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Dabbing talcum powder over grease stains, helps remove grease stains from clothing. Freeze left over gravy in ice cube containers. Then when needed as gravy for a sandwich, etc reheat in the microwave.

Freeze left over coffee in ice cube trays. Then when you need a small amount of coffee to flavor sauces, icings, etc, thaw and use as needed

If your stews are too salty or have too much pepper, cook raw potatoes in the stew and then discard since they will absorb the extra seasoning

If soups or stews too garlicky, place parsley flakes in a tea ball and let it cook with the soup or stew. The parsley will absorb the garlic flavor

If your soups or stews are too sweet, add some salt or add a dash of cider vinegar.

Toothpaste can be used to scrub stains off enamel or metal based sinks.

Clean out kitchen sink drains naturally. Pour some baking soda in the drain and follow by adding some white vinegar. Careful, there will be a bubbling smoking reaction. Then run hot water run down the drain. Once a month treatments keeps drains free flowing.

Ants in your kitchen? Kill them by mixing: 4 parts peanut butter with 1 part boric acid powder OR 1 part flour, 1 part sugar and 1 part boric acid powder. Mix well and place in small shallow dishes where ant trails are. Place away from pets and small children since the boric acid can make them sick if they eat the mixture.

Dried peas and beans may be soaked in water until swollen, drained and frozen until ready for use to make soups. Thaw , cover with several inches of water and bring to a boil and simmer until completely tender.

Do not serve/store wine or whiskey in lead crystal glasses. The lead could break down from the crystal and leech into the beverage.

!! spilled " red wine" on your tablecloth or carpet?- immediately pour on " white wine ", sponge up and clean again with warm water and soap.

Shelling chestnuts: cut a slit in the flat side of the nut, cover with water and boil 10 minutes Use a paring knife to pry off the shell and membrane

Opening coconuts: puncture the eyes with an ice pick and drain out fluid. Place the coconut in a shallow pan and bake 350F for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Let cool. Then tap it with a hammer . The coconut should easily spring apart. Pry off the coconut meat with a knife. To short shred coconut flesh: Place cut up flesh in processor with some of the drained coconut liquid Process until fine. Use this for pie fillings and desserts.

To measure sticky liquids ( honey etc. ) oil the cup with cooking oil so the honey or syrup will flow and empty completely.

To prevent the formation of a surface skin on hot puddings or sauces etc., spread a thin layer of melted butter or cream over the pudding or sauce. Or cover with plastic wrap, cut some slits in the plastic.

To anchor a cutting board or bowl on the counter, place a damp cloth or paper towel beneath the board or bowl to prevent slippage.

Use an insulated and chilled ice bucket to serve cold foods such as salads. If you want a clear broth, add egg shells to it, and simmer for 10 minutes.The shells will attract the sediment. Strain soup of sediment.
If soup is too thin, add rice or mashed potatoes until you reach desired consistency

To give your sauces an extra shiny appearance, whisk in 2 Tbs cold butter before serving Stir in a tsp of peanut butter to burned gravy to hide the taste.

If gravy too salty add several pinches of brown sugar If soup is too salty, add some peeled potatoes which will absorb excess salt.

The best salt is sea salt or kosher salt since iodized salt can add an unpleasant taste to some foods

Use minced parsley with other herbs to enhance flavors of food

A piece of fresh orange or lemon rind added to a bouquet garni adds a special flavor to poultry or meat dishes

You can maintain the freshness of herbs by soaking them in olive oil and then refrigerating them

Several dabs of butter or cooking oil added to the water will prevent pasta from boiling over

Cut pizza with a scissors rather than a knife

Cut dried fruits with a scissors that has been dipped in hot water

Old egg whites making higher and better meringues than fresh eggs

Add additional flavor to homemade breadcrumbs by adding broken cookies and crackers and by mixing all in blender

Honey rather than sugar maintains more moistness when added to baked goods

To prevent fruits, nuts and raisins from sinking in a batter, roll them in melted butter or dust in flour before adding

For extra moist chocolate cake always add a spoonful of vinegar to the baking soda in the recipe

If you need to cut a hot cake, use dental floss instead of a knife

No rolling pin handy, use a full wine bottle

If chocolate contracts to a hard stage when melting, stir in vigorously 1 to 2 tablespoons of solid vegetable shortening

Add a few drops of lemon juice to heavy cream prior to whipping to speed up whipping process

For best results when adding a sweetener, add it to cream after it has been fully whipped.

