148 Cooking Tips!!

148 COOKING TIPS

Tip 1: Golden colour when you roast your chicken? To turn your chicken golden colour when you roast it, spread it with lemon juice all over before you introduce it in the oven.

Tip 2: To avoid lettuce from turning brown quicker? If you cut the lettuce with an ordinary metal knife, the edges will quickly turn brown, to avoid this, use a plastic knife.

Tip 3: To keep fresh herbs truly fresh? Rinse bunches, dry thoroughly, wrap in a plastic bag and store in the crisper (plastic/glass roll out drawers at the bottom of the fridge) section of the refrigerator.

Tip 4: To keep fish really fresh? Immediately after purchasing (or catching), place in a double plastic bag filled with water and place near the freezer wall. Fish should never be refrozen.

Tip 5: Soup too salty? If a soup or stew is too salty, add raw cut potatoes. Discard them after they have cooked - they will have absorbed the salt.

Tip 6: Are your eggs fresh? Immerse it in a pan of cool, salted water. If it sinks, it is fresh. If it rises to the surface, throw it away.

Tip 7: What is the preferred oil? OLIVE OIL is the preferred oil because it is rich in monounsaturated fat and has 30-40 different antioxidants. Try using a good quality extra virgin olive oil on salads. Its strong flavour means you don't need to use as much. If salad greens are dried well after washing, less dressing is needed.

Tip 8: To store eggs longer? Crack open the eggs and add individually to an ice cube tray. When completely frozen, put the egg cubes in a sealed freezer bag and use as needed.

Tip 9: Burnt food odours To neutralize burnt food odours in the house... mix 1/2 cup whole cloves with 2 cups water in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Simmer cloves for 15-30 minutes. The house smells wonderful and the burnt odor is gone.

Tip 10: BBQ Tips Trim excess fat from your meats to prevent sudden flare-ups. To ensure more even cooking, bring foods to room temperature before placing them on the grill.

Tip 11: Browning - Sticking to pan If you are browning meat (or anything else in oil) and it sticks to the pan when you try to turn it. Take the pan off the burner and allow it to sit for a minute or two. The moisture in the food will loosen it from the pan and you can then turn it easily. Unless it is burnt to a crisp.

Tip 12: Boiling Liquid Tip Never leave a spoon or metal object in a pot that you wish to come to a quick boil. The metals deflect heat thus lengthening the time for the contents to reach the boiling point.

Tip 13: Low Fat Cooking - measuring the oil you use Get into the habit of measuring the oil you use while you cook, rather than just pouring it out of the bottle. It will be much easier to moderate the amount you use.

Tip 14: Low Fat Cooking - Use non-stick cookware Use non-stick cookware so that you don't have to use as much, if any, fat. When sautéing, use a small amount of chicken broth or wine instead of butter or oil.

Tip 15: Low Fat Cooking - fat-free broth To make fat-free broth, chill your meat or chicken broth. The fat will rise to the top, and you can remove it before using the broth.

Tip 16: Low Fat Cooking - leave the skin on your fruits Many vegetables and fruits, including potatoes and apples, retain many of their nutrients in their skin. So when possible, leave the skin on your fruits and vegetables and cook them whole.

Tip 17: Fresher Tomatoes Sunlight doesn't ripen tomatoes, warmth does. Store tomatoes with stems pointed down and they will stay fresher, longer.

Tip 18: Avoiding over - spilling milk when boiling Before pouring milk into a pot for boiling rub butter along the top edge and inside lip of the pot. When the milk foams up, it will stop over spilling when it hits the butter.

Tip 19: Fresher Celery and Lettuce Store celery and lettuce in paper bags and not plastic. Leave the outside leaves and stalks alone until ready to use.

Tip 20: Cooking Noodles Oriental noodles are cooked (unlike Italian pasta) until they are tender. However, avoid overcooking because it will make them soggy.

Tip 21: Buying canned fish? Look for fish canned in water as it has less fat than fish canned in oil and less salt than fish canned in brine.

Tip 22: To absorb fat from the soup? Place a piece of tissue paper or lettuce on the surface of soup, then remove and discard it.

Tip 23: To preserve food longer in the refrigerator? You must not introduce hot food in the refrigerator, let them cool off first. Clean the fish before introducing to the fridge and put some parsley to avoid bad smells.

Tip 24: To peal tomatoes and carrots easier? In order to peal easier tomatoes and carrots, just introduce them in boiling water for a few seconds as soon as they are out you can peal the tomatoes with your hands and the carrots with a kitchen rag.

