For the most part, these can be used interchangeably. 

Cocoa powder is not to be confused with those packaged hot cocoa drink mixes, which don't work well in recipes.

Sugar and fat are usually added to cocoa powder for sweetening and consistency and cake!  In our kitchens, fat can be in the form of cocoa butter, margarine, butter, vegetable shortening or vegetable oil.  Sugars, either powdered or granulated add sweetness and also add to consistency.  Powdered sugar will be smoother. 

Once we understand the basics of chocolate it makes substituting ingredients much easier.  Here are some more definitions and equivalents.

Cocoa:  Powdered, chocolate  in its most basic form (beyond the bean).

Baking Chocolate:  Generally sold in bars and measured in squares of 1 ounce each.  Normally has some fat but no sugar content.

Semi-Sweet Chocolate:  Sold in chips or bars.  Normally has some fat plus a small amount of sugar.

1 square (1 oz) of baking chocolate = 3 tablespoons cocoa + 1 tablespoon butter or margarine

1 cup (or one 6 oz package) of semisweet chocolate  = 6 tablespoons cocoa + 7 tablespoons granulated sugar + 1/4 cup shortening

1 cup (or one 6 oz package) of semisweet chocolate  = 6 oz or (6 squares) of semi-sweet chocolate

If you find yourself not using some of your kitchen appliances because they are such a pain in the neck to clean (George Foreman, can you hear me?), today I have some good news for you and George, too. One clever reader has come up with a way to add a self-cleaning feature to your indoor grill.

GRILL CLEANUP. I just discovered the best way to clean a George Foreman Grill. After removing the grilled food, unplug the grill. While the grill is still hot, place several wet paper towels on the grill surface, and close the lid. Leave the wet towels in the grill while you enjoy your meal. When you're done, open the cooled grill, and use the wet towels to wipe the grill clean. The steam from the wet towels releases the cooking residue, and it takes no time to wipe the grill.

Check out this great tip here.

I love my cast iron. I have to watch DH though. He likes to help wash the dishes for me. I have found him putting my cast iron in the dishwasher!

Seasoning Cast Iron

Cast Iron Cookware must be seasoned properly and it will last a life-time. New Pans

1. Heat the oven to 250^o - 300^o
2. Coat the pan with lard or bacon grease. Don't use a liquid vegetable oil because it will leave a sticky surface and the pan will not be properly seasoned. 
3. Put the pan in the oven. In 15 minutes, remove the pan & pour out any excess grease. Place the pan back in the oven and bake for 2 hours.

Repeating this process several times is recommended as it will help create a stronger "seasoning" bond.

Also, when you put the pan into service, it is recommended to use it initially for foods high in fat, such as bacon or foods cooked with fat, because the grease from these foods will help strengthen the seasoning.

Pans needing Re-Seasoning

If the pan was not seasoned properly or a portion of the seasoning wore off and food sticks to the surface or there is rust, then it should be properly cleaned and re-seasoned.

1. Remove any food residue by cleaning the pan thoroughly with hot water and a scouring pad. I understand that heating the pan first to a temperature that is still safe to touch helps open the pores of the metal and makes it easier to clean.
2. Dry the pan immediately with dish towel or paper towel.
3. Season the pan as outlined above.

Caring for Cast Iron Cookware

Seasoning a cast iron pan is a natural way of creating non-stick cookware. And, like you cook and clean the modern non-stick cookware with special care to avoid scratching the surface, your cast iron cookware wants some special attention too.

• Clean the cookware while it is still hot by rinsing with hot water and scraping when necessary. Do not use a scouring pad or soap (detergent) as they will break down the pan's seasoning.

• Never store food in the cast iron pan as the acid in the food will breakdown the seasoning and the food will take on a metallic flavor.

• Store your cast iron cookware with the lids off, especially in humid weather, because if covered, moisture can build up and cause rust. Should rust appear, the pan should be re-seasoned.

When you purchase cast iron cookware, they are medium gray in color, but after usage, they start turning darker. (My pans are very black in color.) This is normal and should be expected.

Pot Lid Taming Options:

• Use the spring-tension curtain rods! Run them front-to-back in the drawer to make dividers.
• If your drawer is deep enough for the lid to be stored standing up on its edge, buy 1/2″ dowling. Cut the length of the inside of your drawer, front to back, plus 1/2 inch. Measure the thickness of the lid(s). Add 1/8″. Drill 1/4″ deep holes (that are a hair over 1/2″ diameter) on the front and back of the drawer. These holes should be the thickness-of-lid-plus-1/8″ from the side. Pop dowel into holes. Presto….a lid-holding-rod on the side.

These two techniques also work great in all skinny cabinets that you use to store cookie sheets and cutting boards…..

Enjoy!

This is a great article. Lots of good information here. Click here to go to the site.

How To Make Your Own Brown Sugar

10 Ways To Soften Hard Brown Sugar

I found this at How Stuff Works . Thought it might be helpful.

Al dente: Often found in pasta recipes. It means to cook the pasta just until it's done, not soft or overcooked.

