1. If you want to make ground beef less lumpy, use a potato masher after it is half way browned. This works great for meat sauce, sloppy joes, even on sausage for sausage gravy...any ground meat. If you are using a nonstick pan, be sure to carefully use the masher with up and down strokes, don't scrape the pan.
2. Don't waste ice cream. Once it's become too soft you can't refreeze it...so stir in some of your favorite sundae sauce or liqueor and spoon it over fresh berries for a creamy treat.
3. Buying fresh green beans. To find out if fresh green beans are fresh, gently bend one between your thumb and index finger. If it snaps, it's fresh...if it bends...it's old.
4. Asparagus...to find out where the tender part begins just hold the asparagus spear at both ends and bend. The spear will snap off where the woody part meets the tender part.
5. Chop nuts without a knife. Just place shelled nuts between two sheets of waxed paper or in a ziplock bag and roll a rolling pin over them to crush them. Store them in the freezer...right in the bag.
6. Better burgers. Let hamburger sit out for 10-15 minutes before putting them on a hot grill...this won't shock the cold meat by placing it on a hot grill, keeping it juicy. Make an indentation with your thumb in the center of each side of your burger. It will keep them from bulging in the middle and allow them to cook more evenly. Never mash a burger with a spatula..you're squeezing out all the juices.
7. Perfect fruit pies. To keep fruit pies from overflowing duiring baking just place a piece of uncooked zitti or penne pasta in the center of the pie, vertically. The hot juices will go up into the pasta and not all over your lovely crust. Discard pasta before serving.
8. To clean veggies...use a kitchen sponge with a scrubby side. Designate one sponge for just this purpose and don't use it for anything else. Change it often. This works great for getting corn silk off of corn.
9. Cloeaning mushrooms...NEVER wash fresh mushrooms under water, wipe them with a damp cloth. Mushrooms have spongy cell walls and absorb water which can ruin the taste.
10. Take a few moments to prep your produce when you bring it home. Wash lettuc, peppers and herbs ahead. Store fresh herbs in a large mug of clean water, stems in the water, and store in the fridge if you're going to use them in a day or so. Otherwise, wash them and wrap in a damp (Inot wet) paper towel and store in a ziplock bag in your crisper. They will stay fresh for a week or more and be clean and ready to use.
11. Garlic...never refigerate garlic, it can cause it to sprout. When choosing garlic, choose heads that are firm with tight skin that don't have dark or mushy spots. Also be careful to choose garlic that looks plump and does not look shriveled or dried out. Buy only enough to use within a week.
12. Keep leftovers in see through, disposable plastic containers and keep them near the front of the fridge. That way you can see what is inside and eat if before it gets pushed to the back of the fridge and get's "fuzzy".
13. When freezing fresh berries...blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, etc....don't wash them before freezing or you'll get a giant berry icecube! Just freeze the berries, unwashed, in a tightly sealed freezer bag. Take out what you need and wash them as you use them. Berries can stay fresh for up to 6 months in the freezer when done this way.
