If it helps, Plllog, I can't do the "corn trick" either. Cut off the bottom part, microwave and then just shake the corn out of the husk. Works on YouTube, works for dcarch, even works sometimes for Elery. Never, ever, ever works for me. (sigh)

Annie

Eggs- the peel comes off better if you steam them instead of boiling. If you don't have a steamer basket, bring to a boil the eggs just covered in water, when it starts boiling take off the heats stir once and cover the pot - set timer for 12 minutes, drain and run under cold water.

Peeling garlic cloves: Whack the individual clove sideways with a heavy knife. Whack hard. Loosens the peel. Then cut off the stem end. I learned that in chinese cooking class years ago.

Brown the flour you plan to use later for making gravy or thickening soups. Brown it dry, in a metal pan on the stove top (not non-stick). You have to watch it and stir pretty constantly. Once browning starts it goes fast. I brown it to the color of a paper bag. Let it cool and store in the freezer. I make up a cup's worth then I can just remove it a tablespoon at a time as needed.

I think I thought of this myself as I have never heard of it anywhere else. But it is much easier than trying to brown it in butter for a sauce. Plus suitable for thickening beef soups without an extra step.

Linnea, you should try my trick for peeling garlic - eliminates the need for whacking most of the time and is less messy. I made up this method on my own (see above).

I used to steam eggs instead of boiling, but I have gone back to boiling and now get better results. I boil them for 15 minutes and then leave them in the hot water without heat for 5 minutes more. Then I plunge them into ice water for five minutes. For me 12 minutes leaves them too moist inside - I like the yolks to be dry and not sticky. But then I hate poached eggs and fried eggs.

I'll try it, Lars. There's nothing messy about whacking it, though. I didn't mean whacking it hard enough to smash the clove though: I should have been more clear. I can tell by the sound if it's loose.

My latest trick for peeling garlic is to pass it off to my husband if he's home. I do that because I can't get the smell off my hands. I've tried all the usual tricks: lemon juice, rubbing my fingers against stainless steel under running water, etc. I can ever smell it on my hands a day later after countless washings. If I do something like eat an apple the same day it's even transferred to the apple. If anyone has a trick for that I'd love to hear it.

An easy way to peel a lot of cloves, e.g. when making chicken with 40 cloves of garlic; put the cloves into hot, hot water for 5 minutes or so. The skins slip right off.

linnea56: Try washing your hands in milk to get rid of the garlic smell.

linnea, try this. I use something similar but it comes in a smaller jar. Easy peasy.

And I love your idea of browning the flour. Genius!

Call me crazy. Always doing crazy things. I don't normally need a stepping stool in the kitchen.

I use my cellphone with a selfy stick ($20) to look into high shelves.

And I use a grabber ($10) to retrieve items on high selves.

dcarch

For items in my upper cabinet I use my longest tongs. Works great.

For things that I can almost reach, I use a long wooden spoon to nudge them to the front edge of the shelf where I can reach them....or, if the item is small and unbreakable, I'll flick it off the shelf with the spoon and catch it before it crashes.

Me too. Me too. I have things up near the 9' ceiling. When I don't feel like getting out the ladder, I use the broom handle. :) For things like casserole carriers and the pie safe. They don't break and I duck. :)

When I stuff a turkey, the first thing I do is line the cavity with a couple of layers of cheesecloth, then stuff. After the turkey is cooked, the stuffing pulls out the bird in the cheesecloth bag, quickly and cleanly. And none of the extra good stuffing gets lost in bird, stuck in the ribcage.

Like Jasdip I use a pair of really long bbq tongs, about 18” long. I like ci_lantro’s cheesecloth idea.

Use some leftover coffee grounds to remove garlic smell from your hands (or anything else for that matter) Rub with the used grounds, rinse and then wash as usual. The coffee smell doesn't really linger, but the garlic definitely goes away.

When I have sharp items that aren't recyclable, but need to go into trash, I wrap in regular or heavy duty foil, so the item doesn't poke through trash bag and cut someone. I do this with metal can lids that I first bend in half, but also use for many other items. With some things, I've used duct tape for the same result.

Ruthanna_gw, I brushed beaten egg white on bottom pie shell and it was effective at keeping bottom from getting soggy. And those pears were juicy.

Now I want a peach pitting spoon! I never knew such a thing existed & it seems perfectly useful. I use the scooped end of an old-school vegetable peeler, but it's not as pointy.

I've been racking my brain & finally came up w/ something I don't see above: for cooking chicken drumsticks - which I've been buying a lot of lately because they're so economical & nutritious - I learned some time ago to make several 1/4" deep crosswise slashes around them before seasoning & cooking. It helps the seasoning penetrate & makes the meat easier to get off the bone when eating.

I make pastry crusts in my Cuisinart, so cutting up butter is not any problem.

