Summary: A treasury of fabulous cooking tips from our culinary professional, Bea Beasley, and her fellow foodies!

Kitchen Tips, Tricks And Shortcuts

Over the years, I’ve gathered countless cooking tips and shortcuts—some by trial and error while testing recipes, some from fellow foodies, family, students and friends.  Helpful tips can make life in the kitchen easier and more successful. Here are some of my favorites.

• Peel fresh ginger using a dinner teaspoon by scraping the tip of the spoon across the surface of the ginger. It’s fast and results in little waste.
• Deglazing is a wonderful technique for making a quick, basic sauce by using the defatted pan bits from sautéed or roasted poultry, fish or meat. Simply remove the main ingredient from the pan, and skim off the excess grease with a large spoon or ladle. Add 3 to 4 tablespoons of liquid such as wine or stock (or water, in a pinch), and scrape and stir the contents of the pan with a wooden spoon. Don’t make a sauce this way if the pan residue is blackened or burned as it will have a bitter taste.
• To prevent eggshells from cracking when hard-boiling, add a couple of pinches of salt to the water.
• Use a meat baster to squeeze batter onto a hot griddle for perfectly shaped pancakes.
• When grating cheese, spray the surface of the grater with cooking spray or lightly rub with vegetable oil to prevent the cheese from sticking.
• Remove fish odor from soiled hands by rinsing with lemon juice or white vinegar. Rinse with water again then wash with soap and water.  Or, rub the front and backs of your hands over a stainless steel surface such as a sink or pot.
• For crystal-clear ice cubes, use boiled water that’s been cooled to room temperature.
• Adding salt or acidic ingredients such as tomatoes or wine to the cooking liquid for dried beans slows the cooking and toughens the beans.  Add these ingredients when the beans are almost done.
• Want to control the texture of dried beans while cooking? For soft and creamy beans, cook with the lid on; for firmer beans, cook with the lid off.
• Many polenta recipes specify warm or hot water, but for lump-free polenta start with cold water!
• Before opening clams, arrange in a single layer in a pan and place in the freezer for 15 minutes. The intense cold relaxes the clams’ muscles and makes opening them a snap.
• Add herbs at the last minute to a sauce or dish for a fresher, purer flavor.
• When serving fruit juices, punch and other drinks, make the ice cubes from the drinks being served. This will keep the beverage from becoming watered down.
• Make nut butter by grinding nuts in a food processor or blender adding enough vegetable oil to create the texture you want. You can enliven the butter with a little salt or honey.
• When measuring honey, maple syrup or molasses, lightly oil the measuring spoon or cup with vegetable oil first, and the sweetener will slip right out!
• If making pasta with vegetables, throw the vegetables in with the pasta for the last four minutes of cooking time.
• Keep cabbage odor to a minimum by cooking it uncovered with as little water as possible and cook it quickly.