Tip 25: Dress for safety Wear shoes with flat soles to minimize falls and help you stand in a balanced position. Leather uppers with closed toes protect from burns; cloth shoes absorb spilled liquids and prolong burning.

Tip 26: Adding Garlic to Recipes When a recipe calls for adding oil, garlic, and onions to a pan, always add garlic last. This keeps it from burning and tasting bitter.

Tip 27: Baking Potatoes Use a potato with a high starch content... it makes for a puffier baked potato. Look for potatoes that have a smooth skin and no sprouts. Stay away from those with wrinkly skin or soft spots. Store your potatoes in a cool dark spot away from your onions. And don't store them for months on end. A couple of weeks is what you should plan for.

Tip 28: Milk Does a Fishy Good If you prefer your fish to be mild and as non-fishy as possible, soak it in milk for at least 1/2 hour. The milk removes most of the fishy taste and helps frozen and re-thawed fish to taste fresher.

Tip 29: Grilling or Boiling Placing food on a rack and cooking with these methods lets the fat drip away from meat or poultry. It is also a tasty way to cook fish steaks or whole fish. For extra flavor, try marinating food before putting it over the coals or under the broiler. Skewered vegetables also taste great browned over an open flame.

Tip 30: Poaching To poach chicken or fish, immerse it in a pan of simmering liquid on top of the stove. This method works especially well when you serve the food with a sauce made of pureed vegetables and herbs.

Tip 31: Stir-frying When stir-frying, always heat any wok for one or two minutes before you add any ingredients, including oil.

Tip 32: Steaming Steam can burn; be careful to lift the lid away from you to let steam escape before adding water or removing food.

Tip 33: Cutting - Julienne and Shredding

To get narrow strips, slice the ingredient into pieces of roughly 1/8-inch thickness, stack two or three of these pieces and cut them again into 1/8-inch sticks.

Tip 34: Soaking Dried ingredient such as black mushrooms, tangerine peel and shrimp are used in many Asian recipes and must be rehydrated by soaking for about 30 minutes in warm liquid.

Tip 35: Roll-cutting For carrots, zucchini and other cylindrical vegetables, hold the knife perpendicular to the board and slice down on a diagonal angle, then roll the vegetable a quarter turn and slice at the same angle; keep rolling and slicing a quarter turn at a time.

Tip 36: Crushing A fast, easy way to smash ginger, garlic and lemongrass, place the knife flat on the ingredient with the blade facing away and press down hard on the blade with the palm of your hand.

Tip 37: Slicing Hold the knife vertical or horizontal to the cutting board and cut straight across the ingredient.

Tip 38: Toasting Bring out the flavor and aroma in nuts, Sichuan peppercorns, sesame seeds, coriander seeds and other dried spices by gently toasting them in a small dry skillet over medium heat until golden brown.

Tip 39: Steaming - Prevent Foods From Sticking Line the steamer with clean damp cloth (a dish towel works well), parchment paper or fresh greens such as napa cabbage or lettuce to prevent foods from sticking.

Tip 40: Steaming - Importance Of Water Level Check water level periodically and add boiling water as needed.

Tip 41: Stir-Frying - Work In Order Work in order adding the aromatic seasonings first, then the protein, then the denser vegetables and finally the softer, leafier vegetables.

Tip 42: Stir-Frying - Quickly And Evenly Cut ingredients into uniform, bite-size pieces to cook quickly and evenly.

Tip 43: Microwave - How To Choose The Correct Food Choose foods that cook well in moist heat: chicken, fish, ground meat, vegetables, sauces and soups.

Tip 44: Microwave - How To Cook Evenly Pieces that are about equal in size and shape will cook more uniformly.

Tip 45: Microwave - How Much To Reduce The Liquid You can reduce the liquid used in cooking beverages, soups, vegetables, fruits, and main dishes by about one third because less evaporates in microwave cooking.

Tip 46: Microwave - How To Choose Container Choose a microwave-safe container slightly larger than the dish required for cooking the recipe in a conventional oven.

Tip 47: Frying - Choosing Frying Oil Look for an oil with a high smoke point, such as peanut, soybean or safflower oil. Safflower tends to have lighter taste.

Tip 48: Frying - Choosing A Frying Pan Or Pot Choose a pot that's larger than the burner you'll be cooking on and never fill it more than half-full of oil. Oil catches fire easily and a large pot helps avoids spills.