If you need lemon flavor for your iced tea, add a bit of lemon gelatin to the tea

Paper towels ( plain white ) make quick filters for your coffee pot

percolator if you are out of a filter

Long slender pieces of cucumbers make good swizzle sticks for bloody marys

Put a stalk of celery in a bag of bread. it will help keep bread fresh longer

Store marshmallows in freezer for easier storage and cutting

Use soured wine for a substitute for vinegar

Cooking cranberries requires less sugar if you add 1/4 tsp baking soda to the pot

For gourmet potato salad, cut cooked potatoes with wire cheese cutter

Use leftover pickle or olive juice to season deviled eggs or in bread recipes as part of the liquid. You can freeze olives and pickles or condiments but not in glass jars

For extra light and delicate crusts for fried foods, add club soda to batter with 3/4 tsp baking soda

Crisp potato chips under broiler to restore crisp flavor

Add a little food color to cream cheese to zip up finger sandwiches

Sprinkling a little salt in frying pan helps prevent cooking spatters
When poaching fish, wrap fish in cheesecloth for easier removal

Frozen orange, lemon or tangerine shells make lovely dishes for serving ice cream or sherbets

Large green or red hollowed bell peppers make great dip containers as well as hollowed out bread.
Hollowed out eggplants/pineapples make make plant vases for flowers for buffets

Serve your vegetables for dips in a wicker basket. Line with lettuce then vegetables of choice.

Cut out individual butter pats by placing pancake size circles of softened butter on a cookie sheet.

Chill till hardens, then use cookie cutters to cut out shapes.
You can serve most desserts in wine glasses if you are running low on dessert plates

Freeze fruit punch or juice in ice cube trays. Then place cubes in your punch to keep it cold and add some extra flavor.

Make your buffet easy by wrapping place settings in napkins and then placing them in a wicker basket.

A hollowed out large melon may be used as a container to hold ice.

You can use a ice bucket for a serving container as its insulation keeps food hot or cold

Fresh bagels make unusual napkin rings!

When grinding hard cheese in a food processor, let it set at room temperature before processing. Soft cheeses such as swiss or mozzarella for processing or slicing, do best when placed in freezer 10 to 15 minutes before slicing

Citrus zest chops easier in a food processor if some sugar is added to the bowl with the zest

Make your own sweet butter for baking. Process one pint of cream in a food processor until it turns to butter.( about 5 min ). Drain off water well and dry butter in a towel. You should have 7. 0z. of butter

The best kind of pastry bag is plastic lined for easiest cleaning.

If you need more iron in your diet, cook foods in a cast iron utensil.

To start a fresh bottle of ketsup flowing, push a drinking straw to the bottom. when you remove the straw, the ketsup will come out flowing
A gravy boat makes a good spaghetti sauce server

A mixture of olive oil and vinegar will tenderize meat. Rub on and let stand several hours before cooking All meat will shrink less if cooked at lower oven temperatures

Want perfectly round patties, press down on meat with a can and trim off excess
Use dental floss to truss a turkey

If you don't care for roasting stuffing in the turkey, place 1 cup of water with 1/4 cup pineapple juice to make turkey moist and flavorful. Or add a few whole apples and peeled onions into the cavity.

Prepare stuffing and place in a cheesecloth and then stuff turkey cavit and bake. Remove cheescloth with stuffing for easy serving and storage.

To tell if an avocado is ripe, stick a toothpick in the stem end. If it slides in and out with ease, its riped

If you just need a few drops of lemon juice from a lemon, just puncture it, squeeze out what you want and refrigerate lemon for later use. It still will be fresh and flavorful

Frozen grapes make good snacks

Open canned asparagus from the bottom instead of the top to prevent broken tips

Add a Tbs of vinegar or lemon juice when cooking red cabbage to prevent it from turning purple

A dash of milk when cooking cauliflower keeps it white

Lemon juice added to cooking carrots will keep them bright
Drop unshelled walnuts into the cooking water of cauliflower to prevent an unpleasant cooking odor

A dish of vinegar or an opened bottle of vinegar placed near cooking broccoli or cauliflower will decrease strong cooking odors! Indeed works!!!
Broccoli turns dark if you cook with the lid on. So don't cover and broccoli will remain nice and green

Cooking vegetables ahead of time or for salads- Rinse cooked vegetables immediately under cold water and drain well. Cooking process will stop and vegetables will remain bright

A damp paper towel rubbed on corn helps remove cornsilk from the corn.
Also a damp paper towel rubbed on cooked beets will help remove the skins without staining your hands too much!
A damp paper towel also helps rub off the skins of cooked beets without peeling.