I've never done the egg white thing for fruit pies, just custard types. I usually sprinkle a Tbs. or so of quick tapioca over the bottom of fruit pies.

And I like to add a pinch of spice to my pastry crusts - which are usually pate brisee - nutmeg, cinnamon for sweet & black pepper for savory. & I usually make an olive oil pastry for savory pies.

I use a grapefruit spoon (or sometimes the grapefruit knife) the way ci_lantro does - to remove eyes from pineapple, core apple halves, pit peaches, etc.

"Olychick

I use a grapefruit spoon (or sometimes the grapefruit knife) the way ci_lantro does - to remove eyes from pineapple, core apple halves, pit peaches, etc."

It is such a shame the lazy way we cut pineapples. Very wasteful and we all know the best part of a pineapple is next to the skin.

Get a pineapple cutter so you can cut a pineapple like the Asians do.

dcarch

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/31XgWhBJFFL.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBxd6z-YkzE

I do that trick with a regular knife...takes twice as long but works the same.

When I clean a pineapple, I slice the skin off w/ my Chinese cleaver, top to bottom, working my way around the pineapple. Then I use the peach pitter to dig the eyes out individually. It's a bit of a hassle but so worth it when you have a really good pineapple. Don't have the courage to use a machete like those pros in the video!

For plllog - took about 30 sec including taking pictures. Not sure if up to your standards though. :)

To keep cheese or milk from curdling when adding it to recipes, turn off the heat first and cool it slightly. Boiling dairy separates the proteins into clumps.

Like Linda, I cut my pineapples the Asian way, but with a knife.

I used to cut pineapples like that with a knife, but got over it. I choose pineapples to be the right size for the corer cutter, and in three shakes it's done, with not much more waste than the lady in the video.

FOAS -- thanks! That's perfect! Mine look like Edward Scissorhands was trying to pick them each up.

A no brainer?--I thought so about this "tip" until a friend (who cooks) saw me doing it and remarked with awe -- When spraying oil onto cookware, hold it down in the sink while spraying so the sink catches the overspray.

Linnea56, on one of those PBS shows, I think it was Cooks Country or something like that, they were making a gumbo and started with browning the flour in the oven. No need to watch it like you'd have to do on the stovetop. It was browned to the color of a paper bag, same as you do for yours. It was touted as adding an extra and delicious dimension to the dish.

Smiles,

Sooz

When I’m making Hasselback potatoes, which require lots of thin slices nearly but not quite all the way to the bottom, I put the potato between two wooden spoon handles while I’m cutting it. This stops the knife slipping and going all the way down.

I’ll have to look up hasselback potatoes.

if you still use a manual can opener, a good way to clean it is to dip opener in warm water for a few minutes. Then run a folded towel or dish rag, as if you were opening a can. The cloth sinks into the mechanism and grabs whatever has gummed up and accumulated. Dishwasher heat sort of tends to bake the gunk; so towel trick is more effective. I also do it w/my electric opener after every use.

To make fresh pomegranate juice:

Use a two beater hand mixer at high speed to beat pomegranate seeds and filter. You will get all the juice fast.

dcarch

I keep a small pipe wrench in my kitchen drawer. It opens any jar, bottle of squeeze tube you may find....easier and faster than a jar opener or one of those rubber jar openers.
That bit with the dish cloth and the can opener is pure gold!

Yes it is! I took it a step further and soaked the towel with canola oil, and the surface rust on the gears (from the dishwasher) is all but gone.

Here is one that I use that is very practical.

It is so difficult to open big screwed on jar caps. Get two (very cheap) oil filter wrenches, turn the jar and cap in opposite directions.

You are welcome! :-)

dcarch

https://www.pegasusautoracing.com/images/L/BT-014900001.JPG

When opening stubborn jars for the first time, I take a juice can opener, insert the pointy end under the rim and release the seal. Works every time, and so easy.

Speaking of opening jars, I learned here a few years ago about opening vacuum sealed jars, with just a twist top, rather than a full on screw, by using an old fashioned church key can opener (the pointy kind of letting liquid out when there's no pull tab), upside down with the point under the rim of the lid, and and the rounded side against the jar for leverage--push the handle down lightly, pop, the pressure is released, and the jar is ready to open.

What I just learned now (by accident)--maybe a duh for some of you--is that my (accurate) stainless 1/4 c. scoop style measuring cup is the perfect size for standard cupcake papers. I've been using my big food scoop for the muffins, but it's not quite big enough.

LOL! Jasdip and I posted the same thing at the same time!

I find that banging the top edge of the jar lid on the countertop, turning the jar a few times so the edge gets knocked in a few different places, loosens it nicely.

