If you are making a fruitcake, roll the dates,
figs, etc. in flour so they will cut more easily,
then cut them with a scissors instead of a knife.
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 keep fruits from discoloring after they
are peeled, cut the pieces into a bowl of salted
water (about 1 tablespoon to a quart of water).
This works well with apples, peaches, pears,
avocados and other produce.
Any fruit that has a tight thin skin over
a juicy interior, such as peaches, pears, apricots
or tomatoes, can be easily peeled if they are
blanched in boiling water for about 30 seconds.
Prevent fresh fruit from getting crushed
in your grocery bags. Simply blow air into the
plastic bag containing the fruit and tie it
so that the air cannot escape. When the fruit
is packed in the paper bag, the air in the bag
acts as a cushion for the fruit on its ride
home.
Prevent fruit from turning brown by dissolving
two crushed vitamin C tables in a bowl of cool
water before adding fruit.
Toss fresh fruit with lemon juice, and it
will not darken. The juice of half a lemon is
enough for a quart or two of cut fruits.
Ripen quickly by placing them in a brown
paper bag with a ripe apple. Set in a cool,
shady spot and make sure there are a few holes
in the bag. The ripe apples gives off a gas,
ethylene, which stimulates the other fruit to
ripen.
Shake raisins and other dried fruits with
flour before adding them to dough or puddings
so the fruits won't sink to the bottom during
baking.
Apples
Instead of throwing away the peels, sauté them
in butter, then spice them with sugar and cinnamon.
When making caramel apples, stick them into
a piece of Styrofoam after dipping. They dry
without sticking and store nicely in the refrigerator.
To keep the skins of baked apples intact,
make slits around the apple in several locations
with a sharp knife. As soon as the liquid produced
by cooking has an easy way to escape, it will
not burst its way out elsewhere.
To keep a cut apple from browning, apply
bottled lemon juice over the cut surface then
wrap the partial apple tightly in plastic wrap.
To keep apple pieces or slices from browning,
cut them into a bowl containing either lightly
salted water or some lemon juice mixed with
water.
Avocado
To speed the ripening process, put the 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.
As soon as you cut an avocado, pour bottled
lemon juice on any portion you don't plan to
use, leave the seed in the unused portion, wrap
tightly with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator.
It will keep without darkening for at least
a few days.
Bananas
Use overripe bananas to make delicious banana
bread.
Slice bananas with a pastry blender. It makes
the task faster, and all the slices are neat
and uniform.
Slice bananas and add to egg whites and beat
until stiff for a wonderful substitute for whipped
cream.
If you have an abundance of ripe bananas,
put them in a blender with a little lemon juice.
Make a purée to freeze and use later for banana
bread or topping.
Bananas may be stored in the refrigerator.
The cold will turn the skin brown but will not
damage the fruit inside. This will also slow
down ripening. This is the only way you can
keep them for any length of time.
Dip bananas in lemon juice right after they
are peeled. They will not turn dark and the
faint flavor of lemon really adds quite a bit.
Ripen bananas fast at room temperature in
a paper bag.
If bananas have darkened, peel and beat slightly.
Put into a plastic container and freeze until
it's time to bake bread or cake.
Berries
Store berries in the refrigerator without washing
them. Wash and hull just before serving.
Citrus Fruit
Do not discard rinds of grapefruit, lemons,
oranges and limes. Grate rinds and put into
a tightly-covered jar and store in the refrigerator.
Grated rinds make excellent flavoring for cakes,
frostings and such.
Create beautiful "rose" garnishes from orange
and grapefruit peels. Start at the top of the
fruit and cut a continuous 1-inch wide strip
of peel around the fruit with a sharp paring
knife. Roll peel tightly, skin side out, to
form a "rose." Hold the "rose" together by pushing
a wooden pick through it. These can be made
ahead of time, wrapped and stored in the refrigerator
or freezer.
Coconut
To prepare a fresh coconut, puncture the "eyes"
with an ice pick of clean screwdriver and drain
out the coconut milk. Put the entire coconut
in a shallow pan and bake for about 1 hour at
350ºF. When it is cool enough to handle, hit
it hard with a hammer, and the shell will part.
The meat can then be pulled out in chunks with
a table knife. Peel off the brown skin. Shred
coconut, put chunks of coconut with a little
coconut milk into a blender or food processor.
Store shredded coconut in the refrigerator.
Cranberries
Freeze them before grinding or chopping. There
will be less mess.
Dried Fruit
Dates and other sticky dried fruit will cut
or chop easily if put in the freezer for 1 to
2 hours.
When cutting dates and other sticky dried
fruits, dip knife or scissors into hot water
now and then.
Grapefruit
A pinch of salt makes a sour grapefruit taste
sweeter.
Kiwi Fruit
Do not add kiwi fruit to gelatin molds. They
contain an enzyme that stops gelatin from setting.
