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Posts tagged ‘cooking tips’

Best Aluminum Foil Alternative for Home Cooking

I often come across Facebook posts about cookware to avoid and what to replace it with, sometimes including lists of other kitchen items to stop using. Aluminum foil is often mentioned, but I’ve rarely seen suggestions for alternatives.

A few weeks ago, while making lasagna, I realized I was out of aluminum foil right when it was time to bake. Since lasagna needs to be covered while baking and I didn’t feel like running to the store, I searched my kitchen for a replacement. I spotted a freshly washed cookie sheet in the drying rack, and it fit perfectly over my lasagna pan. I baked it like that, and it turned out great. Since then, I’ve been using a cookie sheet as a cover for dishes that need to go in the oven.

Time-Saving Cooking Tips for Busy Families

20-Minute Meals Essentials
There’s no need to spend hours in the kitchen to make mealtimes nourishing and pleasant for your family. The timesaving tips below  prove it.

Make Extras: Get the most out of every minute you spend in the kitchen by following these tips.

  • Cook extra batches of the foods you serve on the weekends and store them to serve during the week.
  • Freeze homemade spaghetti sauces in meal- size portions. Reheat the frozen block of sauce in a saucepan on the range top.
  • Whenever you grill out, cook up a bonus batch of meat-such as extra steaks, pork chops, or chicken breasts.
    • They can be tossed into a satisfying main-dish salad the next day.
    • Transform them into quesadillas: Pile tortillas with shredded leftover meat, cheese, chopped tomato, and chopped onion. Cook them on a hot grill or in a skillet and serve with sour cream and salsa.
  • If you have some extra chicken, place it in a freezer container and freeze for up to 3 months.
    • A little bit of chicken left over from here and there can add up to the right amount for stirring into a salad, casserole, or omelet.


Depend on the Deli: Deli foods can be the starting point for terrific dinners, especially if you add a few fresh embellishments.

  • Satisfying Sandwiches: Stock high-quality breads (ciabatta, French loaves, country loaves) in the freezer and have an interesting assortment of deli meats and cheeses on hand to make grilled panini, Italian-sauced sandwiches, or subs.
    • Italian-Style Three-Bean Salad: Add 1/2 cup sliced hearts of palm; 1 medium tomato, chopped; and 1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning, crushed, to 1 pint three-bean salad.
    • Main-Dish Three-Bean Salad: Add 1 cup cooked and drained shell macaroni, ½ cup cubed cheddar cheese, and 6 ounces cooked ham strips to 1 pint three-bean salad.
    • Veggie Macaroni Salad: Add ½ cup thawed frozen peas and 2 tablespoons sliced radishes to
      1 pint macaroni salad.

Swift Sides

  • It’s easy to put a meal on the table fast if you start with ready-made entrées from the
    deli and heat-and-serve dishes from the meat department. Call on these strategies, and you’re ready to round out the meal.
    • Cook more rice than needed for one meal and divide it into meal-size portions.
      • Store cooked rice in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 1 week or in the freezer up to 6 months.
      • To serve, place chilled or frozen rice in a saucepan, adding 2 tablespoons water or broth for each cup of rice. Cover and cook over low heat about 5 minutes or until heated through.
    • Stock up on frozen vegetables. They cook up bright and quickly at mealtimes.

Essential Spices for Every Pantry

Spices
These common spices make a good pantry foundation. Some substitution suggestions offer
similar flavors; others are acceptable flavor alternatives. When substituting, start with half of
the amount the recipe calls for, unless directed otherwise, and add to suit your taste.