Do not leave your microwave and oven doors open. The light bulbs are impossible to replace, if they burned out.

dcarch

We left m/w door partially open and bulb burned out. It cost $200 to get new bulb replaced. When we initially called we didn’t realize it was a burnt bulb thing. We thought it was a more serious problem, being a new m/w at that time. Technician had to practically dismantle the appliance to get to bulb. If it were to happen again, I’d live w/o light.

Same thing, Try not to use the flash on your camera if possible. The bulb can get burned out and it is very expensive to replace.

dcarch

I found that the plastic lid from a big round box of rolled oats fits perfectly on my big soup mugs. Nice if you want to try and keep it warm or if you just want to store something in the mugs. I have to buy rolled oats all the time to fix for my husband, so I am going to save some now. Also if you have a problem with strings in your sweet potatoes for your casserole or mashed, just put them in your food processor, no strings ever.

Sue

Just realized that something I do all the time which can be useful for others:

I have a big pot of very warm water next to me when I have to process a lot of cold meat, like a big pork butt/shoulder.

Your figures get very cold and numb and lost their dexterity, which can be dangerous when you are using a sharp knife.

I just dip my hand into the warm water for a few seconds once in awhile. Good for surgery again.

dcarh

I just figured out a trick today for thawing meat, and feel really stupid for not having thought of it before. Our refrigerator is set on the colder end of the range, so sometimes meat needs a bit more time in a cold water bath in the sink so that it is thawed completely in time to cook for dinner. (I'm not a fan of what the microwave does to meat when defrosting.) I double-bag the meat with freezer zip-locks to keep all water from seeping in. But I've long struggled to keep the bag of meat under the water (per food safety instructions), because even when as much air as possible has been squeezed out, it wants to bob to the surface. I have tried smooth rocks, and bowls of water with weight and water inside, but the meat more-often-than-not eventually manages to slip out from underneath the weights and wins the bob-battle.

But today I needed to add a bit of additional thaw to some ground sirloin, and I saw my pasta pot on the counter. Finally the light bulb went off! The pasta pot is a large one, with the big insert with holes that slips inside. So I placed the bagged meat in the bottom of the main pot, placed the insert inside with the rocks to weigh the insert down, and filled the pot with cold water. Completely submerged bag of meat, and no escape!

I finally turned the corner on a decades old battle. I'm embarrassed it took so long, but happy to have eventually figured it out.

Interesting about not keeping the MW door opened, I do that sometimes and didn't really think of burning out the light, talk about DUH moment! HAHA! We have already replaced the light once and it was not an easy task. My husband DID have to darn near take the thing apart and putting it back together wasn't perfect for some reason and it has developed a slight rattle noise.

There are so many things I do that I have taken for granted that can be shared with others.

This time of the season, thawing a frozen turkey is a big dangerous problem for many people.

1. Quick thawing in cold water method - Get ($3.00) a small 110v ( or 220v in Europe) submersible fountain pump (aquarium) to circulate water, measure water to make sure it's always under 40F. The thawing time may be cut to 1/4.

2. Refrigerator thawing method - Get a small muffin type computer cooling fan ($1.00 to $10.00) to circulate air and cut the thawing time to 1/3. 5v/12v fan can be run on 6v/12v battery, or just get a 110v/220v one.

dcarch

I don't use the water method for thawing, I use an aluminum surface. I have a large aluminum over-the-stovetop griddle that is perfect for large amounts & several heavy round aluminum cake pans for smaller items. I turn things several times during the process.

Years ago, there was an item marketed on TV for speedy thawing - turns out it was just a slab of aluminum w/ a dark coating. Once I learned that, I decided to try it w/ what I had on hand & it works really well w/o the mess that water can make when it (inevitably) leaks into the wrappings of the frozen item.

& I do the trick w/ the church key too - AND - I have a vintage tool made specifically for releasing jar seals. A patented tool called the E-Z-LIFT. It belonged to my grandpa & came w/ the house. This one's not mine - just an image from the web:

P.S. I have some small brass-bristled brushes that I use to clean my can-opener blade, etc.. You can get them @ hardware stores for less than dollar.

Welcome home, Devil Oven pull

That is a cute pull. I'd never use it, but how can one look at it and not smile?

As I was just delabeling a peanut butter jar in preparation for its next life in my workshop, I thought of another trick that I use all the time. That gooey glue that refuses to be washed off? No need to pull out the toxic, stinky solvents. With marginally more elbow grease, vegetable oil works just as well. And it's safer on plastics prone to "melting."

FOAS' tip is a good one. It reminds me of a couple of mine:

1. oil base paint brush - After painting, use vegetable oil to clean off most of the paint on the brush, then wash with soap.

2. Latex base paint - After painting, remove most of the surface paint under running water. Then just leave the brush in a container with lots of water overnight. All the remaining paint will come off by gravity into the water. No work.

dcarch