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Old 05-26-2004, 09:38 AM   #1  
it's always something
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Spend less time in the kitchen! Make cooking fun! Impress your friends with your cooking skills

Do you have any shortcuts or tips to make cooking easier?
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Old 05-26-2004, 09:42 AM   #2  
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Here's a tip I use often. Emeril suggested this one.

I use frozen spinach in a lot of recipes, and most require that you squeeze it dry before adding to the dish. Use a potato ricer! Place a good portion of spinach in the ricer, squeeze it and watch the water get extracted within seconds without any effort, and mess-free.

Btw, the one on amazon that I linked costs 20 bucks. I bought mine at TJ Maxx for $3.50. Love a bargain
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Old 05-26-2004, 10:18 AM   #3  
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My most favorite and cherished kitchen tool is my meat thermometer. It cost next to nothing and it makes me a much better cook. No longer do I serve dry meat...or worse....chicken that is pink in the middle. I wish I had gotten a meat thermometer years ago.

Second tip, which I think is what separates good cooks from great cooks...don't be afraid to experiment with different flavors or techniques...variety is the spice of life and it keeps the family on thier toes!
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Old 05-26-2004, 01:09 PM   #4  
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I would be lost w/o my Tupperware Micro-Steamer. You can steam chicken breasts, shrimps, veggies, etc.

I never cook rice on the stove anymore, I nuke it.

Salt-free seasonings rock, as does Pace Thick & Chunky salsa.
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Old 05-26-2004, 01:28 PM   #5  
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My crockpot and my george forman grill are my most used kitchen utensild...along with my food processor although its a nightmare to clean...thank god for dishwashers!!
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Old 05-26-2004, 01:32 PM   #6  
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My favorite kitchen tool is my hand held Braun mixer... I whip up yummy shakes, sauces, creamy soups without cream with this machine...
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Old 05-28-2004, 12:41 PM   #7  
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I love my George Foreman Grill too! I use it a lot in the summer so I don't have to heat up the kitchen and having a mini chopper is really handy.

Best buy ever- a professional chef's knife set - one large knife, one bread knife and one paring knife with a sharpener included. These cut like a dream, wash well and are a joy to work with - well worth the money and I have had the same set for years

My best advice is to start with a clean kitchen, clean as you go and set up all the ingredients you need for your recipe before you start - just makes the whole process a little easier
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Old 05-31-2004, 05:54 PM   #8  
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My favorite things:
- Kitchen-Aid mixer
- Cuisinart mini-processor (my DH picked this up on a whim & I love it. No more tears when chopping onions )
- George Foreman grill (it beats firing up the grill out back for just DH & me)
- meat thermometer (success no matter what)

Like Mauvaisroux, I like to start with a clean kitchen & have all my ingredients out & prepped.
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Old 06-01-2004, 01:19 AM   #9  
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Quick easies ........ great thread! ~smiling brightly~ my problem comin up with any to share with you was that my quick easies turned into second nature and i had to really rack my brain. ~laughing~ will pay more attention while i cook ~winka winka~



when i use my hand mixer i always grab a paper plate as well. tip it over poke 2 holes in the center about an inch apart. pop the beater posts thru the holes then click them into the mixer. Viola i have a splatter guard lid. i have found that a cheapie, regular sized paper plate covers most any bowl.

another thing i found real handy is to keep a garbage receptical next to me on the counter while i am preparring dishes. like a cereal bowl, or egg carton anything i can toss my remenants into, i.e: egg shells, yolks, trimmed fat, veggie ends or peels, boullion wrappers, paper towel. then its just one trip to the garbage can and saves my sink and drain from a lot of gunk.

if you ever make one of those diet soda cakes or have a special low cal and you would like to try something different to dress it up, may i suggest one of those paper doillies. place that on top of your cake and dust with powdered sugar. they have some of the prettiest designs. depending on the cake and its flavour, take your veggie peeler and and shave a curly fruit rind for the center.

not sure if this is a time saver but with summer and out door cooking, picnics and so on its cute, fun, keeps the bugs out of condiments, and you can just toss them when its over. i take 3 peppers, red, green, and yellow. cut the tops off, making a zig tag design ( with the points my brain if failing ~laughing~) de-seed the centers. then in the red i will put Ketchup, the green, either diced onions or relish, and the yellow is filled with Mustard. just adorable on a table.

like my tag says............ its the lil things! again fabulous thread i look forward to reading more!!

sincerely,
sassy
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Old 06-02-2004, 03:31 PM   #10  
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Great tips Sassy! Thanks for sharing - I love the idea of the condiment covers
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Old 06-02-2004, 04:14 PM   #11  
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Use dental floss to cut dough. Just wrap the floss around your dough and cross the ends, then pull them in opposite directions. The dough cuts cleanly and doesn't mash.
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Old 06-29-2004, 06:44 PM   #12  
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For any sauteeing you do replace oil with low sodium chicken or vegetable stock if you don't do meat. Adds flavour.
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Old 07-09-2004, 05:41 AM   #13  
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Try freezing boneless skinless chicken breasts in a bag with your favorite marinade -- when it defrosts it will be marinated and you can slap it on the grill or broil it in no time
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Old 07-09-2004, 08:26 AM   #14  
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Sassy!
So nice to know you are still "out there". Have missed you on the other thread you were posting to regularly.
Great idea, I'll try it!
Linda
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Old 07-09-2004, 01:13 PM   #15  
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After the professional knife set, one of my favorite kitchen gadgets is a mandoline, with attachments. I love to make a veggie platter now, and pre-prep all my salad ingredients ahead of time - all bite size and ready to go. Its especially great for carrots.
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