Sharre's Cooking Tips

Cooking Tips

After stewing a chicken for diced meat for casseroles, etc., let cool in broth before cutting into chunks - it will have twice the flavor.

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

A roast with the bone in will cook faster than a boneless roast - the bone carries the heat to the inside of the roast quicker.

Never cook a roast cold - let stand for at least an hour at room temperature. Brush with oil before and during roasting - the oil will seal in the juices.

For a juicer hamburger add cold water to the beef before grilling (½ cup to 1 pound of meat).

To freeze meatballs, place them on a cookie sheet until frozen. Place in plastic bags and they will stay separated so that you may remove as many as you want.

To keep cauliflower white while cooking - add a little milk to the water.

When boiling corn, add sugar to the water instead of salt. Salt will toughen the corn.

To ripen tomatoes - put them in a brown paper bag in a dark pantry and they will ripen overnight.

Do not use soda to keep vegetables green. It destroys Vitamin C.

When cooking cabbage, place a small tin cup or can half full of vinegar on the stove near the cabbage. It will absorb all odor from it.

Potatoes soaked in salt water for 20 minutes before baking will bake more rapidly.

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

Use greased muffin tins as molds when baking stuffed green peppers.

A few drops of of lemon juice in the water will whiten boiled potatoes.

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

Do not use metal bowls when mixing salads. Use wooden, glass or china.

Lettuce keeps better if you store in refrigerator without washing first so that the leaves are dry. Wash the day you are going to use.

To keep celery crisp - stand it up in a pitcher of cold, salted water and refrigerate.

Don't despair if you've over salted the gravy. Stir in some instant potatoes and you'll repair the damage. Just add a little more liquid to offset the thickening.