Tip 49: Frying - Draining Fried Foods Drain well by holding each piece over the pot as you remove it, letting any oil drip back into the pot.

Tip 50: Frying - Discarding Oil That Has Already Been Used Allow the hot oil to cool before moving the pot and disposing of the oil.

Tip 51: Frying - To Ensure Even Cooking

The oil should bubble up freely around each piece and the pieces should never touch each other while they're frying.

Tip 52: Frying - Handling Oil That Has Begun To Smoke Too Much Discard it and start over. Smoke indicates burned oil, which will give fried foods an unpleasant flavour.

Tip 53: Frying - Recycling Fat After Deep-frying Cool it, then clarify it by straining it through a paper coffee filter. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Tip 54: Frying - To Avoid Burning Your Hands Always use a pair of tongs to place food into hot fat.

Tip 55: Cooling Cookie Sheets Cool cookie sheets between batches to keep unbaked cookies from melting and thinning at the edges before they can be set by the heat of the oven.

Tip 56: Doubling Cookie Sheets Double-panning is a good idea whenever you bake cookies because there's little chance of their burning on the bottom thanks to the insulating layer of air. If you use flat cookie sheets rather than the "waffled", put pennies between the two to act as spacers.

Tip 57: Cookies in the Lower Part of Oven If you must use the lower third of your oven when baking cookies stack two pans or cookie sheets together to act as a buffer against the high bottom heat.

Tip 58: Reusing Hot Cookie Sheets If you run out of cookie sheets while baking, spoon the remaining cookie dough on large sheets of buttered aluminum foil. When a cookie sheet becomes free, rinse it with cold water to cool, shake off excess water, and lay the foil with the cookie dough right on the sheet.

Tip 59: Boneless and Skinless Chicken Breasts The breast meat can be cut away from the rib cage before or after the legs are removed. Make a cut along the breast bone, and then carefully cut the meat away from the rib bones. If the wings are still attached, cut through the joint where the wings join the breast.

Tip 60: Braising - A Classic Cooking Technique This classic cooking technique calls for food to be browned in hot fat, then covered and slowly cooked in a small amount of liquid over low heat. Braising is ideal for preparing tough cuts of meat, and firm-textured vegetables, such as cabbage, leeks and turnips.

Tip 61: Grilling - Using a Charcoal Grill The first challenge is to test the fire's heat level by knowing how hot the fire is. A simple test is to see how long you can hold your hand 5" above the cooking surface. One second means you've got a searing-hot fire. Two seconds equals medium-hot. Three to four seconds is a medium fire. Five seconds equals medium-low. After 6 seconds, you've got a low fire on your hands.

Tip 62: Chilies - Handle With Care Remove stalk of chili and make a slip to remove the seeds, scraping them out with the tip of a small sharp knife; or cut the chili in two lengthways and remove the central membrane together with the seeds. The seeds are the hottest part of the chili. It you wish to make some of the fiery hot sambals, the chilies are used seeds and all. Generally ground or pureed in a blender.

Tip 63: Frying - To avoid splatters Invest in an inexpensive splatter screen, available in most stores' cookware sections, or cover the food with a large mesh sieve. Make sure that the food does not have water on it before adding it to the hot fat. It also helps to gently submerge and remove the food individually with a long-handled skimmer.

Tip 64: Frying - Dousing a fat fire in a pan Place a lid over it or using baking soda which will also put out a fat fire.

Tip 65: Frying - Avoiding a fishy flavor When frying a variety of foods that include seafood, fry the fish or seafood last. Otherwise, once the oil has absorbed the fish aroma, it will flavor the other foods that are cooked in it and make them smell fishy.

Tip 66: Frying - To avoid oil from blackening when deep-frying Add a wedge of carrot, which will act as a magnet for black flecks that can accumulate when deep-frying.

Tip 67: How to remove fat - and reuse it After you roast meat or poultry, chill the drippings in the refrigerator. Once cooled, the fat will rise to the top and harden; you can remove it easily and save the stock to use in stews, sauces and soups.

Tip 68: How to figure serving sizes When figuring serving sizes, remember that meat loses about 25 percent of its weight during cooking. For example, 4 ounces of raw meat will be about 3 ounces cooked.

Tip 69: How to make gravy - without fat To make gravy without fat, blend a tbsp of cornstarch with a cup of room-temperature broth by shaking the two together in a tightly lidded jar. Then heat the rest of the broth in a saucepan and add the blended liquid. Simmer until thickened.

