Bobbi's Kitchen Tips

Here are a few helpful tips I have learned over the years:

1. If a batch of soup or stew seems too salty, just add some pieces of raw potato (it doesn't matter if it is peeled or not) and cook for a short time. Take out the potatoes and the problem should be remedied.

2. Adding a teaspoon of vinegar and a teaspoon of sugar should also remedy a salty dish.

3. When preparing gravy, brown the flour well before you add it to the liquid and there should be fewer lumps in the finished product.

4. Fresh vegetables might be brought back to life if you get rid of the brown edges, sprinkle them with cold water, wrap them in a paper towel and stick them in the refrigerator for about an hour.

5. Lettuce and celery will keep longer if they are kept in paper bags in the refrigerator.

6. If your bowl walks around the counter when you are beating mixtures, try putting a dampened paper towel under it.

7. An apple slice placed in a container with brown sugar should keep the sugar from getting hard.

8. If brown sugar is "hard as a rock," try grating what you need with a cheese grater.

9. When I use a recipe I try to read it three times. The first time I just go through it quickly to see that I understand the instructions and that I have all the ingredients at hand. The second time, I place the ingredients on the counter. The third time, I actually follow the recipe. I have found that it is a good practice to move the ingredients to another place on the counter as they are used; this saves me from wondering if I left something out or from losing my place if I am distracted.

10. You can prepare baked potatoes faster if you boil them for about 10 minutes before placing them in the oven.

11. Tomatoes and avocados will ripen faster if they are left on the counter in a paper bag.

12. If you are going to heat milk in a pan, it won't be as likely to stick to the bottom of the pan if you rinse the pan out with cold water before pouring in the milk.

13. If what you cooked left the kitchen with an undesirable aroma, simply boil a little cinnamon and sugar in a pot on top of the stove for a short time. Be careful that the water doesn't boil out, because that will leave you with an even worse aroma.

14. I try to measure oil in my cup before using it to measure honey or syrup.

15. When fixing corn on-the-cob, brush downward on the cobs with a dampened paper towel and you should find it easier to get rid of the strands of corn silk.

16. The shells of fresh eggs are rough and chalky; older eggs have shells that are smooth and shiny.

17. Eggs beat up more fluffy if they have time to come to room temperature before you beat them.

18. Use large eggs in recipes, unless instructed to do otherwise.

19. Add a pinch of cornstarch to the eggs to make a fluffier omelet.

20. Try thawing frozen fish in milk. The milk takes away the frozen taste.

21. You can get more juice out of a lime or lemon if you roll it on the counter using a slight pressure before you juice it.

22. If you burn the inside of a pan, fill it halfway with water and stir in 1/4 cup of baking soda, bring the mixture to a boil and let it boil until the burned on substance loosens and floats to the top.

23. Put a towel in the bottom of the sink before you wash delicate china or glassware.

24. Try rubbing fine china that has become stained with a wet cloth that has been dipped in baking soda.

25. If fruit pies run over and make a mess on the oven floor, sprinkle salt on the spills and they will burn to a crisp that can easily be removed.

26. If your microwave oven becomes stained with cooked on food, try boiling a cup of water in it and then wipe it down with a soft cloth.

27. Use round dishes to eliminate over cooked corners when using a microwave oven.

28. To tell if a cup or mug is microwave safe, put it in the oven along with a cup you know is safe that has been filled with water. The questionable cup should remain cool if it is microwave safe.

29. When cooking a meatloaf in the microwave oven, form it into a ring and it will cook more evenly.

30. If you have left over pudding or custard, heat it in the microwave and use it as frosting.

31. For a children's party, try baking cup cakes in flat bottomed ice cream cones.

32. If you are out of powdered sugar, you can process refined sugar in the blender to use in frosting recipes.

33. If you want a less sugar frosting - thin low fat cream cheese with milk and spread it as you would frosting.