Food Tips
 Instead of using
sugar in your tea, dissolve old-fashioned lemon drops or hard
mint candy in the brew. They melt quickly and give the tea a
clean tangy flavour.
The flavour of
tea can be enhanced by placing a thoroughly dried orange peel in
the tea tin.
Leftover apple,
orange or lemon rind can be put in your tea. It adds flavour and
aroma.
The flavour of
ground coffee will keep better if you store opened coffee in
tightly-covered container in the refrigerator.
If you use some
form of purified water, coffee will taste better and the life of
your coffee maker will be prolonged.
Pennies placed
under the pot in the drip coffee maker will prevent scum from
forming on the coffee and you won’t have to throw out any
coffee.
To add flavour to
coffee, add vanilla or almond extract to the water as the coffee
brews.
Cool leftover
coffee immediately, cover with tight lid and refrigerate. It
warms up beautifully in the microwave.
Freeze leftover
coffee in ice-cube trays. The cubes can be used in milk or
eggnog. Coffee cubes are also great to place in too-hot coffee.
Scum won’t form
on the top of hot chocolate if you beat the drink until frothy
immediately after preparation.
Mix a 12-ounce
can of frozen orange juice in a three-quart pitcher, add one cup
of powdered orange drink mix. Fill the pitcher to the brim with
cold water and stir until dissolved. The powder gives the drink
sweetness and the frozen juice gives it body.
Freeze clusters
of grapes to float in punches. They keep the punch cold and add
a lovely garnish.
When you make
punch, make ice cubes out of punch, then you can keep the punch
cold without diluting it.
For cocktails,
freeze lemon peel twists in party ice cubes - looks attractive
and adds a tangy flavour.
When
entertaining, serve hot cider and other hot drinks from a slow
cooker on a low setting. This way, the liquid will remain warm
as long as you wish.
Use canning
funnels to fill a thermos bottle without spills.
To make butter go
farther and spread easier, leave butter at room temperature, use
electric beater and whip to twice its volume.
Soften hard
butter for sandwiches by inverting a warmed soup bowl over it.
Prevent butter
from burning when sauteing by adding a small amount of olive or
vegetable oil. Butter alone burns easily, but the combination of
the two does not. Vegetables and meats will be golden brown.
Blend cottage
cheese in a blender until it’s smooth, then you can use it in
dips, instead of sour cream.
Cottage cheese
will keep twice as long if you store the carton upside down.
If you don’t want
to make your own sour cream, add three or four drops of lemon
juice to 3/4 cup whipping cream and leave it at room temperature
for 30 minutes.
Before adding
sour cream to a sauce which must boil, stir 1 tsp. of flour into
the cream. The sauce can boil and the flour will prevent the
sour cream from curdling.
When you buy bulk
cheese, put it in a Tupperware container with a lid which can be
burped. Place a paper towel which has been dampened with vinegar
in the container. More vinegar can be added once a week to keep
the cheese fresh for a month or longer.
Cheese wrapped in
a cloth which has been dampened with vinegar will keep fresh and
free from mold.
Mold on cheese
can be prevented by storing the cheese in a covered container
with a lump
or two of sugar. This also keeps the cheese moist.
After you cut a
piece of cheese, butter the edge of the remainder which is to be
stored. It will less likely to dry out and lose its consistency. |
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