Angela, I have no idea how I have survived that long either! I have learned so many things here that it's hard to say. But the thing that has stuck with me the most came from the man who sold me the Health Craft waterless cookware. He told me that if the food was still stuck to the pan, it wasn't ready to be turned. It would release on it's own when it was time. It works!

Tami who finally managed to make scrambled eggs in a stainless steel skillet after years of trying!

Angelaid, you would have learned both of those things if you had watch the Frugal Gourmet back in the 1980s.

Here I've learned to add vodka to almost everything from pie dough to pancake batter to marinara sauce to preserved limes, vanilla beans, etc. I now buy it by the gallon.

Lars

I have learned much about cornbread here on the CF. :)

/tricia

I knew I liked you for a reason, Lars! Lol to the vodka!!

I learned that cooking with booze meant putting some in the food too.

Without specific examples a lot of things I've learned are debunking myths about various things. The internet causes a lot of problems but solves a lot of them too. I enjoy it. Seems like I'm learning something new almost every day.

"Here I've learned to add vodka to almost everything from pie dough to pancake batter to marinara sauce to preserved limes, vanilla beans, etc. I now buy it by the gallon."

Lars

Yeah. Uh huh. THAT'S the reason you buy it by the gallon. I got it.

May, where have you been? Nice to see you posting again. Welcome back.

~Ann

Thanks Ann! I usually read & post at work and have been so busy lately I just don't have as much time as I used to. I do try to play catch up every now and then and read older posts so at least I have some idea of what's going on. :)

I just couldn't resist replying to this one though! LOL

See I just learned that! I did not know I could use Vodka for pancakes :).

If you add a teaspoon or two of Vodka to pancake batter, the pancakes will be very light and fluffy. I add Vodka to the batter I use for French toast, but my recipe uses flour - the Vodka reacts with the flour.

Lars

According to CI vodka stops gluten formation, so that's why the pankakes would be lighter.

I had heard about putting vodka in pie crust, but never heard of putting it in pancake batter - will have to try that. When I buy vodka, I always buy a fairly expensive brand for drinking, but would not want to use it for cooking. What kind of vodka do you purchase to use for cooking?

One thing I learned recently and have tried and it definitely works: When cooking pasta, all you have to do is add the pasta to boiling water, then when the water returns to a boil, remove the pan from the heat and just let the pasta stay in the water for however long the directions say to cook the pasta. I didn't believe it would work - that is why I tried it and got a real shock when it did work. Will save a lot of watching the pot so that it doesn't boil over.

I buy Vodka at CVS and buy the generic brand at about $10 for the largest bottle. I don't drink that much of it and make weak drinks, and so I cannot tell the difference between that and an expensive brand. For a real drink, I buy Bombay Gin, which I will have once or twice a week. I have also bought Polish potato vodka at Trader Joe's, but it costs $10 for a fifth, which is the same price as the CVS large bottle.

Lars

I find a LOT of popular vodka has an unpleasant taste, Absolut being about the worst. I like the clean taste of cheap Svedka which I can drink straight from the bottle, but then I'm not a vodka snob. I save my booze money for good scotch.

Before the Internet, like maybe 100-50 years ago, women worked at home and gathered together socially to share info. We went to libraries, joined women's clubs, and sometimes just sat around the kitchen table over coffee.

Lars and Food, thanks for the info about the vodka. And Lar, Bombay Gin Blue Sapphire, is the only gin I will drink - it is so smooth. Food, I have never found a scotch that I truly like. What brand to you like?

What little tips and tricks have you learned (that it seems everyone knew, but you?

That flour and grains didn't last forever but some canned goods are edible past the use by date. Of course I'm continually learning or unlearning as the case may be.

I use vodka in pie crust but I make more pancakes that I do pies; I appreciated the tip. LindaC said we have to use Grey Goose so that's what I use; I don't drink it so I can't comment on the taste.

I purchased a bottle of Grey Goose vodka because everyone was talking about how good it was. What a disappointment! I had no idea that it was made from grapeseeds. To my palate it just had a horrible taste. And it is an expensive vodka which I would not use in pie crusts.

Here are some more tips I learned through the Internet.

Reuse the Parmesan cheese containers (the shaker type) to put flour in for when you need to coat stuff with flour. Very handy.

If you use non-stick frying pans, never use Pam type sprays on them. The propellent eats into the coatings and ruins them. Instead add a drop of oil and use a brush to spread it around.

When grating semi soft cheeses (like Colby) spritz the box grater or food processor blade with cooking spray. It helps to keep the grater from loading up cheese & makes clean-up easier.

When you make salad, store it in a glass bowl or 9 x 13 pan. The cold glass keeps your salad crisp and lasts 3 times longer. Cover tightly.

The secret to having mushrooms "brown" is not adding salt while cooking them. When you add salt the mushrooms give off water and don't brown, so hold off on adding salt until you finish the dish.

When cooking with dried spices, like thyme or rosemary, cumin or ginger, always add them to the fat first to release the oils; it makes a huge difference.

A tip I learned about grating semi-soft or soft cheeses is to put them in the freezer for 30-45 minutes before grating. I haven't tried it yet, but then I don't grate soft cheese that often. I've started buying Mozzarella in slices so that I do not have to grate it.

Lars