Recipes for Non-Cooks

Important Announcement

The MSN Groups service will close in February 2009. You can move your group to Multiply, MSN’s partner for online groups. Learn More

Filling Freezer Bags

TO FILL FREEZER BAGS QUICKLY, place food in a quart jar, slip the bag over the jar then invert. The bag is quickly filled and the top is clean for sealing.

TO REMOVE AIR FROM A RESEALABLE BAG, insert a drinking straw into the bag,
close bag as close to straw as you can. SUCK THE AIR OUT OF THE BAG.
IN ONE QUICK MOVEMENT, REMOVE STRAW AND FINISH CLOSING THE BAG. Change the straw between different foods.

Softening Brown Sugar

Place an open box of hardened brown sugar in the microwave oven with 1 cup of hot water. Microwave at high for 1-1/2 to 2 minutes for 1/2 pound or 2 to 3 minutes for 1 pound. This will work also if you have those LEFTOVER ROCK-HARD BAG'S.
DO NOT HEAT LONG, YOU MIGHT MELT THE SUGAR. Be sure to watch closely

Softening Butter

Softening Butter in a Hurry:

It can take a long time for a stick of chilled butter to reach the right temperature for creaming. Many cooks are tempted to use the microwave, but this is an imperfect solution because the edges of the butter often begin to melt before the center is really softened. If you are in a hurry, cut the butter into tablespoon-sized pieces. It will be soft enough to use in about 15 minutes. If, despite all precautions, your butter is still too cool, a quick remedy is to wrap a bowl with a warm, damp towel and continue creaming.

Starting a Spice Cabinet

Starting A Spice Cabinet:
The beginning cook could become confused when browsing the spice rack at the local supermarket. Purchasing them all can get expensive. Many are seldom used in most kitchens. Start with these 10 and build from there:

thyme
rosemary
oregano
vanilla extract
basil
dill weed
ginger
garlic powder
chili powder
cinnamon.

Appliance Maintenance

We have a lot of trouble with our dishwasher since we have hard water for two or three months a year. This is what the dishwasher repair guys told us to do: FIRST, IF YOU CAN, TAKE THE MACHINE APART AND CHECK FOR BROKEN PARTS. You do this from the bottom. IT IS A LOT EASIER THAN YOU THINK. Replace what you can. Check the motor and all belts. He told me to buy a gallon of MURADIC ACID.(I cannot remember how to spell that name.WE USE IT IN THE TOILETS TO REMOVE THE HARD WATER BUILD UP.Ask some guy at the HARDWARE STORE.HE WILL KNOW WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT). Use one cup of acid. Pour into the dishwasher. RUN THROUGH TWO CYCLES. THIS DOES WORK, but if you have exposed metal, the acid may hurt it.

Every time you clean your coffee maker with a nice big cleaning of straight vinegar, remember to allow the vinegar to cool and then run it through the coffee pot again. WIPE OUT THE INSIDE OF YOUR CONTAINERS WHILE STILL WARM. Pour vinegar in the dishwasher for use with your next washerfull. I usually add it just before turning the load on. This will be part of your first cycle.

He also told me to run the dishwasher through an empty cycle with a full amount of soap and a gallon of vinegar. Divide the vinegar up amoung the cycles. This takes BABYSITTING, but it does work. Keep in mind, most dishwasher long cycles take an hour and have 7 to 10 water changes.YOU CAN HEAR THE WATER DRAIN OUT. OPEN THE MACHINE AND POUR MORE VINGEAR IN.

Appliance Maintenance Cont.

When Glen spills diesel fuel on his pants or I need to wash his cover-alls, I MUST CLEAN MY WASHER BEFORE I CAN WASH ANYTHING ELSE!!!! To clean your washing machine, DOUBLE THE AMOUNT OF YOUR SOAP. RUN THROUGH THE LONGEST CYCLE ON YOUR MACHINE TWICE. BEFORE STARTING A SECOND LOAD, WIPE DRUM AND ALL DOWN. RUN TWO FULL LONG CYCLES EMPTY. Checking all your belts and motor will make a big difference. You might save yourself a service call, OR, A WASHER FILLED WITH CLOTHES IN IT THAT WILL NOT RUN.

If you have a small appliance repair spot in your area, you can order almost all your replacement parts for a dishwasher, CHEAP!! Also your manuals will have a phone number and/or web site to go to order these things. SILVERWARE BASKETS, ENTIRE RACK CASINGS, BELTS, SCREWS...Whatever. You can also call your local small appliance repair person and have him tell you over the phone what to look for. (OKAY, WRITE IT DOWN FOR SOMEONE ELSE.) We have replaced several parts on this machine over all these years. I TREAT THE MACHINE ONCE A YEAR WITH MURARIC ACID. I ADD VINGEAR TO IT EVERY TIME I CLEAN THE COFFEE POT (which is once a week). Good luck.

Clean Dishwasher

You can clean your dishwasher without a lot of scrubbing. Pour 3 cups vinegar into a bowl and place the bowl, right side up, on the bottom rack of the dishwasher. Don't put any other dishes in the machine. Run it through the wash and rinse cycles, shutting it off before the drying cycle.

Chilling Cooked Pasta

If you are planning to serve a pasta salad at your July 4th barbecue, here is how to quickly chill the cooked pasta:

First drain the cooked pasta in a colander. Place the colander into a bigger bowl filled halfway with ice water. When chilled, lift the colander out of the ice water, drain, and it’s ready to use.

To keep a head of lettuce from wilting, wrap it in a towel and put it in a large baggie or plastic grocery bag, then place that in the refrigerator's vegetable drawer. If you have a precut bag of lettuce and you don't use the entire bag, stuff a paper towel in the bag with the leftover lettuce, fold over the top of the bag and tape it shut and put that in the refrigerator's vegetable drawer. Both the head of lettuce and the bag of lettuce will keep fresh for over a week if stored in such a manner.

Softening Brown Sugar

If brown sugar hardens, place a piece of foil or plastic wrap directly on the sugar. Set a piece of crumpled, dampened paper towel on the foil. Cover container tightly. The sugar will absorb the moisture from the paper towel and become soft. Remove the paper towel when it has dried out. To soften brown sugar quickly, place open bag of brown sugar in microwave oven. Set 1 cup of water next to the bag in the microwave. Microwave on High (100%) 2 to 3 minutes, checking often, until brown sugar is softened.

Important Announcement The MSN Groups service will close in February 2009. You can move your group to Multiply, MSN’s partner for online groups. Learn More
Recipes for Non-Cooks	[email protected]