The Wheeling Gourmet» Tips & Tricks

Baking Sheet Under Casserole

Nicolas Steenhout — Mon, 09 May 2011 02:35:56 +0000

When baking casseroles or pies that might spill over in the oven, place a baking sheet under them.

The baking sheet will collect anything that spills, making it easier to keep your oven clean.

You may even want to line the baking sheet with some oven-proof paper, so the baking sheet itself doesn't get soiled.

The baking sheet shouldn't make a difference to cooking time. But if you are concerned it might make a difference, you can place it on the tray below your casserole. If you do that, the baking paper trick isn't as usable though.

Timing Your Cooking - Utilise The Down Time

Nicolas Steenhout — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 05:39:07 +0000

I was baking this morning and it occured to me that I should share how I organised my time. I had baked a carrot cake, which still needed icing, and needed to make some brownies.

The idea is to accomplish as much as possible, in as little time as possible.

Probably the combination that would be most wasteful of time would have been to make the carrot cake icing, then make the brownies. A better way would have been to make the brownies, and while that was in the oven, make the icing.

When something is cooking, it is "down time" that you can use to do other things.

The brownie recipe called for melting chocolate and butter together, then letting that cool down before continuing the recipe.

The most time efficient way was to

start the brownie recipe,
While the chocolate/butter mix was cooling down, measure the ingredients for the carrot cake icing.
Then finish the brownie recipe and put it on to bake,
while that was cooking, mixing/finishing the icing and putting it on the carrot cake.

This utilised as much of the "down time" as I could for what I had to accomplish.

When you cook multiple dishes, or complex dishes, always take that "down time" into account and see how you can utilise it.

Clean As You Go

Nicolas Steenhout — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 11:01:36 +0000

Clean as you go in the kitchen. It will be a lot easier to see where you’re at and to find your tools and bowls if you pile them nicely in the sink or even better, in the dishwasher if you have one.

Keep a clean, wet soapy rag to wipe your work area every once in a while. It is much easier to clean a little at a time and finish cooking in a clean kitchen than to wait till the end of your day and be faced with a mountain of dishes to do, counters to clean, etc.

Plastic Cups for Stored Ingredients

Nicolas Steenhout — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 11:01:23 +0000

Get plastic measuring cups that you keep in your dry ingredients containers.

This will cut down on the over all handling/washing of measuring cups. You can put these cups in containers for, rice, flour, sugar, brown sugar, etc.

Of course, that’s if you have enough room to store the dry ingredients in new containers and not the original packages they came in.

Keep Your Knives Sharp

Nicolas Steenhout — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 11:01:00 +0000

It's important to keep your knives sharp. Not only will they cut better, but a sharp knife is safer to use.

A sharp knife will penetrate the item you are cutting, instead of slipping and cutting your hands. Additionally, sharp knives leave a clean cut, which will be easier to heal. A dull knife is more likely to slip, and rip the skin rather than cut it. Jagged edge cuts don't fast nor well.

What To Do With Ripe Bananas

Nicolas Steenhout — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 11:01:33 +0000

If you have bananas that are getting too ripe and you don't have enough or don't feel like doing muffins or bread or cream pie, peel them (), wrap them in wax paper and freeze them.

When you have enough for a particular recipe, or if you are in the mood, you can then use them. Or you can use them still frozen in milkshakes and smoothies.

If you haven't frozen them before putting the bananas in the freezer, you’ll have a devil of a time peeling them if they are frozen.

Herbs & Spices

Nicolas Steenhout — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 11:01:35 +0000

Use herbs and spices in your dishes. They often make the difference between a bland dish and a great dish.

Don’t be afraid of experimenting. While there are some herbs that go better with some dishes, most herbs will grandly improve most dishes.

Keeping Brown Sugar Soft

Nicolas Steenhout — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 11:01:25 +0000

Brown sugar stays reasonably soft in the fridge. A piece of apple or slice of bread in the brown sugar will almost guarantee it remains soft.

Rubber Mats

Nicolas Steenhout — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 11:01:13 +0000

You can find non-skid rubber mats or double-sided suction cups to place under bowls or cutting boards to prevent them from sliding around when you use them.

These mats are usualy quite affordable and make a world of difference.

Easy New and Interesting Soups

Nicolas Steenhout — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 11:01:12 +0000

Do yant a new soup, yet don’t want to make it from scratch? Mix two cans of different soups, like cream of tomatoes and mushroom soup. You’ll get interesting results most of the time…

This is a trick I remember from my very first cookbook when I was a kid. Try it, it works!