A Potpourri of Kitchen Tricks and Tips
As I’m always looking for clever ways to work smarter in the kitchen, I often discover good ideas that should be shared. Read on for a potpourri of kitchen tricks and tips that will make your work easier and save you time as well.
A very pretty way to make fresh herbs last: If you’re tired of buying fresh herbs only to see them wilt within a couple of days, pull your greens out of the refrigerator. I’ve discovered that they love it when you give them the bouquet treatment.
Simply cut the stems (of parsley, cilantro, mint, dill), then arrange them in a vase or pitcher filled with a few inches of water; snip leaves when you need them. As long as you change the water daily, herbs can last up to a week at room temperature, while beautifying your kitchen at the same time.
Cilantro stems: Cilantro stems have a milder (though still distinct) flavor than the leaves. So use the stems only when you want a slightly less pungent cilantro presence.
Onion Peeling: The experts at America’s Test Kitchen say that to peel onions easily, just remove the root end and drop the entire onion in boiling water for 30 seconds. The peel will easily slip off.
NO-stick votives: Removing burned-down votives from holders can be a troublesome and time-consuming task. Solve the problem by filling holders with a ½-inch of water before placing the candles. The liquid will prevent wax from adhering to the vessel. When it’s time to replace the spent candle, the used one will pop out easily.
Getting sugar to dissolve in iced tea: First, stop stirring. Instead, sweeten your iced teas with syrups infused with mint or lemon, flavoring the brew at the same time.
For mint, you’ll need ½ cup packed fresh mint; for lemon, you’ll want the zest and juice of 2 lemons. In a small saucepan, combine mint leaves or lemon zest + juice with 1 cup sugar and 1½ cups of water. Bring this to a boil; allow the sugar to dissolve and then remove the pan from the heat. Let the liquid cool; strain through a fine sieve. Use about 4 teaspoons of flavored syrup per tall glass of tea. Syrups will keep in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks.
NO-roll asparagus: Don’t you love grilled asparagus? But picking fallen stalks from the grill coals hardly seems worth the effort, right? Stop the asparagus roll-and-drop pattern by skewering several stalks together before placing them on the grill. And they can be easily flipped for an even grill this way, also.
Start by soaking 6-inch bamboo skewers in water for at least 30 minutes to protect them from burning. Wash and trim asparagus stalks. For 2 servings, skewer 5 to 10 stalks about ½ inch from the bases and about 1½ inches from the tips (numbers of stalks depend on how fat they are). Lightly drizzle both sides with extra virgin olive oil and season well (freshly cracked pepper and garlic salt is nice). Grill 3 to 5 minutes per side.
A very pretty way to make fresh herbs last: If you’re tired of buying fresh herbs only to see them wilt within a couple of days, pull your greens out of the refrigerator. I’ve discovered that they love it when you give them the bouquet treatment.
Simply cut the stems (of parsley, cilantro, mint, dill), then arrange them in a vase or pitcher filled with a few inches of water; snip leaves when you need them. As long as you change the water daily, herbs can last up to a week at room temperature, while beautifying your kitchen at the same time.
Cilantro stems: Cilantro stems have a milder (though still distinct) flavor than the leaves. So use the stems only when you want a slightly less pungent cilantro presence.
Onion Peeling: The experts at America’s Test Kitchen say that to peel onions easily, just remove the root end and drop the entire onion in boiling water for 30 seconds. The peel will easily slip off.
NO-stick votives: Removing burned-down votives from holders can be a troublesome and time-consuming task. Solve the problem by filling holders with a ½-inch of water before placing the candles. The liquid will prevent wax from adhering to the vessel. When it’s time to replace the spent candle, the used one will pop out easily.
Getting sugar to dissolve in iced tea: First, stop stirring. Instead, sweeten your iced teas with syrups infused with mint or lemon, flavoring the brew at the same time.
For mint, you’ll need ½ cup packed fresh mint; for lemon, you’ll want the zest and juice of 2 lemons. In a small saucepan, combine mint leaves or lemon zest + juice with 1 cup sugar and 1½ cups of water. Bring this to a boil; allow the sugar to dissolve and then remove the pan from the heat. Let the liquid cool; strain through a fine sieve. Use about 4 teaspoons of flavored syrup per tall glass of tea. Syrups will keep in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks.
NO-roll asparagus: Don’t you love grilled asparagus? But picking fallen stalks from the grill coals hardly seems worth the effort, right? Stop the asparagus roll-and-drop pattern by skewering several stalks together before placing them on the grill. And they can be easily flipped for an even grill this way, also.
Start by soaking 6-inch bamboo skewers in water for at least 30 minutes to protect them from burning. Wash and trim asparagus stalks. For 2 servings, skewer 5 to 10 stalks about ½ inch from the bases and about 1½ inches from the tips (numbers of stalks depend on how fat they are). Lightly drizzle both sides with extra virgin olive oil and season well (freshly cracked pepper and garlic salt is nice). Grill 3 to 5 minutes per side.
Alice Osborne
Weekly Newsletter Contributor since 2006
Email the author! alice@dvo.com