One way to butter corn is to melt butter and use a pastry brush to brush corn with it
Use an egg slicer to cut fresh mushrooms
The best french fries are fried twice. First soak cut potatoes in cold water for 1 hour. Drain and wipe dry. Fry for a short period. Drain off grease and refry them a second time until golden brown

Looking for the ripest tomato in a batch: Place in a container of filled water, the ripe ones will sink and the unripe ones will float
You don't need an eggbeater to beat eggs. Shake in closed jar vigorously.
Dropping a few tomatoes in the pan will help tenderize a pot roast as tomatoes help break down the stringy fibers

Meatloaf won't stick to the pan if you place a few raw turkey bacon strips on the bottom of the pan.
So meatballs won't fall apart before you cook them, chill them first
Use an ice cream scoop to shape meatballs. A melon scooper makes cocktail meatballs
Soaking liver in tomato juice for a few hours helps tenderize it.

To make breaded meat chops almost greaseless: bake them on a wire cake rack in a baking pan. Any grease will drip down into the pan.
Bacon will curl less when frying if first soaked in cold water

For guaranteed tenderness soak chicken/meat in raw egg whites, fruit juices, crushed kiwi fruit , vinegrettes or wine several hours before cooking.
soaking chicken in buttermilk, cream or yoghurt also tenderizes meat.

Use a kitchen shears to cut chicken into pieces, quicker and cleaner than a knife

Chicken livers won't spatter if you prick them first with a fork before cooking
An ideal way to freeze fresh fish : put fillets in milk cartons filled with water. When defrosting the fish, use the water for houseplants. Its an ideal fertilizer

If you like halibut as white as popcorn, add lemon juice or milk to the seasoned liquid in which you cook Rub your hands with salt or vinegar to get rid of the fish smell on them

Chewing raw parsley helps get rid of bad breath from garlic or onions
If you put too much mayo in a tuna salad, and don't have more tuna to add, add fresh bread crumbs.
Extend tuna or chicken salad with a mixture of grated carrots, onions and celery.
Make you own fruit ripening bowl by using a pierced plastic bag. It will permit air movement yet retain fruit gases

To hasten ripening of green bananas, wrap them in a cloth then place in a brown bag
Remember the sweetest oranges have the biggest naval holes. Don't be mislead by color as oranges are often sprayed.

Thin skinned oranges always have more juice than thicker skinned oranges

Save liquids from all canned fruit. For an easy cake sauce, just add cornstarch and cook for an instant sauce
All canned juices freeze well and save for punches or gelatin desserts
Pineapple juice inhibits gelatin from congealing Cut fruit with stainless steel knifes. Carbon steel knives react to fruit and cause discoloration

Cut fresh lettuce with a plastic knife instead of metal to prevent discoloration
To buy the juiciest lemons picks those with smooth skins and points at each end
Thin skinned grapefruits/oranges are juicier than thick skinned ones
If you don't have vinegar or lemon juice to prevent discoloration of fruit, crush 2 vitamin C tablets in some cool water.

Fresh asparagus can be cooked to perfection in a coffee percolator. Place them upright in two inches of water. The stalks will be tender and the tips will stay crisp
If you prefer corn off the cob, shave kernels off with a shoe horn
To keep mushrooms white add, 1 tsp of lemon juice, and 1/4 lb melted butter when sauteing
Sprinkle a little flour on potatoes when frying for extra crunchiness

For extra nutrition add powdered milk to mashed potatoes and stir well
The strong odor of sauerkraut can be eliminated by adding a few celery stalks to the juice or some red wine to it before cooking
If you want to keep hard boiled egg yolks perfectly centered, stir constantly while cooking. ( good for deviled eggs)
To easily shell just cooked hard boiled eggs, drop eggs in ice water for a few minutes
For an extra fluffy omelet add a little cornstarch before cooking

Cream cheese can be frozen. If grainy when thawing, just whip smooth
Use a potato peeler to make cheese strips from bar cheese for salads

Use an egg slicer to cut mushrooms

Freeze head of cabbage solid and then defrost and fill leaves as usual for stuffed cabbage

Bake stuffed peppers and stuffed tomatoes in muffin tins to hold their shape.
Soak onion rings in cold water, drain and pat dry and use as desired . They won't get watery when baked

Add lemon juice to cooking rice to keep rice very white
Use a toothbrush to clean your waffle iron.
Store a powder puff in your flour cannister and use it to dust your cake pans

Granulated honey will become smooth if you set the jar in boiling water

For higher meringues, add a bit of baking powder to the room temperature egg whites
To flatten meat for cutlets, place meat in a ziplock bag and bang on counter top with the bottom, of a heavy pot
Cottage cheese , cream cheese and ricotta cheese may be frozen. However when thawed they are best used for fillings in casseroles, lasagna, etc since their texture will not be quite the same as was fresh.
Marshmallows may be frozen ( seal tighly ) and then can be thawed and used as desired.