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 Eggs:
- To determine whether an egg is fresh without breaking the
shell, immerse the egg ina pan of cool salted water. If it
sinks to the bottom, it is fresh.
- Fresh eggs are rough and chalky in appearance. old eggs are
smooth and shiny.
- To determine whether an egg is hard boiled, spin it. If it
spins round, it is hard boiled. If it wobbles and will not
spin, it is raw.
- Pierce the end of an egg with a pin, and it will not break
when placed in boiling water.
- A few drops of vinegar will keep poached eggs from running
all over the pan.
- Egg beat up fluffier when not too cold. They should be at
cool room temperature for best results.
- By adding vinegar towater, you can boil cracked eggs without
having the white run out of the shell.
- When eggs are stuck to the carton, just wet the box and the
eggs can be easily removed without cracking the shells. |
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- Beaten egg whites will be more stable if you add 1 teaspoon
cream of tartar to each cup of egg whites (7 or 8 eggs).
- A small funnel is handy for separating egg whites from
yolks. open the egg over the funnel and the white will reun
through and the yolk will remain. Or, use a tea strainer.
- For baking, it's best to use medium to large eggs. Extra
large eggs may cause cause cakes to fall when cooled.
- Brown and white shelled eggs are of the same quality.
- Egg shells can be removed easily from hot hard boiled eggs
if they are quickly rinsed in cold water first.
- To keep egg yolks fresh for several days, cover them with
cold water and store in the fridge.
- Egg whites can be kept frozen up to 1 year. Add them to a
plastic container as you "Collect them" for use in meringues
etc. 1 cup equals 7 or 8 eggs whites. you can also refreeze
defrosted egg whites.
- If short of one egg, or for fluffier omelettes, add a pinch
of cornstarch before beating.
- Fried eggs will not spatter grease if you sprinkle a little
flour into the hot fat. The eggs will brown nicely too.
- To keep aluminium pots from turning dark when boiling egg,
add a tablespoon of vinegar to cooking water.
Fish:
- Fried fish will leave less of an odour if you soak it first
in lemon juice for thirsty minutes and then fry.
- Thaw frozen fish in milk. this draes out the "fishy" taste
and adds that fresh-caught flavour. Or soak fish in vinegar
and water before cooking it for a sweet tender taste.
- To store fish, clean it and place it in a tray of water and
then freeze it.
- Unless you are planning to fry or curry your frozen fish, do
not bother defrosting. Bake as it is. Saves time.
- The fishy smell can be removed from your hands by washing
with vinegar and water or salt and water.
Cream:
-Before whipping, chill cream, bowl and beater well.
-Set bowl of cream into a bowl of ice while whipping.
-Add the white of an egg. Chill and then whip. If the cream
still does not stiffen, gradually whip in 3 or 4 drops of
lemon juice.
-Cream whipped ahead of time will not separate if you add a
touch of unflavored gelatine (¼ teaspoon per cup of cream).
-Use powdered sugar instead of granulated sugar. This gives
you a fluffier, longer-lasting topping.
Desserts:
Ice Cream - If it has been opened and returned to the freezer,
a waxlike film sometimes forms on the top. To prevent this,
after part of the ice cream has been removed press a piece of
waxed paper against the surface and reseal the carton.
Fats
and Oils:
- Eliminate fat from soup and stew by dropping ice cubes into
the pot. As you stir, the fat will cling to the cubes. Discard
the cubes before they melt. Or, wrap ice cubes ina iece of
cheesecloth or paper towel and skim over the top.
- Lettuce leaves absorb fat also. place a few into the pot and
watch the fat cling to them.
- Add 1 tablespoon of vinegar to the fat in which you are
going to deep-fry. It will keep the food from absorbing too
much fat and eliminate the greasy taste.
- When pan frying or sauteeing, always heat your pan before
adding the butter or oil. Not even eggs stick with this
method.
- Olive oil - you can lengthen the life of the oil by adding a
cube of sugar to the bottle.
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