SpiceFlavorCommon UsesSubstitution
Allspice (ground)Blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, Baked goods, jerk seasoning. Ground cinnamon, nutmeg, or
cloves
baked goods, jerk seasoning, stewsGround cinnamon, nutmeg, or cloves
Anise seedsLicorice like flavorCabbage dishes, meats, fruits dessertsFennel seeds or a few drops of anise extract
Cardamom (ground)Spicy-sweet with peppery and ginger like tonesCurried dishes, bean dishes, baked goodsGround ginger
Cayenne pepperHot, pungent, smokyStews, barbecue rubs and sauces, and bean, meat, egg. and cheese dishesUse 2-3 drops bottled hot pepper sauce for 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Chili powderHot, spicy, peppery taste and aromaSoups, stews, marinades, meat dishesDash bottled hop pepper sauce plus equal measures of ground oregano and cumin
Cinnamon (ground)Strong, spicy-sweet flavorMeats, breads, pumpkin and fruit desserts, hot coffee, tea, chocolateGround nutmeg or allspice (use only 1/4 of the specified amount)
Cloves (ground)Strong, pungent, almost hot flavorBaked beans, barbecue
dishes, chili, mulled wine, fruit desserts, cakes
Ground allspice, cinnamon, or nutmeg
Cumin (ground)Pungent, spicy, slightly bitter flavorIndian and Mexican cooking, meats, poultryChili powder
Curry powderA fragrant, mild-to-hot blend of up to 20 ground spicesMeats, sauces, stews, root vegetables; often used in Asian and Indian cookingCombine equal parts of ground spices common in curry (such as cumin, coriander, red and black peppers, ginger, turmeric)
Fennel seedsMild licorice like flavor and aromaMeat, sausage, poultry dishes, baked goods, fruit desserts, coleslawAnise or caraway seeds
Ginger (ground)Sweet-hot flavor, nippy aromaStir-fries, marinades, meats, baked goodsGround allspice, cinnamon, mace, or nutmeg
Mustard (dry, seeds)Dry mustard attains hot flavor when mixed with water; seeds have hot spicy flavorDry Mustard- salad dressings and egg, cheese, and meat dishes; seeds- pickling, relishes, and boiled vegetables and meatsIn cooked mixtures: 1 tablespoon yellow mustard for each 1 teaspoon dry; no substitutions for seeds
Nutmeg (ground)slightly sweet and spicy flavor and aromaBaked goods, white sauces, custard, eggnogGround cinnamon, ginger, or mace
Paprika (Hungarian, Spanish)Hungarian paprika is generally more pungent than Spanish and can be labeled sweet (mild) or hot; Spanish paprika is slightly sweet and bitter Vegetables, beef, fish, chicken, salads, egg dishesCayenne pepper, but use sparingly because it’s much hotter
Pepper, black or whiteBlack pepper is more pungent than whiteSavory foods, spiced dessertsWhite may be substituted for black, but it’s milder in flavor

Quick Reference: Cooking Measurement Conversions

Cooking Measurement Equivalents are useful to have handy when cooking.  Here are some of the most common needed.


16 tablespoons = 1 cup
12 tablespoons = 3/4 cup
10 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons = 2/3 cup
8 tablespoons = 1/2 cup
6 tablespoons = 3/8 cup
5 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon = 1/3 cup
4 tablespoons = 1/4 cup
2 tablespoons = 1/8 cup
2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons = 1/6 cup
1 tablespoon = 1/16 cup
2 cups = 1 pint
2 pints=1 quart
3 teaspoons = 1 tablespoon
48 teaspoons = 1 cup

Cooking Secrets: Corn Starch vs. Flour

COOKING TIPS:

  • Corn starch mixes with cold water more easily than flour does, and will result in creamier, smoother gravies, sauces, stews and soups.
  • One tablespoon of corn starch equals 2 tablespoons of flour.
  • If recipe calls for flour, use half as much l corn starch to thicken it.
  • When thickening hot liquids, mix corn starch with a small
    amount of cold water until smooth, then stir into hot liquid. Stir constantly until liquid comes to a boil. Continue cooking, stirring constantly, for about one minute.

Perfect Hot Chocolate Recipe Using Abuelita

When you make hot chocolate, boil the water and chocolate in a tea pot.  I use Abuelita chocolate. I boil about 4 cups of water to 1 tablet of chocolate.

Boiling it in the tea pot makes it easier to pour. Just add the milk after pouring.