Tip 70: How to skinning chicken - easier way to do Make a habit of skinning chickens before cooking and removing all visible fat below the skin. The skin will be easier to remove if you use paper towels or a clean cloth to take hold of it. Be certain to scrub the cutting surface and utensils well with hot sudsy water after preparing poultry for cooking.

Tip 71: How the fresh fish should be cooked Fresh fish should be cooked for ten minutes per inch of thickness. Add five minutes if it is wrapped in foil. Frozen fish requires twenty minutes per inch of thickness, plus ten minutes if it is wrapped in foil. Cooking time may vary, depending on the cooking method used, but fish is done when the flesh is opaque and it flakes easily.

Tip 72: How to prepare scrambled eggs Prepare scrambled eggs or omelettes so that only one egg yolk per portion is used. Add a few extra egg whites to the mixing bowl to make more generous servings.

Tip 73: How to remove oils or salty liquids To remove oils or salty liquids, drain canned salmon, tuna or sardines, add water to the can and drain again to rinse.

Tip 74: How seal the natural juice Seal natural juice into foods by wrapping them in foil before cooking. Or try wrapping foods in edible pouches made of steamed lettuce or cabbage leaves.

Tip 75: Correct way to cook - vegetables Cook vegetables just long enough to make them tender crisp. Overcooked vegetables lose both flavor and important nutrients.

Tip 76: Correct way to clean - mushrooms Clean mushrooms as you use them by wiping them with a damp cloth. A quick rinse in cold water is fine, but never soaks they or they will get soggy.

Tip 77: Correct way to handle - hot peppers Be sure to wear rubber gloves when handling hot peppers or wash hands thoroughly after handling. Skin, especially around the eyes, is very sensitive to the oil from peppers.

Tip 78: Correct way to handle - cholesterol Cut down on cholesterol by using more vegetables and less poultry or meats in soups, stews and casseroles. Finely chopped vegetables are great for stretching ground poultry or meat, too.

Tip 79: Healthy eating - salad dressings Cut down on fat in creamy salad dressing by mixing it with plain low fat yogurt.

Tip 80: Healthy eating - yogurt Sweeten plain low fat or nonfat yogurt with pureed fruit or applesauce instead of buying prepared fruit yogurt.

Tip 81: Healthy eating - bread Switch to reduced salt wholemeal or wholegrain bread - for example, some brands of soy linseed bread.

Tip 82: Healthy eating - low fat Limit your use of spreads high in saturated fat like butter and cream cheese; replace with scrapings of peanut butter or other

nut spreads or low fat cheese spreads or avocado.

Tip 83: Decoration - food presentation Spend a little time on presentation. You are more likely to enjoy a meal if it’s visually appealing as well as tasty.

Tip 84: Eating together - family Make every meal an occasion. Set the table. Eat with your family. Give yourself the opportunity to enjoy your food without distractions like television.

Tip 85: Crash dieting - is it working? Long term deprivation, such as crash dieting, doesn’t work. Allow yourself the occasional guilt-free treat.

Tip 86: Overeat - How to not to You are less likely to overeat if you eat slowly and savour every mouthful.

Tip 87: Herbs - when to use Herbs are delicately flavoured, so add them to your cooking in the last few minutes.

Tip 88: Herbs - dried are stronger Dried herbs are more strongly flavoured than fresh. As a general rule, one teaspoon of dried herbs equals four teaspoons of fresh.

Tip 89: Herbs - what else can be used with Apart from boosting meat dishes, herbs can be added to soups, breads, mustards, salad dressings, vinegars, desserts and drinks.

Tip 90: Herbs - more about them Herbs such as coriander, ginger, garlic, chilli and lemongrass are especially complimentary in vegetable-based stir-fry recipes.

Tip 91: Butter - how not to use it Don’t butter the bread. You won’t miss butter if your sandwich has a few tasty ingredients already.

Tip 92: Low Fat - how to reduce it Choose reduced fat ingredients when you can, such as low fat cheese or mayonnaise.

Tip 93: Oil and butter - try to avoid it Avoid using oils and butter as lubricants - use non-stick cookware instead.

Tip 94: Low Fat - useful tip Remove chicken skin, which is high in fat. However, to retain the moisture in the chicken meat, remove the skin at the end of cooking.

Tip 95: It's all about fat - how to reduce it (1) Use margarine spread instead of butter or dairy blends.

