Best kitchen tips
 

I had difficulty with pizza dough because it is hard to transfer to a pizza stone and impossible (even dangerous!) to spread onto the stone once the stone is preheated. So, found this tip on another site:

Trace the pizza stone size onto parchment paper and then preheat the stone. Spread the dough onto the parchment, then slide the parchment onto the stone in the oven. When done, slide it off the stone, paper and all, onto a board and cut it up.

Does anybody else have a favourite EUREKA! kitchen moment to share?

I don't know about everyone else, but I pound my chicken to make it more tender and thin by covering it with plastic wrap and then slapping it with my heaviest pan. I find that it get more even than with tenderizer because it is bigger than the chicken and hit it evenly.

Maybe I am just hyperagressive, and liking pounding my chicken... =)

One of my favorite things to do to help with cleanup is to line cookie sheets or baking dishes with foil before I put anything on or in them. This even works nicely for things like cake or brownies and is actually a big help in lifting them out of the pan if you want to display them on a nice serving tray. It also helps to avoid gumming up your dishes with non-stick spray.

Along the lines of kvixen's trick, I usually butterfly any meat that is fairly thick so that it will cook more evenly.

With shish-ka-bobs, a trick I learned from my MIL, is to thread meat and vegetables onto separate skewers for the grill since the veggies seem to take longer to cook. I always had the problem of underdone vegetables and overdone meat. Granted, it's not as pretty this way, but I much prefer the taste.

These are all great tips!!! I am a new domestic goddess :) so I can't think of anything, but keep 'em coming! I'm learning lots!

Heres my contribution on how to keep my kitchen clean:
Don't let my DH in it at all! He can use EVERY spoon, knife, mixing bowl and a few assorted pans just to make pancakes. Not to mention batter everywhere, egg goo in strange spots, and NOTHING is put back were it goes, Lol! I love him, but he isn't the best in the kitchen, that's for sure.

Well, this isn't a kitchen tip, but it's all I can think of at the moment.
When I find a sock with a hole in it, I use it to give the floor corners a quick swipe before I throw it out. :lol3: Geez... I'm losin' it... better get back to work...

Ellis - Further to your suggestion, I use the old sport socks and odd socks for dusters...after they're washed, of course. They are cotton, so work really well for dusting furniture, etc. and fit on your hand, too. Just my way of recycling and it seems I have an ample supply.

Oh, yeah. :yes: That goes without saying. There's no WAY I'd touch a dirty sock!

Y'all are funny. I hate feet and would not clean with a clean or dirty sock! I wear rubber gloves when I do the laundry so I don't have to touch anyone's dirty socks or their other dirty garments! My kitchen advice clean it really good and then eat out everyday so it never gets dirty! hahaha

My cleaning/kitchen hint? Make your own cleaning solution for walls, counters and even the floor.
Mix rubbing alcohol, vinegar and water 1-1-1, spray it on and wipe it off. (This is called "Gail Glow" around here as she told me about it.) It works as well as the stuff in the Wet Swiffer so I use it in that. (I made a hole in the old container which is not refillable, poured in the solution and corked it.)
Ellis - this solution will be perfect for your stainless steel!

Kitchen tips...cut garlic cloves in half...this makes them easier to peel, then rub your hands on the metal of the knife or the garlic press before washing them, and all the garlic smell will be gone...something about metal, I guess. :shrug:

Use Pyrex and Corningware to store food...it keeps the odors out, has poppable lids that vent in the microwave, and it looks great. Plus, the odors don't stay in the containers the way they do in tupperware. I love mine!

I had a really hard time with my George Foreman grill when I started using it because it was so darn hard to clean! Someone on here told me to fold up several paper towels, pour a bunch of vinegar on them, then put them in the grill when done. The vinegar steams all the gunk off, and it's really easy to clean it later than night or even the next day! :)

I just use a paper towel wet with water and it works too. I'm too lazy to get the vinegar out. :)

When I purchase a family pack of ground beef, I go ahead and brown it. Then I put 1 to 3 cup portions in freezer bags. When I need ground beef for soup, a casserole, ect. it's already cooked.

I also cook and chop up several boneless/skinless chicken breast and then do the same thing. Saves a little time.

Ruth, thanks for the "'gail's glow" cleaning solution. I always knew about vinegar and water, but had not heard of adding alcohol to it.

Beachgal, the odor eating metal is stainless steel, only!! I always use a spoon (more surface area and safer, too)

Great tips everyone. Keep 'em coming.