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 Posted: Sun Aug 01, 2004 2:37 am
Casserole Topping Ideas
Here are several casserole topping ideas and garnishes.
Add any of these before or during cooking.
French fried onions
crushed potato chips
bread crumbs
crumbled bacon
grated or shredded cheese (add near end of cooking)
cracker crumbs
buttered herbed bread crumbs
chopped pecans or other chopped nuts
Casserole Garnishes
tomato wedges, slices
shredded lettuce
pimiento-stuffed olives
fresh parsley or herbs
sliced hard-cooked eggs
sliced green onions
shredded cheese
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Posted: Sun Aug 01, 2004 2:46 am
Crockpot Tips
Here are some basic tips and hints for your trusty pot o' the crock...both the novice and the crockpot veteran will find them helpful.
Only fill the crockpot one half to three quarters full. The foods will not cook properly if the appliance is filled to the brim. If the food and liquid level is lower, the foods will cook too quickly.
Foods cooked on the bottom of the slow cooker cook faster and will be moister because they are immersed in the simmering liquid.
Remove skin from poultry, and trim excess fat from meats. Fats will melt with long cooking times, and will add an unpleasant texture to the finished dish. Fatty foods will also cook too quickly.
For food safety reasons, it's a good idea to cook on HIGH for the first hour to quickly bring the temperature up to 140 degrees. Then turn the dial to LOW and finish cooking.
The LOW setting is about 200 degrees and the HIGH setting is about 300 degree Note that both of these temps are well above the minimum safe temperature of 140 degrees.
Ground meats must be cooked in a skillet before cooking in the crockpot. Seafood should be added during the last hour of cooking time, or it will overcook and have a rubbery texture.
Large pieces of meat can be browned before cooking in the crockpot, but this step isn't necessary. Browning adds color and helps in flavor development.
Cayenne pepper and Tabasco sauce tend to become bitter if cooked for long periods of time. Use small amounts and add toward the end of the cooking time.
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Posted: Mon Aug 02, 2004 5:10 am
lol, always read the instructions carefully.
That way you don't put A huge amount of Salt in your Torte. gonk I don't know if its really a tip, but yeah... its something you should stick with. trust me, you did not want to taste that Torte..... sweatdrop
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Posted: Mon Aug 02, 2004 5:20 am
And heres an Boiling Tip you probably know, put a pinch of salt in your boiling water.
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Posted: Tue Aug 10, 2004 2:06 pm
If arecipe calls for egg whites, don't toss the yolks. Cook them and use them tossed up in salads. After seperating the eggs, slide the yolks into a bowl of cold water to keep them moist. In a small saucepan, bring additional water to a simmer and ease the yolks into the water. Gently simmer until firm, about 5 minutes. Remove from pan and store in the refridgerator.
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Posted: Thu Nov 18, 2004 5:42 am
When cracking eggs, don't hit them on the edge of a bowl; it only gets shell fragments in the whites. Tap them on the surface of the counter then use your thumbs to pry the shell apart. You won't have to pick all the bits of shell out of your bowl.
Also, for onion or garlic smell on your hands, if you have a chrome faucet, rub your hands over it. Something about the chrome will counteract the smell.
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Posted: Sat Nov 20, 2004 5:05 pm
Another tip to help stop onions from making your eyes tear (I have a TERRIBLE time with them ):
Don't use the part of the onion closest to the root. That's where the majority of the fumes come from that hurt your eyes. I usually use just over half of the onion and toss the rest. Thank god for Alton Brown for telling us things like this. heart
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Posted: Tue Feb 22, 2005 12:27 pm
Hippodamia When cracking eggs, don't hit them on the edge of a bowl; it only gets shell fragments in the whites. Tap them on the surface of the counter then use your thumbs to pry the shell apart. You won't have to pick all the bits of shell out of your bowl. Quote: Or with practice, you can even learn to pull the two halves apart with one hand. Take the egg, cracked of course, and place your thumb on one end of the crack and your palm, near the pinky finger, on the other. Then sqeeze/pinch lightly whilst pulling the halves away from each other. It can take some pratice, but is very fast.
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Posted: Wed Jun 01, 2005 8:51 am
note: i dunno who is stupid enough to do this, but we( my family) did, and it made a big mess
Do not put chestnuts with shells on, into a microwave... or explosions will occur!
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Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2005 10:04 am
My ecology teacher says that you should use a timer whenever baking. This is because people like him and most likely me would get distracted by other things while baking and forget about the food in the oven until we smelt something burning. ;D
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Posted: Sat Jun 04, 2005 10:51 am
when cooking green beans in a soup, do not leave them heated for so long, it turns into a yucky dark green paste!
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Posted: Sat Jul 02, 2005 12:10 am
When cooking vegetables that taste best crisp and are easily overcooked, particularly asparagus, have a bowl of icewater ready and dump them in when they're done. It stops them cooking right away, meaning you can prepare them much earlier or in bulk without ruining the crisp, delicate flavor.
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Posted: Sat Jul 02, 2005 12:15 am
When making a cookie dough that requires you to refrigerate for a while to roll it out properly, you can skip that step entirely. Roll the dough into cookie sized balls and place on cookie sheet. Take a flat bottomed glass, covered in any non-stick substance, and press down to flatten them. Particularly useful with certain oatmeal cookie recipes. Can add sugar to the bottom of the glass to add a glazing effects to the cookies and make them slightly sweeter.
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Posted: Wed Nov 23, 2005 12:38 pm
Sear meat before you cook it. It seals in flavor.
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