Tip 96: It's all about fat - how to reduce it (2) Use salad dressings and mayonnaise made from oils such as canola, sunflower, soy and olive oils

Tip 97: It's all about fat - how to reduce it (3) Use low or reduced fat milk and yoghurt or ‘added calcium’ soy beverages.

Tip 98: It's all about fat - how to reduce it (4) Try to limit cheese and ice cream to twice a week.

Tip 99: Healthy eating - Tips 01 Try to limit take-away to once a week or less.

Tip 100: Healthy eating - Tips 02 Try to limit snack foods such as potato crisps and corn crisps to once a week or less.

Tip 101: Healthy eating - Tips 03 Try to limit cakes, pastries and chocolate or creamy biscuits to once a week or less.

Tip 102: Healthy eating - Tips 04 Try to limit cholesterol-rich foods such as egg yolks and offal like liver, kidney and brains.

Tip 103: Things to remember about dietary fat It contains more than double amount of kilojoules per gram than carbohydrate or protein.

Tip 104: Things to remember about animal products Animal products and some processed foods, especially fried fast food, are generally high in saturated fats, which have been linked to increased blood cholesterol levels.

Tip 105: Things to remember about improving blood cholesterol Replacing saturated fats with monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats tends to improve blood cholesterol levels.

Tip 106: Things to remember about high protein diets Some weight-trainers and bodybuilders believe that high protein diets lead to increased muscle mass, which isn’t true.

Tip 107: Tips from nutritionists - how to limit the amount of fats Have fish (any type of fresh or canned) at least twice a week.

Tip 108: Tips from nutritionists - how to limit the amount of fats Select lean meat (meat trimmed of fat and chicken without skin). Try to limit fatty meats including sausages and delicatessen meats such as salami.

Tip 109: Tips from nutritionists - how to limit the amount of fats Snack on plain, unsalted nuts and fresh fruit.

Tip 110: Tips from nutritionists - how to limit the amount of fats Incorporate dried peas (for example split peas), dried beans (for example haricot beans, kidney beans, three bean mix) or lentils into two meals a week.

Tip 111: Things to remember from high protein diet (1) Low fibre intakes can result in constipation, bowel disorders and increased risk of colon cancer.

Tip 112: Things to remember from high protein diet (2) High intake of animal products (which is usually recommended in such diets) can also be high in saturated fats and cholesterol, which is associated with a range of conditions including heart disease.

Tip 113: Things to remember from high protein diet (3) The liver and kidneys are put under strain because they have to detoxify and eliminate unusually high quantities of protein by products. Kidney problems may be exacerbated in people with diabetes.

Tip 114: Things to remember from high protein diet (4) There is an increased risk of developing gout and gall bladder colic.

Tip 115: To make milk a refreshing drink? Milk provides calcium for growing bones and teeth. Be creative - blend milk with ice-cream or fruit - it makes a refreshing and nutritious drink.

Tip 116: How to remove the “fire” of chilli padi from your finger? Add a heaped teaspoon of salt into a bowl of water. Use as a wash after you slice chilli padi. It removes the “fire” on your fingers.

Tip 117: Method to cook, while keeping in the nutrition Slow cooking is ideal for tougher cuts of meat, older birds and fibrous vegetables. This form of cooking breaks down the tough connective tissues of the food and releases its own juices. Herbal soups can also be brewed the slow cooking way.

Tip 118: Low fat cooking - Microwaving Cooking food in the microwave oven is like steaming. It’s low-fat or non-fat cooking. Microwaves penetrate the food about 2.5cm in all directions causing water molecules to move and vibrate against one another. The friction caused by these vibrating molecules produces heat that cooks the food. Cover food to contain the steam and moisture which give the dish its succulence.

Tip 119: Baking Times A good cooking tip is to always set your timer 5 to 10 minutes earlier than what the recipe calls for. Oven temperatures vary so leaving your dish in for too long can cause overcooking.

Tip 120: Coating Chicken To coat chicken or turkey, place the seasonings, crumbs or flour in a plastic bag. Shake a few pieces at a time.

Tip 121: Cleaning your oven To remove grease from inside your oven when doing kitchen cleaning, put a small pan of ammonia in the oven in the evening, and then close the oven door. In the morning, remove the pan of ammonia. The grease inside the oven will wipe off very easily.

Tip 122: First Aid for Kitchen Burns Use Cider Vinegar on burns. This will quickly take the sting out. The vinegar also removes the heat. You may need to apply it more than once depending on the burn.

