10 Kitchen Tips I Hadn't Heard Before

I've heard lots of kitchen tips through the years but here are a few I hadn't heard before (Credit goes to my friend Lynne who forwarded an email..not sure where the info originated!)

• Separate a bunch of bananas when you bring them home. They ripen faster when left connected at the stem (or leave them connected if you need to ripen your bananas faster!)


• Peel a banana from the bottom for easiest removal of the fibrous strings.


• Store chunks of cheese in aluminum foil. The cheese will stay fresher longer and won't get moldy.


• Peppers with 3 bumps on the bottom are sweeter and better for eating raw. Peppers with 4 bumps on the bottom are firmer and better for cooking.


• Add a tablespoon of water when frying ground beef to pull the grease away from the meat.


• Add garlic to your recipe early on for a suble flavor. Add it at the end for a stronger flavor. (Actually I did know this one. Also a larger piece of garlic, say a whole clove uncut, will give a more subtle flavor to your food. Minced garlic will impart a stronger flavor.)


• To reheat pizza put slices in a nonstick skillet and set heat to medium low to warm. This keeps the crust crispy unlike rewarming in the microwave.


• For easy deviled eggs put the cooked yolks into a zip lock bag, seal and mash. Add your usual ingredients - mayo, mustard, pickle relish, dill, parsley, capers, salt and pepper, whatever you like. Reseal and mash thoroughly until mixture is smooth. Then snip one lower corner of the bag and pipe the yolk mixture into the egg white halves. Easy clean-up - just toss the bag!


• To increase the amount of cake frosting take 1 container of frosting and empty it into a mediium bowl. Whip with your mixer on high and the volume will almost double. You will have more frosting for your cake or will be able to frost more cupcakes. Plus you are reducing the the amount of sugar and calories per serving.


• When measuring sticky substances (e.g., peanut butter, honey) fill your measuring cup first with hot water. Pour out the water but don't dry the cup. Then measure your ingredient and it will come right out of the cup without sticking. I had known about spraying the measuring cup with non-stick spray or , my favorite, measuring your oil first, but this sounds like a great option. I'll try it the next chance I get!

I'm always amazed at the little pearls of kitchen wisdom that are floating around out there. Hope at least one of these tips is helpful to you.