Page 24 - Brandon Sun - Your Home your Way (2019)

24 THE BRANDON SUN • YOUR HOME YOUR WAY • THURSDAY, MAY 9, 2019

Six little tricks that every cook should know

There are certain small is. Use it pretty quickly, and sticky ingredient, and it will
skills that make life better when you store any leftovers, slide right out. Cleanup is
and easier. I’m well aware make sure to put a piece of easier, too!
that many of them take place fresh bread in the container Now I’m off to google
outside of the kitchen, and I with the sugar. “how to change a tire.”
probably don’t know as many
of those as I should. I’m of HOW TO GET HONEY (OR HOW TO PEEL GINGER
no use if you have a flat tire MOLASSES, MAPLE SYRUP WITH A SPOON
or need to calculate the cir- OR CORN SYRUP) OUT OF
cumference of something or Ginger’s skin is thin
want to find your way out of A MEASURING CUP enough to be scraped off
the woods. Anything sticky is just with the edge of a teaspoon.
But after many years plain hard to measure. You In fact, it’s easier to use a
of clanking around in the pour it into the cup, or spoon, spoon than a vegetable peel-
kitchen, I have collected a der the blade as it works to and then into your bowl or er because the spoon can get
fair arsenal of cooking tips pulverize the garlic. pot, and a thick coating is al- into the crevices and navi-
and shortcuts. Here are a few ways left inside the measur- gate over the bumps more
that everyone should know: HOW TO MAKE ing cup, drip drip dripping, easily. Also, this means you
BUTTERMILK but never fully getting out can have even a very little kid
HOW TO QUICKLY Unless we are really plan- of the cup. The quick hack help with this kitchen task,
since they can’t nick them-
RIPEN AVOCADOS ning ahead, when “butter- is cooking spray. Just spray selves with a spoon.
If you have a hard avoca- milk” comes up as in ingre- the inside of the cup or mea-
suring spoon with nonstick
do and you need it to be soft dient in a recipe, it’s unlikely cooking spray, measure your » The Associated Press
in a day or so, simply place it most of us have it on hand.
in a brown paper bag with a Easy solution: Make your
banana or apple and fold the own. Place 1 tablespoon
top to close it up. The natu- lemon juice or white vinegar
ral ethylene gases emitted by in a measuring cup and then
the other fruit will cause the fill it with milk to the 1 cup
avocado to ripen faster. De- line. I like to use whole milk,
pending on how hard your but you can also use 2%. If
avocado is, it might take a you see slight curdling, don’t
couple of days. worry — it won’t affect the
finished product. This may
HOW TO MINCE not be as thick as regular
GARLIC SUPER FINE buttermilk, but the acidity
in the milk will perform the
If you are using minced same function — getting you
garlic in a dish, particular- to a tender, flaky and flavour-
ly a dish where the garlic is ful baked good.
uncooked, big chunks are
not what you are looking for. HOW TO SOFTEN
Just smash a clove or two (or BROWN SUGAR
five) with the side of a heavy
knife, slip off the papery If you have a day or two,
skin, and start chopping on a just place a piece of fresh
cutting board. As the garlic bread in a container with the
gets chopped, add a pinch or brown sugar, seal the con-
so of kosher or sea salt, and tainer, and your brown sugar
keep chopping. The salt acts will soften right up. If you are
as an abrasive so the garlic in a hurry, place the brown
gets minced fine, finer, finest. sugar in a bowl, place a damp
Every once in a while, use paper towel over it, cover the
the side of the knife to smear bowl with a plate and mi-
the garlic against the cutting crowave it for 20 seconds.
board, then scrape it back up Check to see if it’s soft, and
and keep mincing. You can if not, continue microwaving
hear the salt crunching un- in 20 second bursts until it