Tips, hints and tricks to share with our members

[taxlady]

I might try that in my toaster oven. I wonder if I should try with the toast setting.

 

[Kathleen]

I may try that too.

After working at a theater and having to clean the Theater after a showing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show I cringe when I hear that name. The people watching the movie were disgusting animals.

Uhhh...um.....I guess you won't be doing the Time Warp Again, huh?

 

[BAPyessir6]

Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly. It’s a legendary book, great read. Bourdain also wrote one called A Cook’s Tour which is great too, and sort of like his television series in prose.

I remember reading that book. I wasn't too fond of it, though as I think I read it too young (like 10) and found it to be very sexual and gritty. Though it's probably far more true to the kitchen lifestyle than any FoodNetwork show. . Maybe if I gave it another go in my adult age I'd like it more.

Also don't ever put sour cream or yogurt into a blender if you want some semblance of thickness in your finished sauce. I don't know why but blender speed must pulverize the dairy and turn it into milk consistency. If you want that, then go for it, but if you want it to have sour cream thickness mix in the sour cream by hand.

 

[Silversage]

After working at a theater and having to clean the Theater after a showing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show I cringe when I hear that name. The people watching the movie were disgusting animals.

But the toast idea is genius!!

I guess they were throwing toast????

 

[msmofet]

I guess they were throwing toast????

All kinds of stuff, not just toast. It was disgusting.

 

[Jusa]

All kinds of stuff, not just toast. It was disgusting.

We took the kids to the zoo when they were younger and one time a monkey threw it's dung at the glass barrier. It was only funny because we were protected by the barrier and we weren't the ones who had to clean it up. I bet you felt a little bit like a zookeeper back then? What a bunch of nasty monkeys!

 

[msmofet]

I hated walking the house during the midnight shows. They were drunk and high animals. Never knew what I would get hit with. After the first time I insisted a male co-worker or a police officer walked the house with me.
Found LOTS of booze and weed when we cleaned the house. The floors and seats were a mess.

 

[Jusa]

There is a lot of advice out there about how to stop yourself crying when chopping onions (goggles anyone?)
The freezer tip works, for sure.
But in my opinion, the best way to prevent crying is to use the freshest onions you possibly can, and always sharpen your knife before going for it. Really does work well. Onions that are even a few weeks old will release more lachrymator compounds which is the enzyme that causes crying. A well sharpened knife will cause cleaner cuts and inhibit the release.
Putting onions in the freezer for a relatively short time (so they aren’t frozen solid) will also give the lachrymator less ability to release into the surrounding air when you cut. 🫠

I use goggles lol! Won't my ice taste funny if I put onion in my freezer? I drink a lot of ice water.

 

[taxlady]

I use goggles lol! Won't my ice taste funny if I put onion in my freezer? I drink a lot of ice water.

I doubt it will affect the taste of the ice, unless you put nekked, peeled onions directly on the ice. It's not meant to be in the freezer more than a short while. You aren't freezing them solid.

 

[Jusa]

I doubt it will affect the taste of the ice, unless you put nekked, peeled onions directly on the ice. It's not meant to be in the freezer more than a short while. You aren't freezing them solid.

Yeah there's no way to put anything on top of the ice maker. But I've noticed the ice has been off in flavor before. Onion is rather strong, so...

 

[taxlady]

Yeah there's no way to put anything on top of the ice maker. But I've noticed the ice has been off in flavor before. Onion is rather strong, so...

It's only going in there for about 10 minutes. Flap the door to exchange the air when you take the onion out. Or, put the onion in a plastic bag and seal it tightly.

 

[dragnlaw]

Yeah there's no way to put anything on top of the ice maker. But I've noticed the ice has been off in flavor before. Onion is rather strong, so...

Tie to change the filter in the water line. It can get really scuzzy, blech!

 

[dragnlaw]

As has been said -
using a sharp knife is important. Reason? it doesn't crush the onion while slicing.
Rinsing/wiping your knife periodically while slicing - Reason? removes/traps floating enzymes. Wiping down board of excess liquid also helps.
Fresh onion - in other words not soft. Reason? again being soft and not slicing cleanly crushes the cells thereby releasing more enzymes.

Unless you are doing 5 lbs of onions in one sitting I cannot see the bother of finding goggles, gloves, nose plugs, nor putting in the freezer (where I personally would probably forget it was there and fetch another one).
Peeling, slicing, dicing one onion for a cupful hardly takes more than 5 minutes.

 

[Linda0818]

I use these small bartenders boards in my tiny apartment kitchen.

View attachment 64556

It’s easy to take the board to the pot.

They are small enough to wash easily in the dishwasher or sink, only cost a couple dollars and are available in assorted colors if you want a separate one for prepping raw chicken, seafood, etc…

These are great boards and super handy. I have one and use it all the time for small jobs.

As for cutting and prepping raw meats, I use disposable cutting/chopping mats.

 

[Jusa]

Tie to change the filter in the water line. It can get really scuzzy, blech!

We change it regularly. I was making arancini balls and put my risotto rice in the freezer to cool. The ice had an odd flavor for a few days after.

 

[Jusa]

Unless you are doing 5 lbs of onions in one sitting I cannot see the bother of finding goggles, gloves, nose plugs, nor putting in the freezer (where I personally would probably forget it was there and fetch another one).
Peeling, slicing, dicing one onion for a cupful hardly takes more than 5 minutes.

I wear goggles when I cut jalapeños or other hot peppers too. I'm not cutting 5 lbs of onion, usually it's 1/2 an onion. I'll use the onion I have on hand. I'm not running to the store to buy another onion when the one I have is not rotten. My goggles are in the drawer near the cutting block. It's no hardship to slip them on for a minute.

 

[taxlady]

Every once in a while when I'm cooking, I take a coughing fit. It's usually because a drop of saliva went down my wind pipe. I used to have to stop and either walk away or cough down my shirt. Now, I grab one of those cloth masks we all got back at the beginning of the pandemic. I keep one handy in the kitchen, just for those coughing fits.

 

[GinnyPNW]

Got an email from King Arthur's about bread machines...the article suggested REMOVING the paddles after the second punch down! That never occurred to me, but I'm going to give it a try!

Source: King Arthur's bread machine article

 

[dragnlaw]

Trick of the day... NOT

Upon checking the time to see when to take out the dough for the final rise (I bake in my oven) and lo and behold - there's the paddle sitting on the table.
Everything came out OK as without the paddle nothing got mixed! LOL so I squiggled it down thru the flour and water, then just reset the starter.
Came out fine.

 

[Linda0818]

Trick of the day... NOT

Upon checking the time to see when to take out the dough for the final rise (I bake in my oven) and lo and behold - there's the paddle sitting on the table.
Everything came out OK as without the paddle nothing got mixed! LOL so I squiggled it down thru the flour and water, then just reset the starter.
Came out fine.

Oops.