Welcome to Gaia! ::

I know people have little tricks up their sleeves. xp

When trying to remove the shell membrane of Almonds and Pistachios, boil them for two minutes, then squeeze them off.

To make onions not make you cry, keep them cold in the fridge for a small period of time.

Also, there's that way of cutting them I see on Food Network, but I'm bad at describing it.

Chewing gum? eek Hopefully not ABC gum.

Whoa gum, now that's something new. Heh, I just stick the onions in for like an hour before I start prepping my food.

Oh, another tip from making eggplant the other night.

Be sure to sweat eggplants before frying. Place them on a baking sheet, sprinkle with KOSHER salt, and let sit for an hour. The bitter juices are drawn out leaving the yummyness that is eggplant.

Also, to remove smelly odors from hand, especially seafood smells, rub hands with some citrus fruit.

Also filling deviled eggs, here's a shortcut. Pull all the filling ingredients in a resealable plastic bag. Then knead them together until mixed, cut off corner of the bag and squeeze the filling into the egg halves!

Tips For Using Garlic

Do not allow garlic to brown or burn. Burned garlic has an acrid flavor that permeates an entire dish of food. Whole pieces of garlic that have been mashed to release the flavor or thickly sliced garlic may be used in sautéing and will brown or burn less quickly than minced garlic. Pressing a clove with the broad side of a large knife until the skin splits can easily peel garlic. Then it can be pulled off. Garlic may also be blanched for 30 seconds, which loosens the skin, but there is some loss of flavor. Roasted garlic is delicious; very nutty and smooth tasting. To roast, simply put unpeeled heads of garlic in a roasting pan, sprinkle with olive oil and rosemary and roast at 350 degrees F for 30 to 40 minutes. Elephant garlic is delicious prepared this way. Garlic should be stored in a cool place with good ventilation. It does not keep well in the refrigerator. For subtle garlic flavor in salads, rub the salad bowl with a cut clove of garlic before putting in the salad greens. Putting the following in a blender or food processor can make garlic marinade or sauce for steak or hamburgers:

1/3-cup soy sauce
1-tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1-teaspoon ground ginger
1-teaspoon coarse grind black pepper
4 cloves of peeled garlic
1/2 cup of vegetable oil

Blend until pureed. Pour over meat and marinate for 4 to 6 hours in a covered bowl in the refrigerator. Save the marinade and bring to simmer. Add chopped fresh parsley and serve hot over the steak or hamburgers. Also wonderful over grilled vegetables. To make garlic vinegar, pour 1 quart of boiling white wine vinegar over 10 cloves of freshly peeled and sliced garlic in a glass container with a top. After the vinegar has cooled, store in refrigerator for 3 weeks. Remove garlic and add 3 tablespoons of whole black peppercorns. Bring to a simmer and pour into hot sterilized bottles. Cap, label, and store in the refrigerator. To remove the odor of garlic from your hands, rub a cut lemon on your hands. The lemon oil in the skin and juice of the lemon helps to remove the odor of garlic.

WHADDAYA MEAN BY NEW POTATOES?

If you can get a bag of mixed baby potatoes, do. They are more expensive per pound than other potatoes, but what a treat for a special occasion. One type is called gemstones, includes baby whites, golds, reds,
purples and fingerlings. Baby potatoes are the genuine 'new' potatoes, those which are harvested very young, before the sugar fully converts to
starch. Consequently, they are very thinned-skinned, somewhat sweeter,
and have a creamier texture than older potatoes. Because of their age
and size, they cook very quickly. This mixture is awesome because each
variety has a unique flavor.