Cooking Advice

When you are cooking a meal, there are many things that can go wrong and many simple, household solutions to issues that arise that you may not know. To that end, we’ve written this article to discuss some simple hints that can make your time spent in the kitchen much easier.

- Did you burn food, and now the whole house smells of the terrible burning odor? Well, don’t fret – there is a simple fix. Simply take a half of a cup of whole cloves and put them in a saucepan with two cups of water. Bring the mixture to a boil and simmer for twenty to thirty minutes. The house will now smell sweet due to this mixture.

- Flare-ups on the grill can be worrisome and dangerous. For that reason, it is important to minimize the risk of flare-ups while grilling. Any excess fat on cuts of meat that you are about to cook should be removed. Also, if you bring food to room temperature before placing it on the grill, you’re more likely to cook it evenly.

- Need to check your grills temperature, but you don’t have the feature on your grill? One simple test that you can perform is to hold your hand facing palms-down over the coals, roughly around where you will be cooking. You should count how long you can stand to keep your hand there as it will give you a rough estimation of the temperature. If you can only count to about two, the heat level is high, and it’s best for cooking meat. If you’re looking to grill vegetables, you should cook with a medium heat. If you can count to about four, the grill is the proper temperature. Be sure to keep it safe when you are performing this test.

- When baking cookies, it’s tough to get them to turn out exactly round. There is an easy solution, however: after creating the dough, place it into empty concentrated juice cans and put it in the refrigerator. When you’re ready to bake, just slice off the end of the can and push the dough through, slicing off cookies as you go. They should be perfectly round!

- Need to make your own croutons fast? There’s an easy way to do it, and you probably have all the ingredients in your house! Cut slices of bread into cubes that are three quarters of an inch. Place them on a baking tray and add cooking spray and garlic powder. Broil the tray for roughly three minutes, and there you go! Try adding different spices to suit your individual fancy.

Sometimes the old-time wisdom is the best.  I have come up with a list of advice that has been passed down from generation to generation.  Some of it is still applicable today and some is just fun to remember.  I hope you will enjoy these bits of wisdom from the past.  And who knows, you may find some real pearls of wisdom you can apply in your life today.

Have you run out of baking powder?  Here’s how to make your own.  Use two level teaspoon of cream of tartar to one teaspoon baking soda.  This is the equivalent of four teaspoons of tartrate baking powder.  This is the kind of baking powder normally found in the kitchen.

When your recipe calls for melted butter, be sure you melt the butter before measuring.  If the recipe calls for butter, melted, measure the butter then melt it.  It does make a difference, especially in baking.

When you take a cake from the oven, place it for a very few minutes on a cloth that has been dipped in and wrung out of cold water,  This will allow your cake to turn out of the pan in perfect condition.

If your soft custard separates when you remove it from the heat, beat it hard for five minutes with an old-fashion egg beater.

When cooking pancakes, dip the spoon in milk or water and the batter will drop off the spoon easily.

Sewing tip:  Tape a large flat magnet to your sewing table.  As you remove pins, drop them onto the magnet.  (Careful–do not get  the magnet too close to the motor.)

To keep your ashtrays clean, wax the inside so the ashes won’t stick.  Simply wipe ashtray with a clean tissue or papertowel.  (I hope you don’t have ashtrays and smokers in your house–my husband has COPD caused from years of smoking.  Believe me, it is not something you want to take a chance on.)

Varnished wallpaper that is grease splattered can be washed with a solution of one tablespoon of ammonia to a pailful of warm soapy water.

To freshen the color of your window blinds, brush with linseed oil.

When cleaning windows, add a little vinegar to the water.  You will be surprised at the brillliant polish it produces.

Thanks Granny, for the advice!

Sometimes the best advice a person receives comes in the form of one or two statements.  I love picking up advice and information this way so I keep a collection of quotes or sayings as I come across them.  In this article I share thirteen pieces of advice from Buddha to Bill Gates (and a tidbit or two from myself.)  I hope you will be inspired, encouraged, or just enjoy a chuckle as you read these quotes.  After all, who couldn’t benefit from some advice from Thomas Edison, Buddha, Bill Gates, etc?

1.  Laughter gives us distance.  It allows us to step back from an event, deal with it and then move on.  by Bob Newhart

2.  Often you just have to rely on your intuition. by Bill Gates

3.  Our greatest weakness lies in giving up.  The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.  by Thomas Edison

4.  Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves.  by J.M. Barrie

5.  One of the secrets of a happy life is continuous small treats.  by Iris Murdoch  (Linda adds – for you diabetics, find a good, diabetic friendly “sweets” recipe and keep something on hand to keep you from craving sweets.)

6.  Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else.  by Judy Garland

7.  Each person must live their life as a model for others.  by Rosa Parks

8.  Forty is the old age of youth, Fifty is the youth of old age.  by Victor Hugo

9.  The most flavorful ingredient to any dish is love.  If it is a labor of love, it tastes like it.  If you hate cooking, people are sure to know.  By Chef Chadwick Isom

10. I believe that we aren’t born with talents. We’re born with passions, and when you have that passion for something, you’re at its mercy. You can’t help but want to learn more and more about it. By Chicago psychiatrist Howard Alt, describing his love of cooking.

11. As people with diabetes, our emphasis is on food consumption as science. We know that good, wholesome food in its natural state brings health to everyone. We become better at making proper food choices. By Aimee Perrin, type 1 diabetic

12. To keep the body in good health is a duty…otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear. By Buddha

13. Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him. Proverbs 26: 5 Holy Bible KJV

I hope you found something profound and helpful to you in this group of quotes from some very wise people. None of us are above some good sound advice from time to time.