Banana Bread: For a moister and tastier banana nut bread, pour half
of the batter in the baking pan, spread 1/8" - 1/4" of pineapple tidbits
(drained) over the batter, then cover with remaining batter. This is especially
effective for those of us who buy the boxed mix. The addition of the pineapples
should only vary baking time by a few minutes, if at all.p
Breads: To
cool a loaf of yeast bread, remove loaves from pans immediately and place on
wire racks. To have a softer crust, brush the loaf with shortening and cover
with a towel for a few minutes. For quick biscuits to round out a meal, use a
drop biscuit recipe and they are done in a flash. Also try slicing leftover
rolls and breads, spread softened butter and then freeze them wrapped in foil.
Pull them out and reheat them easily in the foil
wrapping.
Cakes: When
using a glass baking dish for cakes, lower oven temperature by 25 degrees. To
keep a cake longer, place half an apple in the cake container when storing. To
cut a cake without messing up the decorative icing, cut it with dental floss.
When a cake recipe calls for flouring the baking pan, use a bit of the dry cake
mix instead, and there won't be any white mess on the outside of the cake. Don't
have a cake or tart cover? Try inverting the bottom of a salad spinner or spring
form pan. To dress up cakes and pies, place a doily on top, then sprinkle
powdered sugar and remove. Quick and impressive!
Candy: Try to
make your candy on dry days. The candy does not set as well on humid or rainy
days.
Cookies: When
making cookies, always use unsalted butter, never margarine. The unsalted butter
gives the cookies a lighter texture. To keep cookies soft, place a slice of
bread in the storage container. To prevent cookies from spreading when baking,
refrigerate the dough and the baking sheet for a couple of minutes before
baking. Using a cookie scoop (or a small ice cream scoop) to spoon out cookie
dough gives them a uniform look and size. It also keeps your fingers
clean.
Crust-less Quiche: Butter a pie plate with 2-1/2 tablespoons butter, then
cover with toasted bread crumbs, pressing them firmly into the butter. Chill
well in the freezer, fill with your favorite quiche filling recipe, and bake as
directed.
Frosting Tips: Add a pinch of baking soda to your frosting and the
frosting will stay moist and prevent cracking.
Fudge: Using
a wooden spoon when making fudge is best.
Gelatin Molds: To easily un-mold gelatin salads or desserts, lightly
brush mold with oil before pouring in the mixture.
Ice Cream Cones: Stuff a miniature marshmallow in the bottom of a sugar
cone to prevent ice cream drips.
Low Fat Pie Crust: For a practically fat-free crust, substitute frozen
phyllo pastry for traditional pie crust. Thaw as directed, lift two leaves from
the stack and center in a 9- or 10-inch pie pan sprayed with nonstick cooking
spray. Lay two more leaves in pan at right angles to first, then two more on the
bias to fill gaps, then two more so pan is fully lined. With damp paper
toweling, gently press phyllo into pan. Take care removing towel so you don't
tear the phyllo. Fill and bake pie as directed.
Make Quick Breads Faster: If you make quick breads often, mix up batches of the
dry ingredients for your favorite recipes and store them in individual plastic
bags, clearly labeled, in your refrigerator. The mix will be ready anytime you
are. OR Go one step further by preparing the dry and wet ingredients: Put all
the "dries" in one large screw-top jar, all the "wets" in a second jar, then
shake each well. Store in the refrigerator until ready to proceed. Shake each
jar well again, place the dry ingredients in a large bowl, make a well in the
center, pour in the wet and stir just until combined - the batter should be
lumpy. Proceed as recipe directs. This works for cookies, muffins, waffles,
pancakes, and other simple batters.
Melting Chocolate: Place chocolate pieces in a bowl. Microwave on high for
1 min. Stir. Return to microwave if necessary. Heat and stir in 30 sec.
intervals until chocolate reaches smooth, melted
consistency.
Meringue: To
stop the meringue from shrinking away from the sides of the pies, be sure that
when you put the meringue on top, you make sure it touches the pastry all around
the edge. This way, it will bake onto the pastry and will not
shrink!
Pancakes: Add
a pinch of sugar when making waffles and pancakes to help them brown more
quickly when cooking. Use a turkey baster to squeeze your pancake batter onto
the hot griddle and you'll get perfectly shaped pancakes every
time.
Parchment Paper: Parchment paper is excellent for baking cakes and
cookies, cooking en papillote, making candy or covering foods for the microwave.
Professional bakers have been using it for years. The best way to line a cake
pan is to place pan on a sheet of parchment paper. Use a pencil to trace around
bottom of pan and cut. Fit parchment liner in greased pan. Fill with batter and
bake. After baking; cool cake on wire rack 15 minutes. Invert cake and remove
parchment paper. For cookies, prepare cookie sheet with parchment paper, making
sure to cover only the areas being used. When first batch of cookies is done,
slide parchment with baked cookies off cookie sheet. Slide second sheet of
parchment with unbaked cookies onto cookie sheet and
bake.
Pastry Dough: Always chill pastry dough before rolling and cutting,
and always chill it again afterwards, before baking, to further relax the
gluten.
Pies: For
flakier crust, substitute 1 teaspoon vinegar for 1 teaspoon of the cold water
called for in the recipe. When cutting cream pies, first dip knife in hot water
so that none of the filling will stick to it. Brush some beaten egg white over
pie crust before baking to yield a beautiful glossy
finish.
Pressing Down Sticky Bars: Coat hands with oil or water before pressing down
sticky desserts, such as Rice Crispy Treats, to prevent
sticking.
Quick Garnish: Toast coconut or chopped nuts in a shallow baking pan
in the oven in 5 or 10 minutes at 350 degrees. Once cool they can even be frozen
in plastic bags for future use.
Whipped Cream: Cream will whip faster and better if you'll first chill
the bowl, cream, and beaters first. To stabilize whipped cream, add 2
tablespoons of nonfat dry milk to every cup of whipping cream before you whip
it. Soupy whipped cream can be saved by adding an egg white, then chilling
thoroughly. Re-beat for a fluffy surprise. A few drops of lemon juice added to
whipping cream helps it to whip faster and better. Whipping cream will not
separate if you add 1/4 tsp. unflavored gelatin per cup of whipped
cream.
Yeast: Did you know that your yeast
will last longer than specified on those little packages from the grocery store
if kept in the refrigerator and even longer in the freezer, up to a year? If you
do a lot of baking, it is wise to purchase larger amounts and freeze. Place in a
plastic container and mark the date of purchase.
