General Cooking Tips and Information

• Pecans can be tough to shell. To make it easier, soak them in boiling water for 10 minutes, or you can soak them (or Brazil Nuts) in 1 cup of water for 5 to 6 minutes on High in the microwave.
• When boiling corn on the cob, add a tablespoon of sugar to help bring out the corn's natural sweetness.
• To prevent egg shells from cracking, add a pinch of salt to the water when hard-boiling.
• Potatoes will take food stains off of your fingers. Just slice and rub the raw potato on your skin and rinse with water. Just the same, if you're peeling shrimp or cleaning fresh fish and you don't want the smell to remain on your hands all day, squish a few fresh strawberries between your fingers for a minute or two, then rinse with soap and water.
• When marinating food keep these guidelines in mind: Certain foods like vegetables or chicken soak up marinades quicker than pork or red meat. For chicken, shrimp, fish or vegetables, 3-4 hours is usually good in the refrigerator. With pork or red meat, 6 hours works nicely, overnight works the best.
• When chopping or cutting up onions, breathe through your mouth instead of your nose to keep from tearing heavily. The smell and the chemicals inside of the onions is what makes your eyes burn.
• Use a meat baster to squeeze your batter onto a hot griddle for perfectly shaped pancakes every time.
• Frozen spinach - after thawing spinach squeeze the water out of it to prevent the water coming out during the cooking process. This may adversely affect your recipes with the amount of liquid that is released. You can squeeze it by hand, or you can press it against the side of a colander. Lay the spinach onto paper towels afterwards, to soak up any excess moisture.
• Fresh mushrooms naturally contain water, so stir them constantly while sauteing to cook off excess moisture. Excess liquid results in weaker flavor.

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