# Tips, Tricks and Tools of the Trade



## one2one (Feb 27, 2011)

I thought it might be nice to share favorite tips and tricks in the kitchen. I thought this while cutting a pan of bars with my stainless steel pastry scraper and wondering if anyone else uses theirs in the same way. It's so easy to get even, straight lines and loosen the edges. Mine has a slightly beveled edge, so that probably helps. 

Does anyone else have any favorite kitchen tools or tips that make things quick and easy?


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## Fuzzy (Feb 27, 2011)

I'm a crispy edges fanatic, and bake all brownies and bars in my Edges Pan. 







Not my photo, I'm too lazy.


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## one2one (Feb 27, 2011)

Fuzzy said:


> I'm a crispy edges fanatic, and bake all brownies and bars in my Edges Pan.



Those look so good! Now I want brownies, dammit. With crispy edges.


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## prettyssbbw (Feb 28, 2011)

Oh i love the Edges pan.I want one! Thanks for the tip:eat1::eat2:


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## D_A_Bunny (Feb 28, 2011)

One of the tips that I have learned and passed on concerns solid pieces of red meat. When making steak or a roast in the oven or on the grill, leave the meat at room temp for about 30 minutes before cooking. This will allow the center of the meat to lose its chill and help guarantee more uniform cooking. Also, use a meat thermometer to check meat and remove about five degrees below desired temp from the heat source, place on a clean surface and wrap loosely with foil for about ten 10 - 15 minutes to let it rest before cutting.

I basically add 45 minutes "prep" time to any beef dish I make using a dry method to insure a moister end result.

Also, if you are going to put powdered garlic powder on the meat, do it as soon as you put it out to warm up and it will "bloom" while on the meat which gives a fuller garlic flavor.


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## Fuzzy (Feb 28, 2011)

When I make chicken-fried-steak or chicken-fried-pork or chicken-fried-chicken;
I use the double-dip method. Dip both sides in the your 2 egg-1/4 cup buttermilk, then dredge in flour, both side. Then dip again both side in your egg/buttermilk, and then coat both sides in bread crumbs/panko.

By this time, your fingers are equally coated, and your cube steak is falling apart. Carefully place the steak in your hot oil (i use a canola/olive blend) so that it doesn't splash.


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## olwen (Feb 28, 2011)

My tip is for measuring salt without a teaspoon or a shaker. That divut in the center of the palm of your hand is about 1/2 a teaspoon. I good pinch is about 1/4 a teaspoon. I pour just about enough salt into that divut and grab a pinch with my other hand to add to my dishes. It's just easier to get the amount of salt right. Use more if it's fine grain salt, less if it's rock salt. For most dishes one to three pinches is enough.


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## Fuzzy (Feb 28, 2011)

olwen said:


> My tip is for measuring salt without a teaspoon or a shaker. That divut in the center of the palm of your hand is about 1/2 a teaspoon. I good pinch is about 1/4 a teaspoon. I pour just about enough salt into that divut and grab a pinch with my other hand to add to my dishes. It's just easier to get the amount of salt right. Use more if it's fine grain salt, less if it's rock salt. For most dishes one to three pinches is enough.



I do this when I'm measuring salt in my waffle recipe.


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## MLadyJ (Mar 1, 2011)

This may sound strancge, and I can't remember where I heard it but...if you buy celery remove the plastic wrapper and use aluminum foil...I iot sounded crazy but that stuff'll last 2 weeks or more.


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## CastingPearls (Mar 1, 2011)

MLadyJ said:


> This may sound strancge, and I can't remember where I heard it but...if you buy celery remove the plastic wrapper and use aluminum foil...I iot sounded crazy but that stuff'll last 2 weeks or more.


I do that and it's amazing how long it lasts! I don't remember where I heard it from either but it works! It must be wrapped tightly in the foil too.


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## one2one (Jan 26, 2014)

I'm bumping this for a good cause ...you may have heard I have a new kitchen!  I'm very excited about this because I lived for a long time in a place that barely had one. It had a small fridge, a sink, the smallest stove I have ever seen, two cabinets and 15 inches of counter space. I bought a microwave stand so I could have a drawer for silverware. 

Even so, I did alright with it and got by with just the essentials for kitchen equipment. It's amazing what you can do with not much more than some decent knives, a good blender, a hand mixer (mine also has attachments: dough hooks, submersible blender, chopping) and a box grater. Now that I have more space and can think about getting some more kitchen toys, I'm wondering what I need. What do you have that you consider essential and can't live without?


