Handy Tip

Well, our pasta was boiling over tonight until I put the wooden spoon over it, it stopped the boiling over without adjusting the heat. Thanks Linda.

Never spend 4 1/2 hours in a car going to a hunting/fishing cabin with guys from work that have had big Taco Bell meals prior to departure.

Dave, you totally crack me up!

I thought of another when letting my bread rise yesterday: use part of a woolen blanket (I cut up an old army blanket) to cover bread that's rising; it won't stick.

To keep your pasta from boiling over, lay a long-handled wooden spoon across the top of the pot.

Linda, thanks for that tip which worked well for me recently when cooking in motels which invariably supplied only small pans .

A long handled wooden spoon across the top of a pot makes a great lid rest when you don't want a pot totally covered. When I try to cant the lid without a spoon it invariably slips and covers the pot. Usually used when cooking anything that requires a lazy simmer.

When getting ready for a marathon weekend of cooking I peel a whole garlic bulb and simmer the cloves covered in olive oil. I pluck out the cooked cloves and use the garlic infused oil. Saves the chopping and sauteeing step that's usually required in most of what I cook.

Trouble getting that first slice of pie? Make three cuts (as if you're cutting for two slices). Voila! Comes right out.

Trouble getting that first slice of pie? Make three cuts (as if you're cutting for two slices). Voila! Comes right out.

Larry, Our ice melted off roofs, trees and driveways these last couple days, but I think my brain is still encased...I am afraid I can't picture what you are saying. Say it again, another way?

Make one cut from center of pie to rim. Move to one side x degrees (depending on size of slice desired) and make another cut from center of pie to rim. You now have two cuts that define one slice of pie.

Once again, move to one side x degrees and make a third cut from center of pie to rim. Now you have three cuts that define two slices of pie.

Remove the first wedge of pie easily.

I had to hull a ton of strawberries recently and I found that using a pastry bag icing tip worked great. I used one of the medium-sized steel ones that has jagged "teeth" on the pointed end. I just stuck the jagged end into the strawberry, twisted it and pulled out the core, leaves and stem all in one.

Coffee filters (basket) are perfect for disposable mis en place containers. Saves a lot of washing of little bowls.

I've also started using coffee filters as microwave "lids" for reheating bowls of whatever. Keeps the spatters down nicely and they're small enough that they don't get hung up on the walls of smaller machines like paper towels do.

I sometimes use them to filter stocks and broths, etc.

Coffee filters (basket) are perfect for disposable mis en place containers. Saves a lot of washing of little bowls.

I've also started using coffee filters as microwave "lids" for reheating bowls of whatever. Keeps the spatters down nicely and they're small enough that they don't get hung up on the walls of smaller machines like paper towels do.

Scott, it's nice to see Stuart's name resurrected. Wish he would come on back now, a year is long enough.

[Jenise]

A lot of us miss him, too, Bob. But that's the way the internet goes, you know, people move on.

We've had a glass cooktop for 7 years now. Our next house will have gas burners. The reason? Can't use a wok on glass, nor can you use cast iron on glass. Major bummers here.

I have a traditional GE electric stovetop with the coiled metal/ceramic burners.

I bought a Cassette Feu single-burner, portable, butane-canister-powered gas ring for wok cookery. And in good weather, I use the 50,000 BTU outdoor propane-powered gas ring for Chinese-type stir-frying.

IMO, electric heat just delivers neither the total heat nor the precision control that one needs for stir-frying. Even the Cassette Feu, underpowered though it is, is better than an electric stove burner. And glass cooktop? Fergeddaboudit!

Deep-frying's a different story. I have an electric wok that I bought back in the 1970s, before I knew what I was doing regarding Chinese cooking, but I still use it for deep-frying jobs because of the ease of temperature control with a volume of hot fat. But even then, it has the problem of not recovering to temperature as fast as I'd like when one introduces the food to the fry medium, so I've been shifting more to using a conventional deep-fry vessel over an electric heating element, and just keeping careful watch on the thermometer, and trying my best to proactively adjust the electric heat to keep the temperature what it should be.

In grad school I had an apartment with a gas range, but since then I've had to put up with an electric stove (except for the outdoor cooking on the high-temp gas ring). I still miss the gas range. For me, a glass cooktop would be unthinkable.

-Paul W.

Hi Paul
Last year I would have agreed with you re gas v electric but no longer. I have been using a single burner induction glass cooktop over the last 12 months alongside my gas cook top (domestic but high end) and I am totally sold on the induction. I have been using cast iron and mild steel and stainless pots and pans including a flat bottom wok and the induction is sensational, c??ps all over the gas including the wok burner. Quick, totally, instantly responsive and excellent gradation.
I was testing the induction as the house we have bought for our future retirement is in an area with no gas connection and I needed to see whether I wanted to get bottled gas or stay all electric. Can see no need to get gas.
If you can get a single induction unit to try give it a go you may be surprised.
cheers
Barb

I'm with Paul. Induction might work okay, but don't you need absolutely flat bottoms?

With induction you need the pan to be ferrous and sufficient surface area in contact with the "element" I have actually used my regular round bottom wok on the induction and successfully got water to boil (in the interests of finding out what will work) I have also seen an instore demo using a round bottom Stainless steel wok on induction.

I actually have a hybrid induction/regular electric cooktop in storage for the house we're going to build. I have always been more comfortable around electric appliances, and natural gas isn't available where our property is.

Hey Robert
We are on the same vibe here! We have a house in the country where we will move when we retire in a few years, there is no gas connection and we have researched options and have purchased a hybrid cooktop as well, ceramic with 2 regular and 2 induction burners. We had not seen such a thing and were looking at having a 2 burner ceramic and a 2 burner induction which was going to be quite expensive and then we stumbled across the hybrid, on sale, snapped it up!!! Same place had an appropriate oven and we ended up getting the perfect (for us ) cooktop and an oven for the price of our original cooktop option. Pays to do research.
best luck with your country home

barb

Returning to the handy tip theme

Kitchen Hint

Keep a small electric fan handy (i have a six inch fan) (women of a certain age will appreciate why this is always handy!!!)
and direct it across your work surface when prepping onions, guaranteed to eliminate onion tears entirely.