I'm always excited to hear about a kitchen tip that saves me time and/or makes my life easier in the kitchen. Cook's Country Magazine has a lot of them. I thought I'd share a few that have worked for me......
1. THE BIG SQUEEZE- For an easy way to make perfect pancakes every time, fill a clean, wide-mouthed ketchup bottle with the batter. It's an easy and fun way to squeeze out baby-sized or plate-sized rounds of pancakes.
2. MAKESHIFT COOLER: When you have to transport ice cream or serve it outside, take the insert for your ice cream maker out of the freezer. Round containers of ice cream fit inside it perfectly. The insert keeps the ice cream frozen long enough to take to a friend's summer party.
3. NOT JUST FOR HONEY: Instead of throwing away empty honey containers (you know, the cute bears), wash them out and make your own salad dressings in the container. With a few shakes, the dressing is ready to go, and the spout keeps you from pouring too much at a time. It never spills, and can easily be transported when bringing a salad to a party.
4. COOL UNDER PRESSURE: Before rolling out your pie dough, freeze a large cookie sheet. Then flip the frozen cookie sheet over, place parchment paper down, and roll our the dough. The frozen sheet keeps the dough cold, so you don't have to refrigerate the crust for as long before baking.
5. PROTECT YOUR BOOKS: Cut a zipper-lock bag in half and drape it over the open pages of your cookbook. Then pin the sheet in place with two clothespins at the top. That way, the book stays open to where you need it, and you don't have to worry about ruining the pages with dripped or splashed food.
6. THREAD 'EM & FORGET 'EM: When grilling several dozen hot dogs in one afternoon (which is always the case at a family barbecue!), thread an entire package (8 hot dogs) onto two skewers (one through each end). You can flip all the hot dogs at once instead of fiddling around with each with your tongs. You can do the same thing to toast the buns.
What tips & tricks do you swear by??
1. THE BIG SQUEEZE- For an easy way to make perfect pancakes every time, fill a clean, wide-mouthed ketchup bottle with the batter. It's an easy and fun way to squeeze out baby-sized or plate-sized rounds of pancakes.
2. MAKESHIFT COOLER: When you have to transport ice cream or serve it outside, take the insert for your ice cream maker out of the freezer. Round containers of ice cream fit inside it perfectly. The insert keeps the ice cream frozen long enough to take to a friend's summer party.
3. NOT JUST FOR HONEY: Instead of throwing away empty honey containers (you know, the cute bears), wash them out and make your own salad dressings in the container. With a few shakes, the dressing is ready to go, and the spout keeps you from pouring too much at a time. It never spills, and can easily be transported when bringing a salad to a party.
4. COOL UNDER PRESSURE: Before rolling out your pie dough, freeze a large cookie sheet. Then flip the frozen cookie sheet over, place parchment paper down, and roll our the dough. The frozen sheet keeps the dough cold, so you don't have to refrigerate the crust for as long before baking.
5. PROTECT YOUR BOOKS: Cut a zipper-lock bag in half and drape it over the open pages of your cookbook. Then pin the sheet in place with two clothespins at the top. That way, the book stays open to where you need it, and you don't have to worry about ruining the pages with dripped or splashed food.
6. THREAD 'EM & FORGET 'EM: When grilling several dozen hot dogs in one afternoon (which is always the case at a family barbecue!), thread an entire package (8 hot dogs) onto two skewers (one through each end). You can flip all the hot dogs at once instead of fiddling around with each with your tongs. You can do the same thing to toast the buns.
What tips & tricks do you swear by??
Fun tips Dar...I'll have to try a few out!
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