10 kitchen time saving tips: 1. Speed up ripening. Be a total magician and morph a banana from green to yellow or a peach from crunchy to juicy all with the help of a paper bag. When fruit is tossed into the bag, concentrated ethylene gas helps it ripen faster. 2. Slow down rotting. Store tomatoes stem end down to keep them from rotting as quickly. This prevents air from entering and moisture from exiting the scar where the tomato once attached to the vine. Storing them at room temperature rather than in the fridge also makes them last longer. 3. Give bananas a longer life. Keep bananas fresher, longer by wrapping the end of the bunch with plastic wrap. Better yet, separate each banana. The plastic wrap blocks ethylene gases from releasing out of the stem, consequently ripening the fruit too fast (see number 8). 4. Keep potatoes white. Cover shredded or diced potatoes with cold water before cooking to prevent the spuds from turning that gross grayish/brown caused by the release of a starch that makes them oxidize. 5. Keep cut fruit from browning. You’ve probably heard that a little squeeze of lemon juice can keep apple slices from looking unappetizing. A mixture of one part honey to two parts water works much the same to keep fruit from browning. The citric acid and vitamin C in lemon juice as well as a peptide in honey slows down the oxidation process that causes browning. 6. Prevent brown sugar from hardening. Help brown sugar stay soft and scoopable by tossing an orange peel or a slice of apple along with the sugar into an airtight container. For a quick fix, microwave brown sugar next to a small glass of water. The moisture within the microwave will help break up the block of sugar. 7. Avoid plastic wrap disasters. Had enough of wrangling plastic wrap? Store the roll in the fridge to store leftovers with less of a hassle. Chilling the wrap makes it easier to transport it from the roll to your bowl. 8. Get creative with covering food. They’re known for hair hackery, but shower caps are not limited to the bathroom. Cover leftovers with a fresh cap (right in their dishes) to keep bugs and unidentifiable particles from tainting food. They’re reusable and a helluva lot easier than repeatedly removing and replacing plastic wrap or tin foil. 9. Check if eggs are still (incredibly) edible. Gently place raw eggs in a bowl of cold water to see if they’ve gone bad. If the egg sinks to the bottom, it’s a-okay. If it floats the egg has seen better days. Over time, the liquid inside eggs evaporates through the porous shell, leaving a gas bubble inside. The floatier it is, the older it is. 10. Easily scoop out squash seeds. Scoop seeds from vegetables such as squash and pumpkin with an ice cream scoop. Because the edge of the scoop is sharp, it cuts through the fibery, gooey stuff inside the squash easier than your hand or a regular spoon.
Posted on: Thu, 22 May 2014 22:34:48 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015