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## Fuzzy (Jan 26, 2014)

MLadyJ said:


> This may sound strancge, and I can't remember where I heard it but...if you buy celery remove the plastic wrapper and use aluminum foil...I iot sounded crazy but that stuff'll last 2 weeks or more.



I've also heard using a brown paper sack. I tried it, but celery doesn't stay in my fridge long enough to need special storage.


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## Fuzzy (Jan 26, 2014)

one2one said:


> I'm bumping this for a good cause ...you may have heard I have a new kitchen!  I'm very excited about this because I lived for a long time in a place that barely had one. It had a small fridge, a sink, the smallest stove I have ever seen, two cabinets and 15 inches of counter space. I bought a microwave stand so I could have a drawer for silverware.
> 
> Even so, I did alright with it and got by with just the essentials for kitchen equipment. It's amazing what you can do with not much more than some decent knives, a good blender, a hand mixer (mine also has attachments: dough hooks, submersible blender, chopping) and a box grater. Now that I have more space and can think about getting some more kitchen toys, I'm wondering what I need. What do you have that you consider essential and can't live without?



Get a KitchenAid mixer, with the shredder/slicer and pasta roller attachments.  I've never considered the food mill/sausage stuffer.. until now that I'm contemplating making my own sausages. 

Don't forget your waffle iron


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## one2one (Jan 27, 2014)

Fuzzy said:


> Get a KitchenAid mixer, with the shredder/slicer and pasta roller attachments.  I've never considered the food mill/sausage stuffer.. until now that I'm contemplating making my own sausages.
> 
> Don't forget your waffle iron



Thank you, Fuzzy! Those are great suggestions, and I had forgotten about the waffle iron. How could I forget that!? 

So far I've just bought a couple wooden spoons to replace the old ones, a small silicone spatula and spoonula that are great for jars and other small things, and a flat wisk.


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## FatAndProud (Jan 27, 2014)

I have an insane amount of kitchen knives because I love cutting things/people/organs/raw meat :| lol

But in all honesty, my knives HAVE to be sharp. It's imperative to HANG a good set of knives and use your hone and stones correctly to guarantee the longevity of your knives. I use my hone before every item I will cut to ensure that I will have the most even, smooth, easy cut. You can actually dull your knives if you don't hone at a downward ~45 degree angle. I only hone 4 times - two times on each side of the blade..


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## Dr. Feelgood (Jan 27, 2014)

Do you have a steamer? I mean one of those small, collapsible metal baskets that fit inside a big pot or Dutch oven so you can keep your food out of the water and cook it in the steam when the water boils. It's inexpensive, low-tech, and highly efficient, especially for delicate veggies like asparagus and baby (2" or less) okra that get mushy when boiled. It just might be the most useful cooking equipment I have.


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## CastingPearls (Jan 27, 2014)

FatAndProud said:


> I have an insane amount of kitchen knives because I love cutting things/people/organs/raw meat :| lol
> 
> But in all honesty, my knives HAVE to be sharp. It's imperative to HANG a good set of knives and use your hone and stones correctly to guarantee the longevity of your knives. I use my hone before every item I will cut to ensure that I will have the most even, smooth, easy cut. You can actually dull your knives if you don't hone at a downward ~45 degree angle. I only hone 4 times - two times on each side of the blade..


I'm nuts about having sharp knives. I know I got that from my mother. She'd be cooking dinner and ask me to get a knife and I'd hand it to her and she'd return it to me and say, no, another, and sometimes do that many times. When I helped cook (prep work, onions, celery, etc.) I realized the value of a sharp knife although I never understood why she didn't herself use a knife sharpener or one of my gran's nifty sharpening stones she brought with her from Europe that made everything razor sharp.

It was my dad who taught me to hone a knife because his family owned a chain of butcher shops. 

I cut myself today while dicing onions and shook my head that I had the knife I wanted but underestimated its sharpness. lol


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## one2one (Jan 27, 2014)

FatAndProud said:


> It's imperative to HANG a good set of knives and use your hone and stones correctly to guarantee the longevity of your knives. I use my hone before every item I will cut to ensure that I will have the most even, smooth, easy cut. You can actually dull your knives if you don't hone at a downward ~45 degree angle. I only hone 4 times - two times on each side of the blade..



