Cooking and Baking Tips

1. When a cake recipe calls for flouring the baking pan, use a bit of the dry cake mix instead and there won't be any white mess on the outside of the cake.

Freeze Overripe Bananas!
Got overripe bananas? They're PERFECT for banana breads and muffins! Don't throw them away - mash them up and store in baggies in the freezer, in one cup portions. Then, when you want to bake with perfectly ripe bananas, you're all set! (Christina's note - add a shake or two of lemon juice when you mash the bananas to keep them from going too brown.)

Make Bananas ripen more quickly!
If your bananas aren't ripe, try adding an apple and a bunch of bananas to a brown paper bag and sealing for a couple of days. The apple will help ripen the bananas.

1. This is one of my favorite tips. When your celery is starting to look a bit droopy, simply cut off the root end, and stand all of the stalks together in a large glass or mug of water, and store in the fridge. After about a day, you'll be shocked! Your celery will have absorbed some of the water and will be delicious and crunchy again.

2. Wrap celery in aluminum foil when putting in the refrigerator and it will keep for weeks.

1. Make sure that your cornstarch is fresh. Test by combining a tablespoon of vinegar and corn starch together, if it bubbles, it is still fresh.

1. To prevent egg shells from cracking, add a pinch of salt to the water before hard-boiling. ( A splash of white vinegar also works.)
2. Using a sewing needle, poke a tiny hole in the egg before hard boiling them. They'll peel with ease!

1. To keep bugs out of flour type products; flour, cornmeal, etc.. add a bay leaf to each canister.

PEELING GARLIC
1. Easily peel garlic by using the bottom of a heavy pan or pot to 'smash' the garlic. The peel will easily come off, and you can go ahead and chop the garlic up more easily too.

LETTUCE Tips

"The best success I've ever had keeping lettuce is using an styrofoam tortilla keeper. The kind used to keep your tortillas warm at the table. You can usually buy them here in the Southwest for a dollar or two in the grocery store. They are round and squat, fairly thick and have a fitted lid. I have one I use for lettuce only. When I bring the lettuce home, I break it up salad size, rinse it and spin it mostly dry. Place a paper towel in the bottom of the tortilla keeper to catch (and hold ???) drips. Put in lettuce, loosely, secure lid tightly, and put on bottom shelf of frig. I am still amazed at how long it stays fresh. If I have too much to fit, I put the excess in a zip bag and try to use it in a day or two." Submitted by Mary.

When measuring honey, molasses, or syrup, oil the measuring spoon or cup first so the honey will come off easily.

Pie Crusts - Easier Rolling

When getting ready to roll out dough, wipe table with a damp cloth, lay 2 overlapping sheets of waxed paper down. Flour paper and you're ready to roll dough. The dampness holds the wax paper in place so it doesn't slip and you can throw away the mess when you are done. Saves cleanup work.

1. To keep potatoes from budding, place an apple in the bag with the potatoes.

2. Make your potatoes last longer and keep them from sprouting by hanging them in your darkened pantry using your recycled, clean pantyhose. Place knots between each potato, and just hang them from the ceiling. This works well for onions as well as other root crops.

"We had a progressive dinner, the main meal was chili. Each guest brought enough chili--either canned or homemade-- for themselves. We put it in a huge pot and everyone agrees it was the best we had ever eaten. We had 27 people so the variety was wonderful, canned regular and chicken and homemade recipes made up the pot full It was delicious. This would be good for a potluck"

1. Tofu is used in stir-fries, soups, and salads. In the Orient, fermented (or even pickled) tofu is a delicacy.

2. Always keep tofu refrigerated. A variety of styles are available in the fresh vegetable section of most large supermarkets.

3. "There are lots of ways of using tofu. Using the soft ones you can add it to soups like chicken noodle soup, Japanese vegetable soup with seaweed. You can also steam it with soy sauce and a little sugar, usually about 15 minutes should do. Try mashing up it up, adding a bit of water chestnuts chopped and minced pork or chicken. Add enough egg to glue the mixture together and deep fry it. For the firmer types of tofu, you can also fry it until golden brown on the outside and dip it in tomato ketchup or if you have an Asian grocery sauce - dark sweet bean sauce - delicious!" Submitted by Esther