How To Archive of Useless information - corroboratory.com

Bread is too soft to slice: Freeze it and slice it frozen.

Bread Stale: Sprinkle it with a small amount of water, put it in foil, and bake in an oven at moderate heat for about ten minutes.

Cake Stuck to Pan: Let it sit until it is a little cooler, and then try again. If it’s already cold, reheat for a minute or two.

Cheese tough or rubbery after cooking: Blend in a blender or food processor at low speed for a minute or two, then cook slowly.

Coffee or broth cloudy: add eggshells.

Coffee overcooked: Add a pinch of salt

Dough is lumpy: Add more liquid and pound the dough thoroughly.

Dough won’t rise: Put the bowl of dough in a warmer place - in an oven, for instance, with a pilot light (do not turn the oven on). You could also mix a bit more yeast in ¼-cup warm water and knead into dough.

Dough won’t shape: Let it rest for 15 minutes.

Eggs crack when cooking: Put in 1 teaspoonful of salt and a bit of lemon or vinegar into the water to keep whites from oozing out of the shell.

Egg whites won’t whip: Add a bit of baking soda or salt.

Fudge hard: Add a tablespoon of milk and 2-3 tablespoonfuls of corn syrup and beat, then pour. Put in an airtight container for 24 hours.

Gelatin stuck in mold: Dip the mold in hot water, but not so the gelatin is touched by the water, for just a few seconds. Put the mold on a plate, turn it upside down and shake.

Gravy gray: Add red currant jelly, soy sauce, a bit of sherry, meat extract, or 1 teaspoon instant coffee.

Gravy lumpy: Beat it with eggbeater or wire whisk. Strain it.

Gravy salty: Make more. Sometimes adding a bit of brown sugar helps. Cook small pieces of potato into the gravy.

Ham salty: Soak slices in milk for 15 minutes to a half-hour. Wash off.

Icing sugared: Add a bit of vinegar and keep cooking.

Lemon hard: Heat it for 5 minutes in boiling water or for 15 seconds in a microwave on HIGH, then try juicing it.

Meat burned: Cut off burned parts, cube and sauce the rest. Serve over pasta.

Pasta stuck together: Put back in boiling water with a tablespoon or so of oil in it.

Pie dough burning on edge: Cover edge with aluminum foil.

Popcorn won’t pop: Soak corn in water for 5 minutes, dry off and try again. For very recalcitrant corn, freeze overnight and pop while frozen.

Rice burned: Get it off the flame, then put a piece of bread on top of it, cover for 5 minutes.

Scummy stock: Add leek tops and tomato peels, which absorb the scum.

Soup too salty: Slice in potato, simmer until potato turns translucent, then lift potato out.

Stew meat tough: if you haven’t had the time to let the stew continue cooking under gentle heat, add a few tomatoes or a teaspoon of sugar to tenderize it.

Vegetable old: To pep them up, add a pinch or two of sugar and a little salt to the cooking water.

Vegetables overcooked: Puree them. Or make a cream soup of them Or put them in an oven-safe dish, cover them with bread crumbs and grated Parmesan cheese, and broil for a couple of minutes.

Vegetables too salty: Pour the water out, rinse them off, and return them to the stove in new water. If you are already done, wash in hot water.

Whipping cream won’t whip: chill everything (bowl, cream, beaters) and try again. If that fails, add an unbeaten egg white or 3-4 drops of lemon juice and whip as hard as you can.
KiyaSama is an author on http://www.Writing.Com/ which is a site for Writers

Your grandmother did it and maybe your mother. You may have sampled some of the best tasting preserves ever made. When it comes to preserving fruit it may be time consuming but you can do it. Generations ago preserving foods, including fruit was not only a way of life it was also a necessity in order to survive throughout the winter when fruits were not available any more. Because of the many different fruits to preserve you can offer your family the same way of life as your grandmother offered hers.

