Life Changing Kitchen Tips

I’m sure all of the Funs (SP) in this world know most of these tips because in the kitchen they tend to experiment more than by the book Classics (SJ) like myself. The one that amazed me most was how to get more lemon juice out of lemons — 20 seconds in the microwave. It sounds ridiculously trivial but once you know how you realize you went through a lot of lemons over the years unnecessarily.

We got these tips from the Daily Mail, a British tabloid. It’s one of our guilty pleasures — which proves that tabloids have longevity because their appeal cuts across all personality types from Classics to Organic Freedoms (NFP). I’ve reprinted their article. Put in a link to it and added our two cents in brackets.

Brilliantly Simple Kitchen Tricks That Will Change Your Life

JUICIER LEMONS

A typical lemon contains 3 tbsp of juice. To maximise the amount you can squeeze, roll the fruit on a kitchen counter, applying light pressure. This

bursts the tiny juice-filled cells. Alternatively, blast for 20 seconds in a microwave. [Just do the microwave version and save the initial tip for when you’re stuck “camping” without a microwave]. Then cut lengthways rather than crosswise. You will get around three times more juice. [Now the sideways tip seems intriguing.]

KEEP BREAD FRESH

Put it in a plastic bag with a fresh celery stick and leave overnight. The loaf will slowly absorb the humidity from the celery, giving it a fresher taste and bounce. As the celery does not have a strong flavour, it won’t affect the taste of the bread. [Interesting. Perhaps I’ll try on the next baguette I buy because sliced bread in the US seems to last for 2 months. Goodness knows what they put in it to make it last long.]

TAMING CHILLIES

Before chopping them, rub a little vegetable oil onto your hands. This creates a barrier which prevents your skin absorbing their fiery properties and aroma. Be warned, though — it may make the knife slippery. [REALLY?!! You don’t say!] Also, the fastest way to de-seed a  chilli is to halve it lengthways then use a teaspoon to scrape the seeds out in one downwards stroke.

PERFECT CHAMPAGNE

Before opening a bottle, rinse your champagne flutes with a small quantity of white wine. This will coat the glass and prevent over-exuberant mousse overspilling as you pour. An added bonus is that this will greatly speed up pouring a tray of glasses. [I feel like Americans don’t drink enough Champagne for this one to be really useful.]

Also, you can always rescue champagne or sparkling wine that’s going flat by dropping a raisin or two into the bottle. Initially, the raisins sink. But then the few remaining bubbles will stick to their rough surface, increasing their buoyancy and lifting them up. When the raisins reach the surface, the bubbles pop, making the champagne seem as fresh and fizzy as when it was first poured. The flavour will not be affected.

NO-WASTE GINGER

With all its lumps and bumps, root ginger can be tricky to peel. The solution is not to use a peeler or knife but to gently rub the skin off using the back of a teaspoon. This makes it easy to follow every contour and minimises waste. [I have not tried this one and am dubious that this would work.]

ROSIER RED CABBAGE

To help vegetables maintain their colour throughout cooking, add a small squeeze of lemon juice to the pan.This is particularly effective with red veg (such as red cabbage) and white ones (such as turnips), as the acidity helps preserve their pigments or flavonoids. However, this won’t work for greens, which contain different pigments — chlorophyll. They will turn a drab olive colour when put in contact with lemon juice. [Handy for dinner parties when I actually care what the end result looks like.]

SPEEDY CHERRY TOMATO SLICING

Cutting cherry tomatoes individually is a bore. Instead, find two similarly-sized Tupperware tub lids, sit the tomatoes on one and place the other on top to form a kind of tomato sandwich. While holding the top lid down firmly to keep them in place, slice through all the tomatoes horizontally in one go with a sharp knife. Easy. [WHAA??? This sounds insane and you’re more likely to slice your hand. How many cherry tomatoes does one person or meal need?] 

INSTANT ICE CUBES

It may sound unlikely, but water that’s been boiled will freeze faster than water straight from the tap. The reason is something called the Mpemba effect, named after a Tanzanian man Erasto Mpemba who first brought this to the attention of physicists. [I feel like my Classic Cliff Claven brain knew this one but since forgot it.] 

