Cooking Tips

Baked Potatoes: Rubbing the outside of the potatoes with oil before baking will help them absorb more heat and allows the potatoes to cook faster. It also makes the skins crisp and nicely brown.

Baking Powder: To test the freshness of your baking powder, mix 1 teaspoon of the baking powder with 1/3 cup hot water; if the mixture does not foam, the powder is stale and should not be used.

White Cauliflower: To keep cauliflower white while cooking, add a little milk to the water.

Cheesecakes:  Cheesecakes tend to get over-baked because, while they may look underdone, they are actually done when the center is still wobbly. At this stage, residual heat will "carry over" and the center will continue to cook. After the cake has baked, leave the door of the oven closed, turn off the heat and let the cheesecake cool for at least an hour. This helps prevent the cheesecake from sinking in the center. After chilling, the once-wiggly center should firm up just fine. 

Cheesecakes Without Cracks or Sinking in the Middle: Cheesecake is really a custard at heart. It's delicate, so you want to bake it slowly and evenly without browning the top. The most effective way to do this is to bake it in a water bath. Since water evaporates at the boiling point, the water bath will never get hotter than 212 degrees F (100 degrees C), no matter what the oven temperature. This means that the outer edge of your cheesecake won't bake faster than the center, which can cause it to soufflé, sink, or crack.

Chocolate Curls: Use a wooden pick to place chocolate curls on top of a pie or cake; warm fingers can melt or crush the curls.

Crispy French Fries: Let raw potatoes stand in cold water for at least 30 minutes before frying in order to improve the crispness. Dry the potatoes thoroughly before adding to the hot oil.

Cooling the Breads: All breads should be taken from the pans while they are still hot and cooled on a wire rack. While still hot, brush the breads lightly with butter to keep the crust from cracking.

Whipping Cream With Stiff Peaks: To guarantee those beautiful stiff peaks, make sure the whipping cream, mixing bowl, and beaters are well chilled before beating the cream.

Cleaning Out the Mayonnaise Jar: A good way to clean out your mayonnaise jar is to be prepared to make coleslaw. When the jar is getting close to empty, add a bit of sugar, vinegar and milk to the jar. Seal the lid and shake vigorously. You can then pour it over the ingredients for your slaw and mix. The jar is now ready to toss away, there's no messy spatula and no mixing cup to wash.

Cutout Cookies: When making cutout cookies, roll the dough in powdered sugar instead of flour. That way, the cookies don't get a floury taste.

Muffin Tins: If you do not have enough batter to fill every muffin cup, fill the empty cups halfway with water to prevent the pan from warping.

Muffin Batter: Do not over mix the muffin batter. This can cause tunnels in the muffins; mix just until the dry ingredients are moistened.

Leftover muffins: If you have muffins leftover from breakfast, lightly toast them and crumble them to create a tasty topping for a fresh fruit salad.

Refrigerated Piecrusts: When using refrigerated piecrusts, fold crusts in half before placing it in the pie plate. Bring a small amount of excess crust over the outside rim of the pie plate to lock the crust in place while it bakes. The excess crust can be chipped away with a knife blade after baking. If your piecrust tears before baking, dampen the torn edges and gently press together with your fingers.

Using Fresh Berries: If you're going to use fresh berries or fruit to decorate the top of a pie or cake, drain them on paper towels before placing them on the pie or cake. This prevents excess liquid and discoloration of your pie or cake.

Perfect Boiled Eggs: Good boiled eggs starts with quality fresh eggs. You can keep them in the refrigerator for up to a week, but any longer than that and they will lose their freshness. Take the eggs out of the refrigerator and let them come to room temperature. Place the eggs in a large saucepan and add enough cold water to cover them about 3 or 4 inches above the eggs. Bring the water to a rapid boil and immediately remove from heat. Cover and let the eggs stand in the hot water for 10 to 12 minutes.  Transfer the eggs to an ice-water bath to stop the cooking process, which can lead to discoloration. Start peeling the eggs under cool tap water. The eggs should slip right out of their shells and the yolks should slip out of the whites easily, too. To cut the peeled eggs cleanly, use a sharp paring knife, wetting the blade with water between cuts.

Substituting for Wine: If your recipe calls for wine, you can substitute with white grape juice, purple grape juice, apple juice, cranberry juice, or broth. You won't notice that much change in the taste of the recipe.

Cooking Pasta: Before cooking pasta, rub the sides of the pot with a little vegetable oil. This will prevent the water from boiling over in the pot.

Gumdrop Decorations: Give your cakes, cupcakes, or cookies that special look by garnishing them with gumdrop cutouts. To do so, roll out a large gumdrop on a sugared surface. Then, cut out fancy shapes using small cookie cutters.

Making Zest: When you see zest specified in a recipe, it is asking you to include tiny filaments of the peel, as opposed to larger strips. Scrape off the zest without digging into the pith. Make sure you avoid the pith, it is bitter. It is better to have no zest in your recipe than zest and pith!