Sometimes when you have too many good quality fresh fruits, the only way to keep them from spoiling without having to consume them all at once is by preserving. There are different ways to do this - freezing, drying, and making jams are the most common. You can experiment and decide on the method that works best for you. Whatever form of preserving you choose, it is always best to use the freshest fruit, as that will affect the overall quality of your finished product.

Fruit contains a natural substance called pectin. As fruit boils during the jam-making process, the pectin in the fruit thickens the preserves. Usually, though, putting in additional, separately-packaged pectin is necessary in order to arrive at the right texture. Added pectin also allows the jam to finish cooking faster. Another thing to keep in mind when making jellies and jams is to use lemon juice; the acid in it will keep harmful bacteria from developing. Of course, it’s important to use all ingredients in the right proportion; for this, it’s best to find a good recipe and follow it. To store the jam after it is finished you need to pour it into jars that have been washed in hot water, seal them tightly, and boil the filled jars in water. This will keep the preserves from going bad. When cooled, keep them tightly sealed and store in a dark, cool area.

Freezing is the one preservation method that involves the least amount of preparation. All you have to do is separate the fruits into freezer bags and keep them in the freezer. Small fruits such as berries can be frozen whole, and larger fruits can be cut into smaller pieces or pureed before storing.

Dehydrating fruit is a good option if you’re trying to save space, and it is also fairly uncomplicated. Fruits can be dried in the sun, in the oven, or in a dehydrator. Specific drying procedures depend on the type of fruit being used, but there are general rules that should be followed for all fruits. Prior to drying, you should always cover fruits with an acidic mixture, such as lemon juice. This will keep it from discoloring during the dehydration process. You can cut or slice them in almost any way you like, but remember that the smaller the pieces you cut, the faster they will dry. Once dried, the fruit should have a rough texture and bend easily. You can then store it in containers someplace dark and cool.
Whether you are cooking with apples, bananas, peaches or any other fruit, you need to know about when fruit is in season and how to store fruits

There are a number of satisfying and nutritious meals you can cook up in no time. You don’t need to be overly skilled in the kitchen, but by using common sense and following these basic guidelines, you can easily create an impressive dish to satisfy any taste.

A great quick and easy meal you can cook tonight is traditional Spaghetti Bolognese. It’s healthy and delicious, and only requires around fifteen to twenty minutes cooking time if you’re in a hurry. Firstly take minced beef, proportionate to the desired number of eventual diners and brown in a pot. Next add a whole onion (chopped) and cook with the beef until soft. You can also add in all manner of vegetables to your Bolognese, including peppers, mushrooms, carrots - it really is up to you. After you’ve added your vegetables, it’s a good idea to turn your attention to the spaghetti whilst they are softening in the pan. With one eye on the Bolognese, pour boiling water over some pasta, and bring to the boil, leaving to simmer until cooked. Next, add a can of chopped tomatoes, about quarter of a tube of tomato puree, and a clove or two of garlic to flavour. Mix well, and allow it to simmer until the spaghetti is ready. Finally, serve up on top of the spaghetti, and sprinkle some cheddar cheese to finish.

Alternatively, why not try something more exotic, with this spicy chicken curry idea? Firstly, take some raw chicken breast and cut into strips or cubes. Seal in a pan with oil or butter, and add a whole onion chopped. At this stage, it is also wise to add curry powder and spices to effectively marinade the chicken. This will allow all the flavours to circulate whilst you cook. Next, add around half a can of chopped tomatoes and further mixed spices to taste. Then, boil some rice in a separate pan, and add some coriander to taste, leaving the curry to simmer until the rice has cooked. Serve the curry on top of the rice, and add some bread to finish, for a really great, easy meal. Additionally, you might also like to add some single cream with the chopped tomatoes for that creamy taste.

Overall, by taking simple basic ingredients and using some common sense, you can create tasty meals with very little input. As long as you remember each crucial step, and cook meats well, feel free to experiment, and who knows what you might end up with on your plate next?
Jonathon Hardcastle writes articles on many topics including Cooking, Nutrition, and Health.

Ready for Thanksgiving? Do you have your turkey, your guests, and all of your other recipes in order? What are you waiting for? It’s only a week away!

