3 Articles Rolled into. Originally I was going to publish these 3 Articles as an exhaustive work centered on the Titles of each of them. However, I was unable to fully verify several ‘facts’ in each of the exhaustive works, I have decided to roll all three into this Article for the sake of simplicity. The three exhaustive works might be published on a later date, depending upon whether or not I can verify the disputed facts or not. That being said, here are the three Articles. Enjoy – Bird
7 Kitchen Tricks You Should Know
Sometimes the simplest solutions are the best. Ironically, many of the following tricks for fixing common kitchen dilemmas aren’t widely known. But tuck them in your proverbial apron and you’ll have a far easier time resolving the following problems next time you face them:
• How to Open Stubborn Pistachios
Pistachios are way too expensive to waste. Yet many of the delicious roasted nuts arrived in shells with little to no opening. Rather than attempting to bite them open or ruin your nails in a struggle you can’t win, next time try this foolproof method for opening stubborn shells: Take one half of a shell, stick it into even the littlest opening of an unopened pistachio, and turn the shell half like a key. The pistachio will pop right open!
• How to Easily Remove Egg Shells Dropped into Eggs
It happens to all of us: You crack open an egg and a tiny piece of its shell falls into the bowl along with the raw egg. If you’ve tried to get it out with your finger or a spoon, you know the slippery dilemma you face. Next time, wet your finger with water before attempting to fish it out. You’ll be shocked at how easily it can be grabbed and eliminated.
• How to Make Burnt Pots Look New again
Considering how much a nice set of pots and pans costs, you’d expect them to be easy to clean. But even the best stainless steel cooking gear gets black with use and cooked-on remnants. If you've attempted to scrub them clean you have probably succumbed to the notion that they will never glisten again. But, if you spray pots with oven cleaner and leave them for a couple of hours the grime will wipe right off! Likewise with stainless kettles.
• How to Refresh Crystallized Honey
You know that jar or bottle of honey that’s hardened and crystallized on your shelf? It can easily be brought back to its easy-to-pour glory if you let it sit for 15 minutes in boiling water that has cooled for five minutes.
• How to Soften Hardened Brown Sugar
Brown sugar hardens as its moisture evaporates over time in the cupboard. But you can easily re-moisturize it by placing the open sugar bag in a microwave with a cup of water next to it and zapping it on high for three minutes. Or you can place the sugar in a bowl, cover the sugar with a double layer of wet paper towels, and then cover the bowl with foil or plastic wrap and let it stand overnight.
• How to Remove Stains from Wooden Cutting Boards
Can rings and wine and strawberries stains don’t help the style of your cutting board. To get out stains, try sprinkling the board with salt rubbing it with lemon. For more stubborn stains, try an abrasive antibacterial kitchen cleaner and scouring pad. For the toughest, reach for sandpaper! And of course wash thoroughly afterward!
• How to Salvage Overripe Fruit
Fruit is expensive, yet it goes bad so quickly and easily. But you don’t need to toss your bruised or overripe bananas, peaches, or strawberries. The minute you see your fruit going bad, wash it, slice it, peel it (in the case of bananas) and freeze it in sealable bags. Then you have instant smoothie or pie makings anytime!
Microwave Food Preparation Tips
Microwave ovens are safe to use for defrosting, reheating, and cooking. However "cold spots" can occur in microwaved foods because of the irregular way the microwaves enter the oven and are absorbed by the food.
1. If food does not cook evenly, bacteria may survive and cause food-borne illness. Simple techniques to minimize the cold spots include stirring and rotating the food once or twice during microwaving, arranging foods uniformly in a covered dish, and turning large foods upside down during cooking.
2. When defrosting food in the microwave, remove food from store wrap first. Foam trays and plastic wraps may melt and cause chemicals to migrate into the food.
3. Always cook meat and poultry immediately after micro thawing. Some areas of the frozen food may begin to cook during the defrosting time.
4. Holding partially cooked food is not recommended because any bacteria present wouldn’t have been destroyed. Remember to take food that has been defrosting out of the microwave.
5. Never stuff a bird that will be cooked in a microwave because it may not cook thoroughly.
6. Utensils that are safe for microwave use include glass, glass ceramic cookware, and those labeled for microwave use.
7. Don’t use cold storage containers such as margarine tubs since they can melt from hot food and can cause chemical migration.
8. Wax paper, oven cooking bags, parchment paper and white microwave paper towels are safe for microwave use.
9. Never use brown grocery bags, newspaper, metal, or foil in the microwave.
10. Foods being reheated in the microwave should be steaming and hot to the touch, or at least 165° F. Cover foods and stir them from the outside in, to encourage safe even heating.