Tip 123: How Can You Counteract Too Much Salt in Soup? Add a couple of large slices of peeled white potatoes to the soup to simmer will often absorb some of the salt taste.

Tip 124: Easy Peel Hard Boiled Eggs Hard boiled eggs peel easier if you boil eggs that are at least a week old. Fresh eggs are more difficult to peel.

Tip 125: Over Ripe Fruit If you fruit gets too ripe, make it into a fruit sauce. Clean the berries well. Mash them with sugar to taste, and serve with ice cream or shortcakes.

Tip 126: Vegetables Too Sweet? If a main dish or vegetable is too sweet, add a teaspoon of cider vinegar.

Tip 127: Too salty? If the food you are cooking comes out too salty, add a little lemon zest. It will help balance out the flavor.

Tip 128: Chopping Dried Fruit Dried fruit will chop much easier if you place it in the freezer one hour before you plan to start chopping.

Tip 129: How to peel a tomato The best way to remove the skin from a tomato is to dip it in boiling water for a few seconds, remove it, and immediately place it in cold water. The skin will slip right off!

Tip 130: Crying over Onions If your onions always make you cry, next time stick them in the freezer for 10-15 minutes before you chop or slice them. Also don't cut through the root part of the onion as it releases most of the tear-producing odor.

Tip 131: How much pasta? When preparing pasta as a main dish, plan for two ounces of pasta per person, although hearty eaters may prefer four ounces.

Tip 132: Added Flavor to Roasts You can add flavor to a roast just by rubbing herbs on it before baking. Try rosemary and pepper. Or rub roast with a cut clove of garlic.

Tip 133: Juicier Lemons To get more juice out of your lemons, submerge the lemon in hot water for about 15 minutes, or warm it in the microwave for 45 seconds before squeezing.

Tip 134: Peeling Onions When peeling onions, soak in cold water for half an hour before peeling to prevent irritation to the eyes. Alternatively, peel under a running cold tap.

Tip 135: Test for Baking Powder If you're unsure about the freshness of your baking powder try this test. Put one teaspoon in 1/3 cup of water. If the water does not fizz toss the baking powder. It's too old.

Tip 136: Baking Apples When baking apples, remove a horizontal slice of peel from around the middle. The apples won't shrink while baking.

Tip 137: Microwave cleaning Microwave a lemon for one minute and then whip the microwave clean.

Tip 138: Stainless Steel Sink Use vinegar to clean your stainless steel sink. It will really make it shine.

Tip 139: No more splatters! Sprinkle a small amount of salt in the frying pan to keep fat from splattering when frying bacon.

Tip 140: Choosing a ripe melon To choose a ripe watermelon, hold it up to your ear and knock on it. Select the melon with the hollowest sounding knock.

Tip 141: Cleaning Mushrooms Clean mushrooms as you use them by wiping them with a damp cloth. A quick rinse in cold water is also fine, but never soaks them or they'll get soggy.

Tip 142: Flakier Crust For a flakier pie crust, brush the top lightly with cold water before you bake.

Tip 143: Buying steak tips When buying steak, look for bright red (not gray) meat. Vacuum-packed meat will be darker looking and should turn red as soon as it’s exposed to air.

Tip 144: Cooking with less fat A great way to reduce the amount of fat in what you cook is to buy nonstick cookware. Regular pans require a lot of oil to saute food, but with nonstick pans, you can use a nonfat cooking spray or just a bit of oil.

Tip 145: Cleaning Chopping Boards For wooden chopping boards, scrub them with soda bicarbonate and table salt. Rinse thoroughly with hot water and air to dry. For plastic boards, use soda bicarbonate with a little dishwashing liquid and hot water. Sprinkle the plastic boards with the mixture and then wipe using a damp cloth.

Tip 146: Fridge Freshener Put dry coffee grounds into an old margarine tub with holes poked in the lid. Place the tub in the refrigerator to absorb odours.

Tip 147: No More Wiping To thoroughly dry metal baking pans, especially the fluted kind, place the pans in a warm oven after washing them. The remaining heat in the oven after baking can sufficiently dry the pans and prevent rusty spots.

Tip 148: Sugar Trick Want to prevent pesky ants from entering your sugar jars? The solution is right in your kitchen. All you have to do is place a few cloves (those aromatic dried flower buds you use in cooking) into the jar. Another trick to keep ants at bay is by rubbing a film of oil at the base of the sugar jar.