The last 2 months have been crazy for the Mr. and me,
something that’s glaringly obvious if you look at the lack of posts on the
blog. Between our jobs, travel to weddings, showers, meetings and family functions, puppy
kindergarten for Vegas, and just general summer busyness, the blog has definitely
taken a hit. (Though those of you who follow Make Mine Beef on Facebook know beef consumption and love is just
as high as ever around here!) But, I hope to turn that around this month and
can’t wait to share lots of goodies with you soon.
When I hosted Make Mine Beef’s live Facebook chat a few
months ago, you guys were full of awesome ideas for future content. And, just
because some of those ideas haven’t shown up on the blog yet doesn’t mean they aren’t
coming! I hope to bring them all to fruition during the next few months. And
today, I’m using one of those ideas and sharing some good old-fashioned cooking tips.
Nothing to revolutionary here — just a few things I’ve picked up that might
possibly help someone else, too.
So, without further ado, Make Mine Beef’s 7 random cooking
tips in honor of the seventh month:
Dry meat browns
better. I’m only somewhat embarrassed
to admit I learned this from Julia Child. Except not so much from her, as from the movie Julie and Julia. Ever since, I’ve patted
my steaks dry with a paper towel before seasoning them. Who says you can’t
learn anything from the movies?
Water + vinegar +
baking soda works wonders on the stickiest, nastiest pots and pans. I
learned this one via Pinterest, and it’s one of those things from Pinterest that
actually works. You know, unlike the “just like Texas Roadhouse cinnamon butter”
recipe that completely ruined my day that time. If you have a pot or pan that
has some burnt-on-food stuck to the bottom or sides, there’s no need to scrub
and scrub and scrub. Just fill it about halfway up with water, add a few
splashes of white vinegar and return to the stove on medium-high heat until it
boils. Remove from heat, sprinkle in some baking soda and it will scrub away
much easier. Love this for those times I wasn’t paying enough attention to a
sauce and end up with a mess.
Use the grill’s heat
to keep it clean between uses. This is a tip from my mom, a master griller.
After taking your steaks or burgers off the grill, turn the heat up a little
and leave it on for about 15 minutes. It will “burn off” a lot of the yuck and
make your grill much easier to clean. Tip within a tip: set a kitchen timer to
remind you to turn the grill off, or else you’ll think about it 3 hours later —
or the next day — when you’ve run out of propane.
Moist cakes, brownies
and other baked goods every time? It’s as easy as water. I learned this one
from my grandmother. Anytime you bake something sweet, especially something
that has a tendency to dry out a little, just cook it with a pan of water
underneath. I always put a cake pan full of water on the lower rack and let it
heat up as the oven preheats. The steam from the lower rack will keep whatever
is cooking on the top rack moist and delicious. This tip is the best thing to
ever happen to my brownies!
Disposable pans are a (insert my maiden name here) family tradition. This one really needs no explanation. Disposable pans are fantastic
and probably the biggest time-saver ever. You know, until my dreams of a
disposable stovetop and self-cleaning kitchen are fulfilled.
Crisco is much better than oil for seasoning cast-iron skillets. Again, thank you Pinterest. How did I never know this before? Old
school Crisco works about a million times better than regular oil when
seasoning cast-iron skillets. Just smooth some on a hot, clean skillet using a
paper towel and you’re all set. It soaks right in and creates an awesome
surface for the next meal.
Dawn is the perfect
degreaser — for clothes. If you’re like me, you get an oil splatter on your
clothes almost every time you fry. While an apron works wonders, I’m pretty
good at finding the one uncovered spot and getting grease there. But, recently I learned a super easy tip that works
fantastically. Just pre-treat any grease spots with a little Dawn (I always pre-treat
while I am still wearing the clothes so I don’t forget) and voila… It almost
always washes out.
What are some of your favorite kitchen tips?
