36 Different Cooking Tips

1. LEMON SQUEEZE--- When you need only a few drops of lemon juice for your recipe, prick a hole in the lemon with a toothpick and squeeze out the juice. To keep the lemon fresh, simply put the toothpick back in the hole.

2. BUTTERED CORN--- To butter a hot ear of corn, spread butter on a slice of bread, lay the corn ear on bread and roll. That way, you will have buttered corn and bread.

3. EGG YOLKS----  Store egg yolks covered with aluminum foil or add water to cover the surface to keep them from drying up.

4. FRUIT STORAGE--- Store unripe fruits at room temperature, and ripe fruits in a cool place or better yet in the refrigerator.

5. FRUITY IDEA---- In fruits are to be eaten at once, ripe ones should be bought. If not, then buy unripe ones and let them ripen in the proper storage area.

6. RECIPE HOLDER--- A great way to keep your recipe on hand when you are cooking is to put the recipe card between the tines of a fork and place the fork in a glass.

7. EASY SLIDE---- Use clothespins to hold a pan when you're taking a cake out of the pan. This way, you avoid slip-ups.

8. SWEET SQUASH---- Squash that's hard-shelled will have a sweeter flavor if refrigerated rather than left out until used.

9. EGG WHITE ALERT---- Avoid using hard cooked egg white in frozen dishes because it changes in texture and develops an off flavor.

10. CRISPIER CHIPS---- Sprinkle salted water over banana chips or potatoes while frying. This makes them a lot crispier and fun to eat.

11. DRIED BEANS---- To clean and soften dried beans, soaked them in water. It not only reduces cooking time but dissolves some of the gas producing compounds that make beans easier to digest.

12. BUTTER AND MARGARINE---- Store butter and margarine in tightly sealed containers in the refrigerator so they won't absorb other odors.

13. DARK AND LIGHT SOY---- Dark soy adds color while light soy is salty and full of flavor. Light soy is better as dipping sauce than dark soy.

14. GRATED CHEESE---- To clean a grater from cheese residue, grate a slice of bread. The leftover cheese will come off easily. Plus, you have cheesy grated bread.

15. FLAVORFUL JAM----- Use less sugar when making jam to achieve greater fruit flavor. Less calories, too.

16. NATA DE COCO---- To remove sour taste and smell of nata, boil or rinse with water several times.

17. SOFT SUGAR---- Soften sugar by placing it in warm oven for a few minutes.

18. LAST SCOOP---- Store those almost empty jam jars on their sides so that it will be easier to get the last scoop out.

19. SAPPY FRUIT---- Love eating jackfruit but the sticky sap gets into your knife and hands? Rub your knife and hands with the juice that comes from the jackfruit's seeds. This liquid prevents the sap from sticking to your knife and skin.

20. BUYING GLUTINOUS RICE----- When buying glutinous rice, look for intact kernels that aren't broken, scratched or damaged.

21. SMOOTHER RICE FLOUR---- To have a smoother texture of rice flour, mix it with the liquid ingredients in the recipe, bring to a boil and let cool before adding other ingredients.

22. POTATO DECAY---- Don't wash potatoes until you're ready to use them. Moisture encourages decay that can rot potatoes.

23. SWEET TIP---- Honey that has crystallized in its jar flows smoothly again if you leave the jar to stand in a bowl of boiling water for a few minutes.

24. DRIED OUT COCONUT?--- Sprinkle dried coconut with milk and let it stand until it regains its freshness.

25. GRAHAM CRACKER CRUST---- To remove pie made of Graham cracker crust, put pan in warm water 5 to 10 seconds. The pie will come right out without any damage.

26. STORING FLOUR----- Store all-purpose flour in an airtight container in a dry and cool place within 15 months to maintain freshness.

27. COCONUT MILK AND CREAM---- To avoid curdling and separating of oil in coconut cream and milk, stir constantly over low heat uncovered. Never let mixture boil. Use a wide spatula to a lift-and-turn motion.

28. STORING SQUASH---- Squash should be stored at 45 F and will keep 2 to 6 months depending on variety.

29. FROZEN BANANAS---- Bought too many bananas and they're starting to become overripe? Mash bananas and put them in a freezer-safe plastic container. Freeze then use later as an ingredient in banana bread.

30. BUYING DAIRY PRODUCTS----- When shopping for dairy products on a hot day, put some ice in the ice chest, set it on the back seat of the car and put those perishables in it.

31. OIL SUBSTITUTE----- If you run out of oil in the middle of your cake preparation, use an equal amount of mayonnaise as substitute.

32. FLOUR SUBSTITUTE---- If a recipe calls for self-rising flour and is not available, all-purpose flour can be used. Just add 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt for each cup of all-purpose flour.

33. NO ODOR BUTTER---- Because butter absorbs odors very easily and quickly, always keep it covered.

34. WARM BREAD---- Place aluminum foil under the napkin of your breadbasket to keep freshly-baked bread warm for a longer period of time.

35. STERILIZING JARS----- Fill jars with water 3/4 full and place in shallow pan partly filled with water. Simmer 15 minutes and keep hot until filled.

36. CHEESY TIP---- Rub a bit of butter or margarine to the cut edge of boxed cheese before you store it so the cheese won't dry out.