More Tips from the Kitchen

Individually frozen items

Beef strips, frozen & separate!

The old ice-cube tray method is still great

 

1. Peeling garlic can be a breeze!  Just place cloves in a microwave safe bowl and cook for 5 – 6 seconds (no longer or they will harden!) and the skins will slip right off and the flavor unaffected. They will glide right through your press.

2. For items to be stored in the freezer, a great way to keep them separate is to “pre-freeze” individually. Place well-spaced on a cooking sheet covered lightly with cooking spray. Once fully frozen, meats, vegetables, cookie dough…whatever… will slip right off to be stored in a zip-top bag in your freezer, and will never need to be pried apart!

3. Your back porch or deck can be converted into an “outdoor kitchen” with the help of an extension cord, a small table, countertop oven and a hot plate. Electric grills, slow-cookers, deep fryers, etc… all add to the mix and work as well outside as in. The only thing missing, is literally, the kitchen sink!
   It’s the best way of keeping cooking odors and grease out of your home.
   Once you cook outside, there’s no going back!

4. Peel celery stalks throughly with a potato peeler to remove stubborn strings for easy dicing. (You probably already knew that 🙂 !)

5. …and the old favorite, that I am almost ashamed to repeat, but will anyway – freeze leftover sauces in ice-cube trays, pop out, and store in your freezer in  labeled zip-lock storage bags to use when needed.  

   “Freeze with Ease!”