Au gratin: Refers to a baked dish, such as a casserole, topped with cheese or bread crumbs, then browned on top, either in the oven or under a broiler.
Baste: Spooning or brushing food with a liquid -- such as butter, broth, or the cooking liquid -- to help the food stay moist during cooking.

Blanch: Placing food briefly in boiling water and then plunging into cold water to halt cooking. Blanching loosens the skins of fruits and vegetables to help peel them more easily.

Braise: Slowly cooking browned foods in a small amount of liquid in a tightly covered pot.

Butterfly: Splitting meat, poultry, or fish in half horizontally without cutting all the way through. When spread open, the flat piece looks like a butterfly.

Caramelize: Melting and cooking sugar over low heat until it browns. "Caramelization" also refers to the browning that occurs during cooking.

Chiffonade: Thinly sliced strips or shreds of vegetables or herbs.

Cream: Rapidly mixing one or more ingredients with a spoon or mixer until smooth and creamy. When you cream butter or other fats, the mixture also becomes fluffy because air is incorporated during the rapid mixing process.

Curdle: Separation of a mixture into a liquid with solid particles. For example, soured milk curdles.

Deglaze: Adding a liquid to a pan in which food has been browned, and heating it to loosen the cooked food particles. This liquid is usually thickened to make a flavorful sauce.

Dredge: Coating a food lightly with flour, bread crumbs, or cornmeal.

French: Cutting a meat or vegetable lengthwise into very thin strips.

Julienne: To cut a fruit or vegetable into matchstick strips about 2 inches long.

Mince: Cutting food into very fine pieces.

Reduce: Boiling a liquid in an uncovered pot or pan to evaporate some of the liquid. This reduces the volume, concentrates the flavor, and thickens the mixture.

Sauté: Cooking and stirring a food in a small amount of fat over direct heat.

Score: To make shallow cuts in the surface of a food just before cooking or baking.

Sear: Using high heat to quickly brown the surface of a food to seal in the juices. Foods can be seared in a very hot pan or under the broiler.

Simmer: Slowly cooking food in a liquid just below the boiling point. Tiny bubbles may break the surface.

Steep: Soaking dry ingredients in a hot liquid to infuse it with flavor and color, as with tea or coffee.

Sweat: Cooking food over low heat in a small amount of fat in a covered pot or pan so it cooks in its own juices until soft but not browned.

Zest: The peel or colored part of citrus fruit skin, which contains flavorful oils. (The white pith is not part of the zest, and has a bitter taste.)

For more tips on cooking and cooking techniques, see:

• Cooking Poultry
• Cooking Seafood
• How to Cook Eggs
• How to Make Pasta
  

How to Make Butter the Modern Way!

Can you believe for a moment that you can make your own butter without growing muscles the size of the Incredible Hulk?

It's true. There's a modern way to make butter that is easy on the arms and tastes just as good as butter in the old days on the farm.

This modern-day tried and true 'how to make butter at home' recipe comes from a GoodByeCityLife reader who has been making butter in her country home for years!

The Basics of Making Butter

The best cream for making butter at home is one with a high fat content. The cream from Jersey cows or Nubian goats works well, but in fact any cream will do!

Separate: First you'll want to separate your cream from the milk. I just use a ladle to spoon off the cream (it floats on top) from the milk. You could go out and purchase a new cream separator, but they are rather expensive and don't save you that much time or money in the long run.

Blend: Next you'll want to put the cream that you'll be using to make butter with, into a regular kitchen blender and whip it up for SEVERAL minutes. The time will vary depending on the cream and the power of your blender.

Stir: Continue to stir the mixture every 30 seconds or so until the butter mixture has reached the consistency you're after. If you want a hard butter, like the kind you buy in the grocery store, the mixture at this stage will appear a tad thin, but once it's chilled it should keep the shape of any container you place it in.

But first...Strain: Pour the mixture through a strainer. One of those really fine wire mesh strainers is fine. The liquid coming out the bottom is buttermilk, which can be saved or discarded. The solid part left in the strainer will be your butter.

Buttermilk is a delicacy to many. I've seen many people add salt to buttermilk and enjoy it. It's not to my tastes so I use it in my baking (bread, muffins, etc.). 

Finally: Your next and final step is to rinse the butter very well, squeezing out any excess moisture. Removing excess moisture elongates the shelf life of the butter you made. Pour the butter into a mold, (any container lined with plastic wrap will do).

Final Pointers on Making Butter

• Wrap the butter up and freeze it until you need it.
• Once solidified, homemade butter can be removed from the mold.
• Some people prefer salted butter - this should be done after the first stage of whipping the butter in the blender.

I realize this is not as "homestead" as the original method to making butter, but it is quick and easy.

Keeping Pie Filling from Being Runny

Here's how to keep your pie filling from being runny: Add a box of instant pudding, regular or sugar free. It's the same principle as using cornstarch but pudding adds some extra flavor; it doesn't 'bland' down the taste.

These are some of my favorite combinations: Lemon with any fruit, including pumpkin and sweet potato. Butterscotch is also good with pumpkin or sweet potato. Vanilla with coconut custard. White chocolate with banana cream.