Tricks of the trade???

[Nicos]

Ok - so.....
.....I know about holding your nose if the food tastes yuk!

.....That if you add too much salt, adding tomato will dilute the saltiness

.....so what happens if you add too much chilli??
( other than the obvious... ) I've mistaken a really hot chilli for a mild one ..how should I have toned it down ???? ( bit late now I know....but would be useful to know!)

This would be a good thread to pass on tricks of the trade which we have discovered from our errors!!

Oh - another one jumps to mind!

Elizabeth David suggests that if your home-made mayonnaise curdles- you should slowly add it to another fresh egg yolk ( Not that I ever have this problem!! )

So - come on guys n gals.....

lets get the most out of our home produce!!

[Mrs Dobby]

Darn good idea for a thread Nicos!

If curry or chilli is too hot then I've found adding some fresh milk (or milk powder if you want to thicken slightly or dont need to add any more liquid to the dish)) will take out some of the heat! I've also found that cocobut milk or coconut milk powder also does the job, but does add a little flavour, whereas normal cows milk doesnt!

Also if you add some sugar it sweetens the taste, making it a little less hot, usually I bung in a couple of tablespoons if its too hot for Mr D!

[Nicos]

Perfect timing Mrs D!! OH has just walked in!!!!

[Alice]

If the chilli or curry is too hot, serve it with plenty yoghurt. It's a great cooler.

If you're cooking with yoghurt, to prevent it from curdling out, blend about 1 teaspoon cornflour with 4oz yoghurt before adding slowly to the dish.

Look forward to all the tips which are coming.

[rustylady]

Milk or yoghurt are great coolers. That's why staff in ethnic restaurants laugh at English people who order lager with curries!!!

[Earthbabe]

Potato can dilute saltiness if added to say a casserole or similar.

Lavender essential oil is great for burns, scalds, spots, bites etc.

If making home-made mayo use a mix of sunflower oil and olive oil for a balanced flavour.

[blackkitty]

No fuss meringue
Another teacher who had started out as a chef taught me this way to make meringue which I now always use and find it a godsend at school.
Its important to use a glass or ceramic bowl as the eggwhites don't beat as well in plastic and can go grey in metal. I also always wash and dry the bowl carefully just before using.
You place the egg whites and sugar in the bowl together and then beat until it reaches the stage of meringue you want. As long as you start with them together they will make meringue and the longer you beat for the stiffer it will become, whereas if you beat the egg whites first and then add the sugar if its not thick enough it'll never get any thicker. Weird but it works. Apparently in restaurants they they put it in a free standing mixer and go off and do other things till its ready.

[Waffler]

For over salty food you can add potato to it, as EB said, but if you put in a whole, peeled potato for a while, it should absorb the taste, so remove it before serving.
Also, adding fizzy water to over salty food supposedly works, though I've never tried it.

For over-chillied dishes, adding sugar works.
Also, adding lemon juice, or in the case of very HOT food, add the lemon juice then stir the cut lemon in to the dish, leaving for a few minutes, before removing.
Also, adding chopped parsley.

To avoid the dreaded 'chilli fingers' either, wrap fingers coming in to contact with chillis, with small pieces of cling film (looks weird, but who cares about that when the alternative is so bad!) OR rub any sort of cooking oil in to your hands (esp fingers) before handling - thus creating a barrier.

In the event that you do get chilli somewhere you shouldn't and it's burning like the proverbial, soak cotton wool with milk and hold on the offending area, or smear natural yogurt on to it.

Cutting onions without tears (comes without guarantees!):
store onions in the fridge;
cut whilst holding a teaspoon in your mouth;
cut whilst holding a small piece of bread under your top lip;
cut the growing end first, peel, but leave the root end on until last.
(The only ones I do - not particularly due to the tear-factor - are the fridge and the root: sometimes there are tears, other times there aren't - I think it depends on the onion more than anything!)

Burnt on food in a cooking pan usually comes off if you add a washing detergent tablet to it with enough water to cover the base of the pan (or any of the oxi type products do a good job).

Remove berry stains from your fingers by rubbing lemon juice on them.

To refresh or whiten plastic things, such as chopping boards or kitchen bins, rub them with a cut lemon or grapefruit, before wiping off with a wet cloth.

If homemade hollandaise sauce or mayonnaise curdles, stir in an ice cube.

Get more juice out of citrus fruits by microwaving for a few seconds or placing in a warm oven for 5 mins.

[Sunbeam]

For anything too hot - ie too much chilli use fat or alcohol - as the acid stuff that makes the chilli hot dissolves in both - hence beer or yogurt with a curry - coconut milk should have the same effect...

[Earthbabe]

Get more juice out of citrus fruits by microwaving for a few seconds or placing in a warm oven for 5 mins.

Does anyone know if the thing about slicing limes vertically rather than horizontally to get more juice actually works?

[Waffler]

I've not heard that one before.

[ugly gourd]

if mayo curdles in a clean bowl place one egg yolk then slowly whisk in the curdled mixture.

use a grater to scrap the burn of a cake that burnt.

always soak a pan thats had starchy food or sauce in cold water

test the freshness of an egg put in a glass of water if it sinks its fresh if it floats its old

[yoanbob]

copper cleaning.
we used this one for the soup urns on the ships works really well.
cut a lemon or lime or orange in half add some salt to the cut part, rub on the metal. wipe off.

[kirsty b]

I've been told that if red wine is spilt, pour white wine over it to prevent it staining, or pour salt over it to soak up the liquid tp prevent staining. No idea if they work

This one is not really a trick but I like it..
For the ladies, if you like a face mask after a hard day gardening in a harsh wind, or even if you just fancy one, mix 1 tablespoon of porridge oats/oatmeal with a tablespoon of honey and an egg yolk massage gently into your face and leave for 10 minutes before rinsing off. Smells nice and skin feels lovely afterwards and it costs almost nothing.

Kirsty

[yoanbob]

just thought of another one, old nasty perfume that your gran buys you, for permanant marker biro etc, and sticky marks.