What is your Best New Kitchen Tip for 2009 ?

[luisa_calif]

[No message]

 

[luisa_calif]

Stick an instant read thermometer in the bread to see if it's really done.

Usually I just whack it with a wooden spoon handle to hear if it sounds "hollow" which works too.
this is the one I have (a cheapy)

http://www.amazon.com/Taylor-Classic-Instant-Read-Pocket-Thermometer/dp/B00004XSC4/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1262797881&sr=1-4

 

[mistral]

An "in-the-oven" meat thermometer may be used as an instant read thermometer. . .

Have done this for a couple of years now. Works fine, especially when you cannot find the meat thermometer when you are placing the very expensive prime rib roast into the oven and you are VERY reluctant to cook with the "minutes-per-pound" method (because it always seems to be overdone when you do so) and THEN you find the meat thermometer after the roast has been in the oven for an hour.

Works for us.

 

[pat-nocal]

A falling knife has no handle! Don't attempt to catch it, let it drop.

 

[angak]

another bread related---take bread out of pan and put back in oven for 5 minutes or more.

no more dough-y bread and nice crusts.

 

[barb_b]

Ov Gloves, when wet, transfer heat. Make sure they are completely dry from the dryer, prior to using

 

[CathyZ]

This took me years to learn. it is about cutting celery.

Instead of pulling off stalks of celery then chopping or slicing each stalk take the entire celery 'head' and just chop as much as you need from the top. Duh. Saves a ton of time and the celery fits better in the veggie drawer.

 

[luisa_calif]

Good one!

 

[dawnnys]

Peel bananas from the bottom up - gets rid of the "string"

 

[nan]

seems I remember reading that's how monkeys do it??

 

[nan]

and remember shipmates from South America and the Caribbean who grew up

peeling them that way and were wondering why we did it from the stem end??

????
Nan

 

[sandi-in-hawaii]

Brilliant!!! And totally DUH!

 

[scott-in-scottsdale]

It also tears open much easier, and the stem makes a nice little handle.

 

[scott-in-scottsdale]

I fill ice trays with iced tea, and use those cubes to keep my iced tea "iced".

 

[barb_b]

Love this one!! I go through so much iced tea and ice seems to dilute it....Thanks for the tip!

 

[shaun-in-to]

Nick Malgieri (in How to Bake) always says take bread's temp. It's done when it's 210.

 

[steve2-in-la]

190 degrees F means it's done. Been doing that for awhile and it never fails.

 

[steve2-in-la]

That number's from the Bread Baker's Apprentice cookbook.

 

[dawnnys]

I read it somewhere, also about the monkey thing, but I can't remember where

Probably the same article that you read.