I really could use a good hone! I have a small travel one but that's it. Do you prefer a whetstone or the wand type ones? I have decent knives (almost entirely Henkles), but have never hung them. Is it that sliding them into a knife block dulls the blade?



Dr. Feelgood said:


> Do you have a steamer?



Yup. Love it! I steamed beets this weekend.

I also finally found a replacement for the best wooden spoon ever. It has a squared edge for corners and a hole in the middle to create more motion. William-Sonoma has one in their open kitchen line called an angled slotted spoon. My other 'must have' for utensils is a coil whisk. The one shaped like a cone.

And Fuzzy, I checked prices on the KitchenAid and while I really want one, I may have to save a bit before I can get one. They're much more expensive than the last time I looked! I could buy furniture (OK, a chair) for that price. The yellow one is very tempting though.


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## supersoup (Jan 28, 2014)

Years ago when I bought my Mama her Kitchenaid, I put it on layaway! It was the only way I could afford it. 

Nowadays, my must haves in the kitchen are my crock pot, several cutting boards for different purposes, and I have one of those handheld mesh metal strainers I use ALL the time. Once I bought it, I couldn't figure out how I lived without it, haha. I cook just for two, so I'm always using it to drain cans, rinse things, wash a little produce, etc. I also bought 3 sets of measuring cups and spoons at the dollar store, because I always seem to need them for wet or dry once I've used them for the opposite when cooking and baking.


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## Yakatori (Jan 28, 2014)

FatAndProud said:


> "_I use my hone before... I only hone 4 times - two times on each side of..._"


In New York, we literally say the word "_sharpen._" We call the thing that's made out of an actual stone, a "_stone_" or "_whet-stone_." The thing that looks like wand-shaped piece of steel, we call a "_steel_." "Hone" is not something we talk about in mixed-company. 



CastingPearls said:


> "_...and shook my head that I had the knife I wanted but underestimated its sharpness..._"


Whenever I see someone cut themselves, I always, right-away, say something like "A dull-knife is more dangerous than a sharp one!" People love-it when you do that.

As for equipment, space-unlimited, I would like to have a pretty decent sized cast-iron skillet. Then, when I cook breakfast, I'll say something like "_If-you-didn't-live-it, you couldn't feel-it. So, kill-it skillet!_" Good for Cajun stuff as well.

A salad spinner is good to have as well. Makes it easier to thoroughly wash & dry things like fresh herbs or sandy-vegetables and what-have-you.

For cutting boards, the best thing is to have a few smaller & thin ones of a variety of colors (green for vegetables, yellow for raw-poultry, red for cooked-meats, etc..). Much easier to fit into a dishwasher then.


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## Fuzzy (Jan 29, 2014)

supersoup said:


> Years ago when I bought my Mama her Kitchenaid, I put it on layaway! It was the only way I could afford it.
> 
> Nowadays, my must haves in the kitchen are my crock pot, several cutting boards for different purposes, and I have one of those handheld mesh metal strainers I use ALL the time. Once I bought it, I couldn't figure out how I lived without it, haha. I cook just for two, so I'm always using it to drain cans, rinse things, wash a little produce, etc. I also bought* 3 sets *of measuring cups and spoons at the dollar store, because I always seem to need them for wet or dry once I've used them for the opposite when cooking and baking.



Ditto on the multiple sets.


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## ConnieLynn (Jan 29, 2014)

Ditto on the kitchenaid. I really don't do appliances, but I've been using my heavyduty mixer for 12 or 13 years now and well worth the cost. It is the only appliance that I give counterspace. I also use the heck out of measuring glasses - like shot glasses but marked with standard measures. Plus good knives that fit my hand and lots of small plastic cutting boards.

ETA: Poultry shears


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## one2one (Jan 30, 2014)

supersoup said:


> Nowadays, my must haves in the kitchen are my crock pot



There's a new crock pot due out on the market in March that works with a smart phone. You can turn it on with you phone while at work! I think it's out of my price range, though.



supersoup said:


> several cutting boards for different purposes, and I have one of those handheld mesh metal strainers I use ALL the time. I also bought 3 sets of measuring cups and spoons at the dollar store, because I always seem to need them for wet or dry once I've used them for the opposite when cooking and baking.



I just looked at a strainer yesterday ...



Fuzzy said:


> Ditto on the multiple sets.



... and I think I may need to double up on the measuring cups and spoons. My mom does this, too.



