Gort's kitchen - "Handy Hints & Cooking Tips"

[StevieJS]

This thread is for SWS members to post their "tricks of the trade", "handy hints", and other general cooking tips

[StevieJS]

When using fresh asparagus, you need to get rid of the "woody Bit".

The easiest way to do this, is to hold the asparagus spear at either end.

Simply bend down the spear into a "Horse shoe", and it will snap. where it snaps - You keep the good part with the head and throw out the other piece.

Simple !!

[StevieJS]

When roasting a chicken in the oven, many people make the mistake of cooking the bird with the breast sides "UP"

ALWAYS cook the chicken for the first 45 minutes with the breast side down. The reason for this is the moisest part of the bird is underneath I.E. where the thigh meat is.

What you don't want to happen is for the breast meat over drying, while the underside is left undercooked.

After the initial 45 minutes, turn the chicken over and finish baking with the breast side "UP"

[shebully]

after cutting onion, your hands and the knife tend to hold the smell. when you have finished cutting the onion run your hands and fingers over the knife under running water be sure to have the blade away from you so you dont cut yourself. it really does work

[StevieJS]

Here's a tip if you are preparing chillies (cutting, slicing them etc).
Rub a little olive or sunflower oil on your fingers before you begin - Protects the fingers from burning

[Dreemer43081]

When cooking with wine, never never never drink more than the recipe calls for...... it never turns out right!

[Dreemer43081]

once a week I chop 2-3 full heads of garlic and keep it stored in a container to use for the week or sometimes for 2 weeks, I do the same with parsley and onions, and scallions... This way it saves time on all my cooking cause I dont have to take time to chop stuff!

[Nynus]

When cooking with wine, never never never drink more than the recipe calls for...... it never turns out right!

I have that problem when I make my Cajun BBQ shrimp......

I always mix up my butter ingredients the night before and create a compound butter that I can just throw into the pot when I'm ready the next day. Instead of seafood stock I like to use half sake and half chicken stock. That leaves me about 2/3 to 3/4 a bottle of sake. I sometimes end up polishing that off while I'm chopping up the herbs for the recipe. Since I'm usually using a food processor, I don't have to worry about lopping off a finger. Always remember -- "Safety First"

[voodoo1215]

Cast Iron Maintenance

Cast Iron, in my opinion are the best pans...
To maintain your Cast Iron.. NEVER wash in soapy water...
Simply heat them on the stove, add water.. turn up the heat, boil and scrape..then dry the pan, reheat and coat with olive oil.. wipe the excess oil off and the pan should be clean and shiny black.
by doing this, you can also make the cast iron virtually nonstick.

Do you have old rusty cast iron pans that were given to you by your mom, grandma, or purchased at a garage sale? wash these the same way, then coat them entirely in olive oil and bake them until they are black.. recoat the inside of the pans after every use.

[StevieJS]

Calorie conscious tip:

I usually don't like anything diet, but I found a salad dressing that is wonderful. It is by Wishbone and it comes in a spray bottle. I get the balsalmic dressing and it is 1 calorie per squirt. It is wonderful and I use it all the time now, as i am losing weight.

This tip kindly proved by girlygirlxx (Paulette)