Use them, however, to garnish molds just before
serving.
Lemons
To get the most juice out of a lemon, soften
it first by pressing and rolling it on a countertop.
When buying lemons look for the smoothest
skin and smallest points on the ends. These
will have better flavor and more juice.
Don't cut open a whole lemon for just a little
juice. Insert the tines of a fork or a skewer
through the skin and squeeze out the amount
needed. Then wrap the lemon in plastic wrap
and refrigerate until you need it next. It'll
stay fresh for one to two weeks.
Wrap a small piece of cheesecloth around
the cut end of a lemon before you squeeze. You
won't have to search for seeds later.
An elegant way to serve fresh lemon with
fish is to wrap each lemon half in a small square
of cheesecloth, then tie with string, with a
sprig of fresh herb or parsley for a pretty
look. This controls the "squirt" and traps the
seeds.
Submerging a lemon in hot water for 15 minutes
before squeezing will yield almost twice the
amount of juice.
Store whole lemons in a tightly-sealed jar
of water in the refrigerator. They will yield
much more juice than when first purchased.
Remove the zest from a lemon and store it
in a jar containing about a half cup of vodka.
The zest will not spoil and will be available
for use whenever you need a little bit, and
the vodka will pick up a lemon flavor (use it
in dessert sauces or in seafood dishes).
To keep them for a considerable length of
time, coat them lightly with paraffin, using
a small brush. When you want to remove the paraffin,
heat slightly, and it will roll off.
Limes
Store, wrapped in tissue paper, on lower shelf
of the refrigerator.
Olives
Extend the refrigerator storage time of an opened
can of olives by pouring olives into a glass
jar, then filling the jar with vegetable oil
and covering the jar. The oil will preserve
the olives and it can be used for cooking when
the olives are gone.
You can also extend the refrigerator storage
time of an opened can of olives by leaving them
in their brine, then adding a layer of oil on
top.
Oranges
Put them in a hot oven before peeling them,
and no white fibers will be left on them.
Oranges can be peeled more easily if blanched
in boiling water for about 5 minutes. Cool,
then the peel slips right off.
Thin-skinned oranges are better for juice,
while thick-skinned oranges are better for eating
in sections.
Orange will yield more juice if you first
press and roll them on the countertop.
You can get orange sections without white
membrane clinging to them if you cover the unpeeled
orange with boiling water, let stand 5 minutes,
then peel.
Peaches
Peaches will ripen quicker if you place them
in a box covered with newspaper.
Peach skins can be removed smoothly with
a potato peeler.
Pears
To ripen pears faster, put an apple in the same
bag.
To ripen pears, refrigerate them for several
hours. Then remove them from the refrigerator
and place on your countertop where they will
ripen evenly at room temperature. If you wish,
chill again before serving.
Pineapple
If you want to include pineapple in a gelatin
dish, use canned or parboil fresh pineapple
for 5 minutes. Fresh pineapple contains an enzyme
that prevents the gelatin from setting.
If you buy a pineapple that isn't quite ripe,
peel, slice and place in a pot. Cover the fruit
with water and add sugar to taste. Boil a few
minutes, cool and refrigerate. It will be fresh
tasting and crunchy.
Wash fresh pineapple thoroughly before paring.
Cover parings with water and cook until soft.
Use strained juice for making jelly.
Rhubarb
Cook fresh rhubarb for sauce with just whatever
water adheres to the stalks after washing —
don't add any more water. Add sugar to taste.
Strawberries
Never hull them until they have been washed
or they will absorb too much water and become
mushy.
They will stay red if you add two tablespoons
of vinegar to each quart of berries when canning
or freezing.
They will stay firm for several days if you
store them in a colander in the refrigerator,
which allows the cold air to circulate between
them.
Tomatoes
To peel tomatoes easily, drop the whole tomato
into a deep pot of boiling water for about 20
seconds. Remove and run under cold water. The
skin should now slip off quite easily.
Place unripened tomatoes with other fruit,
especially pears, to speed up ripening.
Freeze tomatoes that are getting too ripe.
They will get mush, but that won't affect the
taste of soups or stews.
To ripen tomatoes, add a whole lime to unripened
tomatoes in a paper bag and store at room temperature
for a few days. Limes are an excellent source
of the ripening agent ethylene oxide.
Store tomatoes with stems pointed downward
and they will retain their freshness longer.
Sunlight doesn't ripen tomatoes. It's the
warmth that ripens them. So find a warm spot
near the stove or dishwasher where they can
get a little heat.
To ripen green tomatoes, place them in a
brown paper bag and put the bag in a dark cupboard.
You will have red tomatoes in a few days.
Save the juice from canned tomatoes in ice
cube trays. When frozen, store in plastic bags
in freezer for cooking use or for tomato drinks.