ConnieLynn said:


> Ditto on the kitchenaid. I really don't do appliances, but I've been using my heavyduty mixer for 12 or 13 years now and well worth the cost. It is the only appliance that I give counterspace. I also use the heck out of measuring glasses - like shot glasses but marked with standard measures. Plus good knives that fit my hand and lots of small plastic cutting boards.
> 
> ETA: Poultry shears



I'm sold on the kitchenaid and will check out the shot glasses online! Do you put your poultry shears in the dishwasher? I've always wondered about getting them really clean after using them on raw poultry.

Thank you all so much! These are great suggestions.


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## supersoup (Jan 31, 2014)

Oh, good call on the poultry shears!! I forgot how often I use those. I only cook for two, so often I'll just use those to chunk up a chicken breast for a recipe, or cut up a few slices of bacon to render. I just open mine completely and run them through the dishwasher; I just make sure to grab them out as soon as it's done and dry them with a towel.


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## one2one (Feb 2, 2014)

So the poultry shears are on the list, and I found the Kitchenaid on sale. I may end up getting it sooner than I expected!


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## EMH1701 (Feb 4, 2014)

The tip I have is actually from Julia Child. If you're making rice, don't use a spoon to stir it. Use a fork. It gets fluffier and the kernels don't break.


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## Dr. Feelgood (Feb 4, 2014)

Speaking of rice, if you like it as much as I do, I'd recommend getting a rice cooker! My in-laws gave us one as a wedding gift, and it's been used at least once a week for thirty years. You put in the rice and water or broth, plug it in, and you don't have to check it, stir it, or, generally speaking, worry about it until it announces, with a soft 'pop,' the arrival of perfectly cooked rice. This lets you concentrate on preparing the curry or whatever else you're planning to put on the rice.


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## ConnieLynn (Feb 4, 2014)

My favorite tip is also from Julia Child. With baking, when you can smell it, it's done. I've followed this rule for years. Keeps you from overcooking chocolate baked goods (brownies) and from burning breads


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## Fuzzy (Feb 5, 2014)

Ditto on the rice cooker. Life simplified.


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## one2one (Feb 16, 2014)

I put the rice cooker on the list, and I found a kitchenaid stand mixer at a kitchen outlet for a really, really good price! 

Tip: Put smaller or lightweight cutting boards on a kitchen towel, pot holder or paper towel to keep the from slipping while chopping.


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## luvmybhm (May 16, 2014)

couple of hints from my kitchen

i use one of those wire egg slicers to do hubs mushrooms. those things are crazy hard to hold on to once you wash them...plus i get even slices

i tend to buy cheese in a block as i find it lasts longer than cheese that comes pre-sliced. when i want to shred some for my salad i use a peeler to whittle away at 1 end. it takes up less room in the dishwasher than a grater.

i use parchment under pretty much everything i put in the oven, not just cookies. i find it keeps my pans from getting that baked on grease, allows more even cooking without burning and makes it easier to get things off the trays.

my in laws eat out alot and save the small kfc side containers for us. they are microwave/dishwasher safe and re-usable. they are awesome for taking snacks for my daughter, using to freeze leftovers or to send messy stuff for lunch with hub. 

i save/buy tin foil pans to use on the grill. i put veg and a bit of water in a pan and set on one side of the grill. then i set another tin pan on top to form the lid. i let them cook on the grill while i do the chicken and they steam while i cook.


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## Dr. Feelgood (May 16, 2014)

luvmybhm said:


> i use parchment under pretty much everything i put in the oven, not just cookies. i find it keeps my pans from getting that baked on grease, allows more even cooking without burning and makes it easier to get things off the trays.



I use a silicone-covered baking mat to do the same thing. It lets your baked goods cook evenly, plus you can knead dough on it: everything rinses right off under the tap. You can find out more about it here.


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## luvmybhm (May 16, 2014)

thanks for the link! i had a silicone mat, but it got lost in one of my moves. will check this one out.


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## one2one (May 19, 2014)

Dr. Feelgood said:


> I use a silicone-covered baking mat to do the same thing. It lets your baked goods cook evenly, plus you can knead dough on it: everything rinses right off under the tap. You can find out more about it here.



I love mine, and I didn't know you could knead dough on it. Good tip!


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## Lizzie_Jones (Sep 14, 2018)

One kitchen tip I got from my mom that proved invaluable over the years was ... clean up as you go along.


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## DragonFly (Sep 14, 2018)

Old but goodie thread! I keep a big supply of gallon size freezer bags. Leftovers can be frozen flat and thawed quickly!


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