Have you ever wished you knew how to save a ruined dish, increase the flavor or make cooking easier? Well, you are not alone. Here are some cooking tips that I know you will find helpful the next time you prepare a big meal for your family. Meats - After the meat is done cooking, let the meat rest for 5 minutes before cutting. This will keep the meat tender and juicy. Also, when possible, cut meat across the grain. It is easier to slice or cut meat when it is partially frozen. - When microwaving chicken, cover the dish with vented clear plastic to keep the chicken from drying out. - Rubbing lemon juice on fish before cooking will enhance the flavor. - No time to marinate meat? Pound meat lightly with a mallet, sprinkle with meat tenderizer and add marinade. Refrigerate for 20-30 minutes. - Use plastic baggies to marinate your meat. It will be fast and easy clean up. Breads - Put a small dish of water in the oven when baking bread to help keep the crust from getting too hard or brown. - Use shortening to grease pans. Margarine or butter will be absorbed into the dough or batter. - To prevent hard or dry crusts, rub bread tops with shortening after you take them out of the oven. - Water that is too hot will kill yeast. One way to tell if the water is the correct temperature is to pour the water over your forearm. If you can not feel either hot or cold, the temperature is just right. - Always sift flour before measuring if you are not sure. - Reduce oven temperature by 25 degrees when baking in a glass pan. Vegetables - Lemon juice will remove onion scent from your hands. - To avoid watery eyes when chopping onion, put onion in the freezer for 10 minutes before chopping. - Spray plastic bowls with cooking spray before adding vegetables or food that can stain. - Never soak vegetables after slicing; they will lose some of their nutritional value. - Instant potatoes are a good soup or stew thickener. - If cooking vegetables that grow above the ground, boil them without a cover. - To bake potatoes quickly microwave for 5 minutes and then place in a preheated oven. Or soak potatoes in salted water for 20 minutes before baking. This will help them cook more rapidly. Now that you know some of the best tips for being successful in the kitchen, the next time you run into a snag you will be well prepared.
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