11. Due to the possibility of uneven heating, microwaving baby food and formula is not recommended because hot spots could burn the baby’s mouth.
12. To ensure a more even distribution of heat when cooking large pieces of meat in the microwave, first, remove the bone, cook on medium power (50%) for longer periods of time, and rotate once or twice during cooking.
13. If meat is only partially cooked in the microwave, remember to transfer it to another heat source such as a barbecue grill immediately to complete the cooking process.
14. The use of a meat thermometer or oven’s temperature probe is recommended to verify the food has reached a safe temperature.
15. Check in several places to be sure red meat is 160° F; poultry, 180° F. Check for visual signs of doneness. Juices should run clear and meat should not be pink.
16. Safety in cooking should be a priority, eat well and be safe –Bird
How to Store Your Leftover Turkey
Store leftover turkey properly to prevent food poisoning. From the time you take the turkey out of the oven, you have 2 hours to serve it, eat it, and then refrigerate or freeze the leftovers - the turkey, stuffing and gravy. Why just two hours? Because bacteria that cause food poisoning can multiply to dangerous levels on perishable food left longer than 2 hours at room temperature. It’s important to take out all of the stuffing from the turkey soon after you remove the bird from the oven. Extra stuffing can be kept hot in the oven at 200° F while you eat, or should be refrigerated within two hours of cooking. Cut the turkey meat off the bones.
1. Store turkey leftovers properly to prevent bacterial growth.
2. Large quantities should be divided into smaller portions and stored in several small or shallow covered containers. That’s because food in small amounts will get cold more quickly. The temperature of the refrigerator should be right around 40° F or slightly below.
3. Leftover turkey will keep in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. Stuffing and gravy should be used within 1 or 2 days.
4. You should reheat any leftover gravy to a rolling boil or 165 ° F before serving.
5. For longer storage, pack turkey in freezer paper or heavy-duty aluminum foil and freeze it.
6. Such proper wrapping will prevent "freezer burn". Freezer burn is the white, dried-out patches on the surface of food that make it tough and tasteless.
7. Now, don’t forget to date your packages and use the oldest ones first.
8. Remember that any frozen cooked turkey should be last 4-6 months, while frozen stuffing and gravy should be used within two months. Foods frozen longer than 6 months will remain safe to eat but may become dry and lose flavor.
- Bird
7 Kitchen Tricks You Should Know
Sometimes the simplest solutions are the best. Ironically, many of the following tricks for fixing common kitchen dilemmas aren’t widely known. But tuck them in your proverbial apron and you’ll have a far easier time resolving the following problems next time you face them:
• How to Open Stubborn Pistachios
Pistachios are way too expensive to waste. Yet many of the delicious roasted nuts arrived in shells with little to no opening. Rather than attempting to bite them open or ruin your nails in a struggle you can’t win, next time try this foolproof method for opening stubborn shells: Take one half of a shell, stick it into even the littlest opening of an unopened pistachio, and turn the shell half like a key. The pistachio will pop right open!
• How to Easily Remove Egg Shells Dropped into Eggs
It happens to all of us: You crack open an egg and a tiny piece of its shell falls into the bowl along with the raw egg. If you’ve tried to get it out with your finger or a spoon, you know the slippery dilemma you face. Next time, wet your finger with water before attempting to fish it out. You’ll be shocked at how easily it can be grabbed and eliminated.
• How to Make Burnt Pots Look New again
Considering how much a nice set of pots and pans costs, you’d expect them to be easy to clean. But even the best stainless steel cooking gear gets black with use and cooked-on remnants. If you've attempted to scrub them clean you have probably succumbed to the notion that they will never glisten again. But, if you spray pots with oven cleaner and leave them for a couple of hours the grime will wipe right off! Likewise with stainless kettles.
• How to Refresh Crystallized Honey
You know that jar or bottle of honey that’s hardened and crystallized on your shelf? It can easily be brought back to its easy-to-pour glory if you let it sit for 15 minutes in boiling water that has cooled for five minutes.
• How to Soften Hardened Brown Sugar
Brown sugar hardens as its moisture evaporates over time in the cupboard. But you can easily re-moisturize it by placing the open sugar bag in a microwave with a cup of water next to it and zapping it on high for three minutes. Or you can place the sugar in a bowl, cover the sugar with a double layer of wet paper towels, and then cover the bowl with foil or plastic wrap and let it stand overnight.
