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121 Cooking Secrets to Impress Friends and Family
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into a pan that is not perfectly clean, otherwise the resulting build up could lead to
burned food.
7. Stop water from boiling over. To keep pans from boiling over when cooking, add a
thin layer of butter around the rim of the pan. This works well for rice, pasta and
potatoes.
8. Avoid oozing egg whites. Do your eggs ooze out some of their whites when you boil
them? This is because every egg contains an air pocket at the larger, rounded end.
When placed in simmering water the air pocket expands and creates a higher
atmospheric pressure within the egg than in the water. The fragile shell cracks from
the built-up pressure. Avoid this problem in the future by removing eggs from the
refrigerator and piercing the larger end with a pin. This will give the air a hole to
escape through!
9. Cut breads and cakes perfectly every time. It may
sound strange but dental floss can be used to slice
bread and cakes for a perfect slice every time. This is
also the easiest way to cut a layer cake in half so you
can add a filling. For perfect results freeze the cake
before cutting it.
10. Get more juice from citrus fruits. When a recipe calls
for the juice of lemons, limes or oranges, make sure
you get every last drop by first rolling the fruit under
your palm on a hard surface. Press down as hard as
you can as you roll. Then simply slice it in half and
squeeze. You’ll find you get significantly more juice to
add lots of flavor to your dish.
11. Peel garlic easily. Peeling garlic can be frustrating unless you know this little tip that
the pros use. Lay a clove flat on a hard surface and then pressing down hard on it
with the flat side of a large knife. Once you’ve pressed hard enough you’ll hear a
“pop” that tells you the peel has separated. Even with this trick your fingers will
undoubtedly smell like garlic. Get rid of that odor by washing them well with salt.
12. Repair cracked eggs. If you have an egg that cracks while boiling, just add a capful of
vinegar to the water and watch as the eggshell seals itself. Unfortunately though, if
the whites have begun to ooze out this trick won’t work.
13. Make sure the oil is hot before frying foods. Although they’re not the healthiest
option, fried foods sure do taste good. The key to perfect frying is to get the oil hot
before you put the food in. (Not so hot that it is smoking though – be careful!) If you
don’t get the oil hot, your food will absorb too much oil and taste greasy. To test