If you are entertaining at your apartment for Thanksgiving this year, you seriously better get to cracking. Trust me…you don’t want to wait until the last minute to get things done because if you do…your life is going to get extremely difficult.

There are several steps that you can follow to insure that your Thanksgiving dinner will go off without a hitch and with the least stress as possible.

Get Your Guests In A Row- Check out your [BREAK] list of guests. Make a few calls and send out the emails. The first step to keeping your sanity is to find out who is coming and who isn’t as soon as possible. Once you find out who is coming, divvy up the food bringing responsibility. It would be helpful to make a list of the traditional things needed and mark down who is bringing what, so that you don’t get confused and end up with two dishes of dressing and missing a green bean casserole. Here is a quick sample list that may help you out:

-Turkey and Gravy (Typically that is the hosts responsibility)
-Mashed Potatoes
-Green Bean casserole
-Dressing/Stuffing
-Cranberry Sauce
-Pumpkin/Pecan Pie
-Rolls
-Salad
-Drinks

Shopping Spree- Hit the stores several days early. If you wait until the day or even a couple of days before Thanksgiving, you are truly asking for trouble. Not only will you run into a frantic, overcrowded, melee of destruction as soon as you hit that market parking lot, but you will more than likely not be able to find most of the stuff you need because the stores shelves will have already been picked dry by those who got their shopping done before you. Get to the store…Hurry! Time is running out.

The Turkey Prep- There is way more to a great Thanksgiving turkey than just popping the sucker in the oven for several hours, carving, and then gobbling it up. The proper prep of a turkey takes a little care. If you are going with a frozen turkey, you must keep in mind that when defrosting that frozen gobbler in the fridge, it takes an entire day for each 5 lbs. So if you have a 20 pound turkey…it’s going to take 4 days to defrost.

Also, decide how you are going to cook the turkey and have all of the necessary tools ready. There are literally hundreds of ways to cook a turkey and each year new recipes and techniques are created. Generally, at 350 degrees, the roasting time of your turkey of average weight should be between 3 and 4 hours. Don’t be intimidated, but it’s more challenging than you’d think. Cook it too long and you end up with a dry turkey. Cook it too short and it could be unsafe to eat. The important thing to always keep in mind is that if the internal temperature of the turkey is between170 and 180 degrees, you should be safe and good to go.

For any turkey questions you can call Butterball’s Turkey Talk Line at 1-800-Butterball

Clean, Inspect, Then Clean Again- If there is ever a time to make sure that you apartment is extra spotless and in perfect condition, it’s now. No one wants to be sitting down to a hefty celebratory Thanksgiving dinner only to notice dust all over the backs of the chairs, or candy wrappers on the carpet. Clean like you are getting paid to do it. Make sure that your silver and glassware is polished and spotless. The kitchen and bathroom need to look institutionally clean. Make several runs with the vacuum to make sure you don’t miss any spots. Dust in places you usually overlook.

Two Minute Warning - On the couple of days before your dinner, make sure to double check your lists and make sure that everything is covered. Run the vacuum over the carpet one last time. Check to make sure you are stocked up on everything from napkins and toilet paper to bottled water. Put everything in its proper place. And make that last minute store run…only if you have to…

Keep these simple steps in mind as you prepare for your awesome Turkey Day and you should be good to go. Thankfully, I am not entertaining this year. Woo hoo! No work for me!!! I’m sure I’ll end up having to wash the dishes

Did you know….

- If a turkey looks up when it is raining it can drown
-The entire United States of America will go through 675 million pounds of turkey on Thanksgiving day alone
-The heaviest turkey ever raised was the size of a large dog at 86 pounds
-Turkeys’ heads change colors when they become excited
-The five most popular ways to serve leftover turkey is as a sandwich, in stew, chili or soup, casseroles and as a burger
-”Big Bird’s”feathers on Sesame Street are rumored to be from a turkey

Later Turkey’s

For more information on apartment living, visit Apartment Home Living.com
Jeff’s just a regular guy with a funny goatee that really enjoys people and life. On top of that he is a bit of an expert on apartments, living in them, and getting the most out of the apartment living lifestyle.

