Basic Tips

1. To thaw foods more quickly,place frozen foods on a metal surface, like a metal tray or heavy frying pan. Metal conducts room temperature better than formica, wood, glass or tile.
2. Too salty add cut raw potatoes to soups or vegetables and then discard once they have cooked and absorbed the salt. A teaspoon each of cider vinegar and sugar added to salty soup or vegetables will also remedy the salty situation.
3. Use paper bags rather than ...plastic to store lettuce and celery in the crisper. They will stay fresh longer.
4. The best way to store fresh celery is to wrap it in aluminum foil and put it in the refrigerator ... it will keep for weeks.
5. Sunlight doesn't ripen tomatoes, warmth does. Store tomatoes with stems pointed down and they will stay fresher, longer.
6. Thaw frozen meat and poultry in the refrigerator and not on the kitchen counter where bacteria can grow.
7. Clean burnt food To quickly clean burned food on a pan, add some dish soap and 1/2" of water. Bring to a boil, then let the liquid cool in the pan. The burned food will be easy to remove.
8. A few drops of lemon juice added to simmering rice will keep the grains separate
9. A slice of soft bread placed in the package of hardened brown sugar will soften it again in a couple of hours.
10. Cure for headaches take a lime, cut it in half and rub it on your forehead. The throbbing will go away.
11. Bread will stay fresh longer if a celery rib is stored with it in the package.
12. Microwave a lemon for 15 seconds and double the juice you get before squeezing
13. Thaw frozen meat and poultry in the refrigerator and not on the kitchen counter where bacteria can grow.
14. Egg shells can be easily removed from hard-boiled eggs if they are boiled in salty water and quickly rinsed in cold water.
15. Do not use metal bowls when mixing salads. Use wooden, glass or china.
16. Let raw potatoes stand in cold water for at least half an hour before frying to improve the crispness of french-fried potatoes
17. If your cake recipe calls for nuts, heat them first in the oven, then dust with flour before adding to the batter to keep them from settling to the bottom of the pan
18. Microwave garlic cloves for 15 seconds and the skins slip right off.