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121 Cooking Secrets to Impress Friends and Family

parchment paper. Ensure that the vegetables are evenly distributed and not

overlapping one another.

68. Ripen tomatoes overnight. Putting green tomatoes in a brown paper bag with an

overripe banana can quickly ripen them. By the morning your green tomatoes will be

red and ready to eat!

69. Perfectly steam vegetables every time. Steaming is an easy way to cook vegetables

and is a great way to retain their water-soluble vitamins. Almost all vegetables can

be steamed except for starchy ones like potatoes. When steaming, make sure that

vegetables are cut into equal-sized pieces so they cook evenly. To steam them, place

them in a bamboo or metal steams, place the lid on the steamer and put it over a

saucepan of boiling water. Always steam your vegetables with the highest possible

heat to avoid sogginess and get them cooked faster.

70. Make sautéed onions even sweeter. For tastier sautéed onions, add a few drops of

honey to the pan after heating the oil or butter and before adding the onions. Or if

you don’t have any honey, add some sugar on top of the onions once they start to

soften. This is especially tasty if you’ll be using the onions on a pizza, steak or

hamburger.

71. Easily peel peaches and tomatoes.

Whenever you have to peel peaches or

tomatoes, the easiest way is to first

immerse them in boiling water for 30

seconds. Then use a sharp paring knife to

remove the peel.

72. Make delicious salads. If you’ve only

ever used iceberg lettuce to make salads,

now is the time to branch out and try

something new. Red and green leaf lettuces make an excellent – and healthier –

alternative. To make the perfect salad be sure to get yourself an inexpensive salad

spinner. Nothing is more unappetizing than soggy lettuce leaves. And the extra water

will dilute the flavor of your dressing.

73. Steam vegetables without a steamer. Don’t have a steamer? Make enough small

aluminium foil balls to cover the bottom of your pan and fill with water to half the

height of the foil balls. Boil the water, and once it is boiling, add whatever you are

cooking. Expect it to be finished in about 10-15 minutes.

74. Use pureed vegetables. Pureed vegetables make an excellent thickener for sauces

and stews. Consider pureeing your leftovers and freezing them in small plastic bags.

Just be sure to heat thoroughly before adding to a hot sauce.