• How to Remove Stains from Wooden Cutting Boards
Can rings and wine and strawberries stains don’t help the style of your cutting board. To get out stains, try sprinkling the board with salt rubbing it with lemon. For more stubborn stains, try an abrasive antibacterial kitchen cleaner and scouring pad. For the toughest, reach for sandpaper! And of course wash thoroughly afterward!
• How to Salvage Overripe Fruit
Fruit is expensive, yet it goes bad so quickly and easily. But you don’t need to toss your bruised or overripe bananas, peaches, or strawberries. The minute you see your fruit going bad, wash it, slice it, peel it (in the case of bananas) and freeze it in sealable bags. Then you have instant smoothie or pie makings anytime!
Microwave Food Preparation Tips
Microwave ovens are safe to use for defrosting, reheating, and cooking. However "cold spots" can occur in microwaved foods because of the irregular way the microwaves enter the oven and are absorbed by the food.
1. If food does not cook evenly, bacteria may survive and cause food-borne illness. Simple techniques to minimize the cold spots include stirring and rotating the food once or twice during microwaving, arranging foods uniformly in a covered dish, and turning large foods upside down during cooking.
2. When defrosting food in the microwave, remove food from store wrap first. Foam trays and plastic wraps may melt and cause chemicals to migrate into the food.
3. Always cook meat and poultry immediately after micro thawing. Some areas of the frozen food may begin to cook during the defrosting time.
4. Holding partially cooked food is not recommended because any bacteria present wouldn’t have been destroyed. Remember to take food that has been defrosting out of the microwave.
5. Never stuff a bird that will be cooked in a microwave because it may not cook thoroughly.
6. Utensils that are safe for microwave use include glass, glass ceramic cookware, and those labeled for microwave use.
7. Don’t use cold storage containers such as margarine tubs since they can melt from hot food and can cause chemical migration.
8. Wax paper, oven cooking bags, parchment paper and white microwave paper towels are safe for microwave use.
9. Never use brown grocery bags, newspaper, metal, or foil in the microwave.
10. Foods being reheated in the microwave should be steaming and hot to the touch, or at least 165° F. Cover foods and stir them from the outside in, to encourage safe even heating.
11. Due to the possibility of uneven heating, microwaving baby food and formula is not recommended because hot spots could burn the baby’s mouth.
12. To ensure a more even distribution of heat when cooking large pieces of meat in the microwave, first, remove the bone, cook on medium power (50%) for longer periods of time, and rotate once or twice during cooking.
13. If meat is only partially cooked in the microwave, remember to transfer it to another heat source such as a barbecue grill immediately to complete the cooking process.
14. The use of a meat thermometer or oven’s temperature probe is recommended to verify the food has reached a safe temperature.
15. Check in several places to be sure red meat is 160° F; poultry, 180° F. Check for visual signs of doneness. Juices should run clear and meat should not be pink.
16. Safety in cooking should be a priority, eat well and be safe –Bird
How to Store Your Leftover Turkey
Store leftover turkey properly to prevent food poisoning. From the time you take the turkey out of the oven, you have 2 hours to serve it, eat it, and then refrigerate or freeze the leftovers - the turkey, stuffing and gravy. Why just two hours? Because bacteria that cause food poisoning can multiply to dangerous levels on perishable food left longer than 2 hours at room temperature. It’s important to take out all of the stuffing from the turkey soon after you remove the bird from the oven. Extra stuffing can be kept hot in the oven at 200° F while you eat, or should be refrigerated within two hours of cooking. Cut the turkey meat off the bones.
1. Store turkey leftovers properly to prevent bacterial growth.
2. Large quantities should be divided into smaller portions and stored in several small or shallow covered containers. That’s because food in small amounts will get cold more quickly. The temperature of the refrigerator should be right around 40° F or slightly below.
3. Leftover turkey will keep in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. Stuffing and gravy should be used within 1 or 2 days.
4. You should reheat any leftover gravy to a rolling boil or 165 ° F before serving.
5. For longer storage, pack turkey in freezer paper or heavy-duty aluminum foil and freeze it.
6. Such proper wrapping will prevent "freezer burn". Freezer burn is the white, dried-out patches on the surface of food that make it tough and tasteless.
7. Now, don’t forget to date your packages and use the oldest ones first.
8. Remember that any frozen cooked turkey should be last 4-6 months, while frozen stuffing and gravy should be used within two months. Foods frozen longer than 6 months will remain safe to eat but may become dry and lose flavor.
- Bird
