a couple new tricks
I love to cook but don’t always think of myself as very talented in the kitchen. I am certainly not as talented nor knowledgeable as this woman or this one. I admire and visits their sites daily, always looking for new recipe and ideas. Let me tell you, they never disappoint! While there are still many things for me to learn, I have come across a couple of tricks that have proved extremely useful in my kitchen.
I originally imagined this post to be somewhat lengthy or - fuller - so to speak but have found that I am coming up short. I decided to put out what I’ve got for now.
My favorite kitchen trick involves eggs. Using eggs at room temperature is ideal for baking, many recipes call for them, and they are essential for whipping up egg whites. I, however, never seem to be able to remember this fact and find myself pulling eggs out of the fridge right when I need them. I have found a quick way to bring the eggs to room temperature:
- Place them in a bowl of warm (not hot!) water for about 10 minutes and viola! you’ve got room temperature eggs
It is important to not use hot water as the this can cause the eggs to begin cooking.
The other piece of knowledge I want to share is one that I recently learned. This cookie recipe calls for blanched almonds. Blanched almonds? I had no idea what that meant so I did a little research and now I know: blanched almonds simply means almonds without their skins on - I know what those are and I even know how to get those brown skins off to!
- Place the almonds in a bowl. Pour boiling water over them, enough to just cover. Let them sit just one minute. Drain and rinse. Pat dry and peel off the skins - it’s that easy. Just make sure that you don’t let the almonds sit in the water longer than one minute or they will start to get mushy.
So there you have it. My not so exciting but helpful tricks in my kitchen.
Got a nifty kitchen tip or trick? I’d love to hear it…
