How To Save Time in the Kitchen
Fry bacon ahead of time. Drain, then wrap
in wax paper. Freeze slices in a plastic bag
or other freezer container. When needed for
recipes, just remove what you need, and heat
briefly in a skillet or in the microwave.
Meatloaf will bake faster if shaped into individual-size
loaves or baked in cupcake tins.
There's no law that says biscuits have to be
round. Roll the dough into a rectangle and cut
out square shapes so you don't have to keep
re-rolling it.
Whip up fresh-brewed iced tea quickly by putting
one large tea bag into your automatic coffee
maker. Pour in some water, let perk, and it's
done.
To soften ice cold or frozen butter quickly,
grate it coarse and leave it briefly at room
temperature. It will be just right for creaming
in just a few minutes.
De-vein shrimp fast with a crochet hook.
Soften hard ice cream by microwaving at 30%
power. One pint will take 15 to 30 seconds;
one quart, 30 to 45 seconds; and one-half gallon
45 seconds to one minute.
Thaw whipped topping in the microwave. A 4 1/2
ounce container will thaw in 1 minute on the
defrost setting. It should be slightly firm
in the center but it will blend well when stirred.
Do not over-thaw or you will have a melted mess!
To "age" candied fruit fast for baking fruit
cakes, muffins, cookies, breads, etc., microwave
1/4 cup brandy or any liqueur in a 1-quart bowl
on HIGH for 30 seconds. Stir in 1 cup candied
fruit or raisins and heat on HIGH for 2 minutes.
Let stand for 10 minutes or until all liquid
is absorbed.
To speed the ripening process, put avocados
in a brown paper bag and leave them at room
temperature for a day or two. When ripe, store
in the refrigerator to keep from ripening further.
Peaches will ripen quicker if you place them
in a box covered with newspaper.
To ripen pears faster, put an apple in the same
bag.
To quickly crack open a large amount of nuts,
put them in a bag and gently hammer until they
are cracked open, then remove nutmeats with
a pick.
To quickly thicken gelatin, pour liquid gelatin
into a metal pan; place in freezer for 15 minutes.
Onions and garlic don't need to be peeled when
adding to a stockpot if you're going to strain
the stock and discard them later. Just wash
them and cut them up.
To make mashed potatoes fast, cut raw potatoes
with a French fry cutter. They'll cook in just
a few minutes.
Hurry up baked potatoes by boiling in salted
water for 10 minutes, then place in a very hot
oven.
*********
Article written by Linda Roth and contributed
to Recipe Goldmine.