As a Managing Partner of Apartment Home Living, Jeff wants to help you find the right apartment by getting to know you. Not only where you want to live & what you want to pay, but what you like. This way, we can help you find an apartment that fits your personality, not just your budget.

At AHL Apartmentites have a platform to share their own stories, get great info & tips on apartment living, read Jeff’s entertaining blogs/stories, find Answers to a wide array of apartment related questions, and have a ton of fun sharing their love of apartment living with others. Don’t forget to go and set up your own MyPlace page to really get the full Apartmentite experience!

Outdoor cooking is meant to be a fun and festive event so a little careful planning and awareness can ensure that your next barbecue is fun, safe, enjoyable and tasty. Not only should you be careful when setting up a barbecue but ensuring that safe food handling and cooking practices are used is critical to your next outdoor event’s success.

Grill Safety

When cooking on a barbecue, hibachi, or a barbecue pit make sure that you and your guests are safe. Hot coals, hot surfaces or grease flare ups can create a dangerous situation. Whether using coals or a gas grill you should be aware of fire safety at all times. Some critical items to consider:

Make sure any outside games and traffic paths are away from your grill so that someone doesn’t accidentally push over it over or gets burned on a hot surface. Also, be aware of pets getting too close.

Be sure to use proper utensils that are long enough and capable of handling the weight of what you are cooking.

Follow all correct lighting procedures weather using gas or coals. Turn the gas on only when you are ready to light and never throw lighter fluid on already lit coals or flames.

Food Safety

Perhaps one of the biggest dangers that people overlook is proper food safety. While setting up a barbecue safely is more obvious because the dangers are more readily seen, food born illness can create an uncomfortable and even dangerous situation if proper food handling and cooking procedures are not done correctly. The challenges of refrigeration and improper cooking can create unsafe food for consumption very quickly and spoil your outdoor event. It begins with shopping and doesn’t end until the last leftover is eaten.

When shopping, be sure to purchase your meats last. Utilize the plastic bags at the store for the raw meats and make sure they are all bagged separate from other perishables such as fruits and vegetables. Drive directly home from the store and refrigerate within two hours and certainly sooner (less than 1 hour) if the outside temperature is above 90 degrees. Freeze ground meats and poultry if they’re not going to be used within 2 days and other meats within 4 to 5 days.

When transporting to a picnic or even outside, make sure that the meats remain in an ice chest below 40 degrees and keep cool until you’re ready to cook. Keep the cooler out of direct sunlight to avoid any warm spots. Also, make sure that any beverages are in a separate cooler so that raw meats don’t contaminate drink containers. Be sure to use different utensils and plates when handling uncooked meats versus handling cooked items for serving. Always wash your hands thoroughly after putting on the meats to cook and prior to handling the finished product.

Cook meats to their proper temperatures to ensure correct cooking. Use a quality meat thermometer and check thick portions and never near a bone, fat, or gristle. Internal meat temperatures are as follows:

Poultry: 165 deg F

Ground Beef: 160 deg F

Beef, Veal and Lamb:

Medium rare 145 deg F

Medium 160 deg F

Pork: 160 deg F.

When smoking meats, be sure to smoking temperatures are maintained at 250 deg to 300 deg until the internal temperatures above are reached. If pre-cooking, make sure that you start your final cooking just after pre-cooking, without delay. Be sure to keep foods hot at 140 deg F or higher until serving. If outside weather is above 90 def F, don’t let food set out for more than an hour. Be sure to refrigerate leftovers within two hours of serving and within an hour if over 90 def F.

Summary

As outlined above, a few simple precautions can make or break a great outdoor cooking event. Be aware of your surroundings when cooking and be sure to follow safe food handling and cooking practices. A good cooking thermometer is essential to your barbecue supplies. And yes, good sauces, good meats and a great BBQ are required but safe practices are also critical BBQ supplies.