This week on Tuesday’s Tip with The Kitchen Whisperer I’m letting the TKW Family share their best kitchen wisdom to help us all become better cooks and bakers.
Kitchen wisdom. Those family secrets, tips, and tricks that have been passed down through generations is what we’re talking about today. Maybe grandma said “keep the bacon grease in a jar in your fridge for amazing fried potatoes” or maybe you found a killer trick on how to slice cherry tomatoes on Pinterest. Somehow, some way folks came to know of these great tips and today they are sharing their kitchen wisdom with the world.
I posted on Facebook about a week ago asking for folks to share their best kitchen wisdom. I love doing posts like these as it honestly helps me become a better chef. I’m humble enough to admit that I don’t know everything and take the approach that there is always, ALWAYS something to learn albeit in the kitchen or in life.
The response was overwhelming and I absolutely LOVED reading your responses. Some stuff I knew but there were somethings where I was like “Really? Oh cool!”. But what I loved more than anything was the interaction between the TKW Family members. It’s so awesome to see friendships bloom off of a single post. It warms my heart that the TKW Family is so loving and truly treats each other as a family member.
So without further ado, let’s get to learnin’!
♥ Rebecca writes, “If following a new recipe, gather all of your ingredients before you start cooking. That way you won’t be halfway through before realizing you’re missing an important ingredient. (When I don’t follow this advice, the ingredient is always one with no emergency substitute.)”
♥ Cathy writes, “After cutting up onions, to prevent your refrigerator from smelling, put the cut onions in a canning jar.”
♥ Joy writes, ” I buy ground beef in bulk and cook half of it. Season it with S & P, garlic and onion, since that goes in any of my beef recipes. Freeze it in portions for your family. In a hurry- pop a bag in the microwave for a minute to thaw and then into a skillet. Have sloppy joes, tacos etc in 5 min.” – TKW, I LOVE this tip!
♥ Dea writes, “I use kitchen shears for EVERYTHING!-trimming fat off of meat, cutting off the ends of green beans, snipping herbs into tiny pieces, cutting up pepperoni into small pieces etc.. Would be lost without them!”
♥ Linda writes, “I use evaporated milk instead of heavy cream in soups. It saves calories and it is something you can always have on hand. I also keep a small container of potato flakes in case the soup is too thin.” – TKW, this is a GREAT tip!
♥ Jeannine writes, “On your fridge, have a leftover list so you know what you have inside to finish. If someone is hungry for a snack, they can see what to choose from (highlight close dated food). Cross things off as you finish them.“
♥ Brenda writes, “When I make tea, I place a wire strainer with a coffee filter in it over the top of my pitcher. I pour the tea in that and it strains all that gritty stuff keeping it out of the tea.“
♥ Cynthia writes, “This is a new one for me my niece taught me. Glass top cook stove cleans easier with magic eraser. I use it on my white porcelain sink with a little cream of tarter removes scratches .“
♥ Gail writes, ” Storage in the fridge is always an issue, and knowing the age of “science projects” can be too. Storing leftovers in zipper plastic bags makes dating them easy. And, if the food is too “iffy” to use, easy to throw away. No more opening the smelly science project so you can save your containers!“
♥ Lynn writes, ” Always rinse out a hot pan off the stove in vey hot water. It will keep the pan from warping and the cooked remnants will come out easier.“
♥ Kellie writes, “To make perfect cinnamon roll cuts, I use dental floss.” ♥ Nadine chimes in “Fishing line works well, also.”
♥ Joanna writes, ” Fried rice tip: I can never remember to make my rice the night before and with two teenage boys there is never any leftover rice, so I make it as soon as I know I need it for the day. Once cooked, I spread the rice out on a cookie sheet to cool it quickly, and then I pop it in the fridge until 15 minutes before I’m ready to fry it. If I’m really limited on time, I put the sheet pan of rice in the freezer. Not as good, but it works.“
♥ Brenda writes, ” I have discovered that putting fresh unwashed uncut strawberries in a half gallon mason jar, with the lid, stored in the fridge, the berries last about 2 weeks. They taste as if you just bought them. I use the half gallon jar because it holds the whole amount from the container.”
♥ Jeannine writes, “Tape up your go-to recipes up inside your cupboard, usually the ones you just need the ingredient measurements because you know the routine! Also, on homemade mixed spice jars, write the recipe and use pkg tape to seal.”
♥ Cathy writes, “Buy ground beef in bulk (cheaper) and freeze it in gallon zip top bags. Flatten the meat to fill the entire bag and stack easily in the freezer. They defrost very quickly too.”
♥ Joy writes, “Tomato Paste – i usually just need a spoonful, so I take a can of paste, put spoonfuls on a plate or tray and freeze. Then I pop them off and put in ziploc bag. I can pull out one or two at a time as needed.”
♥ Nadine writes, “Clean as you go along (cooking). My Grammy taught me this rule decades ago.”
♥ Terri writes, “ALWAYS cook with love. It adds to the flavor. And always clean your mess as you go so you can sit down with your family when done cooking.” – TKW, I could not agree more with you!
Now its your turn, what’s your best kitchen wisdom? Comment below!
My favorite tip has to do with testing long pasta for al dente. I’m almost embarrassed to share this because it took me close to 40 years to notice the phenomenon. If you’re at all like me, you attempt to trap and test a single strand of spaghetti or noodles shortly before they should be done in order to prevent overcooking. What I do: dip a plastic mixing spoon (has more texture than tools made of stainless steel) convex side up into the pot of water in order to grab a few strands of spaghetti/noodles. Many will slide off, but a few almost always cling to the rounded surface of the spoon. From there, it’s easy to select a single strand to check its done-ness. Happy cooking!