EASY-PEEL GARLIC

Thump the whole bulb with the base of a saucepan to separate the cloves. Then place them in a metal bowl and put a similar one on top. Give the cloves a hearty shake and they should come out perfectly peeled. [I just haven’t found peeling garlic that difficult. I’d say that you could also just buy pre-peeled garlic if this is a major problem for you. Life Should Be Easy.]

SAVE SALTY SOUP

Simple! Just add a peeled and quartered potato. It will act as a sponge, absorbing the excess  salt and won’t leave a flavour. However, remove the potato before serving as it’ll be far too brackish to eat. Adding a cup of water or a pinch of brown sugar are alternatives. [Useful for all types because everybody makes mistakes, n’est-ce pas?]

RESCUE BURNT RICE

If you burn your rice, don’t despair. Just remove from the heat and place a piece of white bread on top of it for about ten minutes. This will extract and absorb the burnt flavour. The rice should be fine to eat, but be careful to leave the blackened pieces on the bottom of the pan when serving. [I don’t think I’ve ever made rice where I don’t burn it. I wonder if this trick works for burning other things!?]

GORGEOUS GRAVY

If a soup, sauce or gravy is too fatty or greasy, turn off the heat and let it sit for a few minutes. Much of the fat will then float  to the top. Next, place a few ice cubes on the surface. The grease and oil in close proximity to the ice will solidify and congeal, making it easier to scoop out. But be ready to remove it quickly, as the ice cubes won’t stay frozen for long.

GET RID OF ONION SMELLS

If your hands smell after chopping onions or garlic, rub them on a stainless steel spoon which will absorb the odour. The sulphur from the plants is attracted to and binds with one or more of the metals in the steel. Of course, wash the spoon afterwards. [Or goodness, just put it in the dishwasher or leave it until you do the dishes. I’m thinking Classics do it immediately and other more relaxed types let it sit until you do the dishes.]

RECYCLING COOKING OIL

If you want to re-use cooking oil without the taste and smells of what was previously cooked in it, pour it into a frying pan and heat on a low setting. Carefully add some sliced root ginger, letting the pieces soak for 15 minutes. At the right temperature, the slices should turn golden-brown very slowly. When you scoop them out, they will have absorbed any flavours and odours.

UPSIDE-DOWN CREAM TRICK

To make cottage cheese, creme fraiche or sour cream last longer, store the container upside down in the fridge. This will create a vacuum effect that inhibits the growth of bacteria, which causes food to spoil. Obviously ensure it’s a tight-fitting lid first.

NEVER LET MILK BOIL OVER

NEVER CRY CUTTING ONIONS

Peel and cut the onion in a large bowl of water or under a running tap. This will prevent the fumes which cause your eyes to water from escaping into the air. [This also sounds like a recipe for disaster where I’ll slice my hand]

You can also put lime juice on your knife before chopping. The acid reacts with chemical compounds of the onion, with the result that it releases less gas. [I suppose this is a perfect solution when I have a lime at the read for a G&T while I cook]

Another way is to chew gum, as this makes you breathe through your mouth and not your nose, which will help reduce the gas affecting your tear ducts.

STOP VEG ROTTING

Line the bottom of the fridge vegetable drawer with paper towels which will absorb the excess water that causes vegetables to decay. Similarly with fresh herbs, put them in a sealed plastic bag containing a paper towel.

CLEAN CORNERS OF VASES [ETC.]

Fill with water and drop in two Alka-Seltzer tablets. The bubbles — usually used to combat acid indigestion — will do the scrubbing.

Also, when cleaning cast-iron cookware, don’t use detergents. Just scrub them with salt and a clean, dry paper towel.

To clean an electric kettle which has calcium build-up, boil a mixture of half white vinegar and half water, then empty and rinse.

Boiling apple peel in aluminium pans for about 30 minutes will stop them looking dull. The acid in the peel will remove any stains  or discoloration.

And remove tea or coffee stains from your fine china by rubbing them with a mixture of baking soda, lemon juice and cream  of tartar.

Also, use tomato ketchup to polish copper. Just apply a thin coat and wipe off with a rag.