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Catching Up With The Coach
July 2022

Original Release: 7/10/2022

For this month I'd like to highlight the following tips.

A huge thanks to Melanie Mama Peach for sharing.

1) Best Of Helpful Hints: The Kitchen

Keeping Food Fresh:
Ice Cream
* Ice cream that has been opened and returned to the freezer sometimes forms a waxlike film on the top. To prevent this, after part of the ice cream has been removed, press a piece of waxed paper or foil against the surface and reseal the carton.

2) Best Of Helpful Hints: The Kitchen

Keeping Food Fresh:
Lemons
* Store whole lemons in a tightly sealed jar of water in the refrigerator. They will yield much more juice than when they were first purchased.

3) Best Of Helpful Hints: The Kitchen

Keeping Food Fresh:
Limes
* Wrap in tissue paper and store on lower shelf of the refrigerator.

4) Best Of Helpful Hints: The Kitchen

Keeping Food Fresh:
Apples:
* Place peeled apples in a bowl of cold slightly salted water or lemon juice so they won't turn brown.

5) Best Of Helpful Hints: The Kitchen

Keeping Food Fresh:
Uncooked smoked meats
* Uncooked smoked meat will stay fresh for a long time if you saturate a clean cloth with vinegar, ring out and wrap the ham or bacon with it. Wrap again in waxed paper before storing in the refrigerator.

6) Best Of Helpful Hints: The Kitchen

Keeping Food Fresh:
Strawberries
* Strawberries will stay firm for several days if you put them in the refrigerator in a colander. Don't wash until they are ready for use.

7) Best Of Helpful Hints: The Kitchen

Keeping Food Fresh:
Crackers
* Crackers can be kept crisp in the most humid weather by storing in the refrigerator. Be sure they are wrapped securely.

8) Best Of Helpful Hints: The Kitchen

Keeping Food Fresh:
Turnips, Beets, Carrots
* All vegetables with tops should have their tops removed before storing.

9) Best Of Helpful Hints: The Kitchen

Various Kitchen Tips Part 1
* When browning any piece of meat, the job will be done more quickly and effectively if the meat is perfectly dry and the fat is very hot.
* Before opening a can of soup, shake well. This will mix the ingredients and after you add the water, there won't be any lunps.
* If you have a gas stove, try placing a package of breakfast rolls in the oven before retiring. Don't turn the oven on. The heat of the pilot light will warm the rolls so they will taste freshly baked in the morning.
* A high flame is seldom needed for long in cooking. Flames licking around the sides of the pan are a big waste of gas. The gas burner should burn with a clean, sharp blue flame. Any traces of yellow in the flame means it is too high.

10) Best Of Helpful Hints: The Kitchen

Keeping Food Fresh:
Various Kitchen Tips Part 2
* If salad greens are wet and you need them right away, place in a pillowcase and spin dry in your washer for a few seconds.
* When opening a can of food, try opening it at the bottom instead of the top. The contents will come out much more easily.
* Bury avocados in flour to hasten ripening.
* To remove the core from a head of lettuce, it the core end once against the countertop sharply. The core will then twist out. This method prevents unsightly brown spots which result when you cut into the core end.

11) Best Of Helpful Hints: The Kitchen

Various Kitchen Tips Part 3
* When making gelatin, add 2 tablespoons of vinegar to each box of gelatin. It will not spoil the taste and will give it a firmy set.
* Keep the odor of boiling cabbage or onions from permeating the house by adding some vinegar to the cooking water.
* Cheese can be sliced thinner with a dull knife rather than a sharp one. If the knife gets sticky, fold wax paper over the blade for cleaner cuts. Hard cheese cuts easier with a warm knife.
* Red cabbage must always be cooked with something acid (lemon or vinegar); otherwise, it turns a hideous color.

12) Best Of Helpful Hints: The Kitchen

Various Kitchen Tips Part 4
* Have you ever tried to get rolled sausage out of a package, only to find that half of it is stuck to the surrounding paper? Try rumming cold water over the paper before you remove the contents. Or, a piece of ice rubbed over the paper will do the same trick.
* To prevent water spilling from ice cube trays, put a spoon in one of the compartments. Remove the spoon when the tray is safely in the refrigerator. This works equally well when carrying a cup of coffee or tea from one place to another
* Puddings will cool more quickly if the dish is placed in a bowl of cold water to which salt has been added.
* Meat loaf will not stick to the pan if you place a slice of bacon on the bottom of the pan.

13) Best Of Helpful Hints: The Kitchen

Various Kitchen Tips Part 5
* If potato chips lose their freshness, put them under the broiler for a few moments and they will be restored to their original crispness. Care must be taken though, not to brown them.
* Thaw fish in milk. The milk draws out the frozen taste and provides a fresh-caught flavor.
* If cereal becomes soggy, you can crisp it again by putting it on a cookie sheet and heating for a few minutes in the oven. This method is also good for crisping crackers.
* Soak lemons and oranges in cold water before squeezing. Placing them in hot water may produce a little more juice, but destroys some of the flavor and nutrients.

14) Best Of Helpful Hints: The Kitchen

Various Kitchen Tips Part 6
* When warming leftover meat, put in a heavy skillet and cover completely with lettuce leaves. Cover tightly and heat in a moderate oven.
* If your homemade doughnuts tend to become soggy and greasy, add 1 tablespoon of vinegar to the frying fat.
* To prevent muffins from burning around the edges, fill one section with water instead of batter.
* Boiling oil in a fondue pot can be kept from spattering if you place a raw potato in the oil.

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