My turn: Friends offer kitchen wisdom
In a mini-quest for kitchen wisdom, I asked around in the family, at the office and on Facebook. Here are a few pointers:
• In this area, use high altitude directions to heat frozen pizza and make baked goods.
• Don’t salt food before you microwave it because the food will dry out.
• Substitute applesauce for oil in baking to reduce fat.
• Don’t microwave eggs whole. They’ll explode.
• To get the smell of fresh garlic off your fingers, run your fingers over the flat side of a knife a few times. The steel will cut the odor.
• When your kitchen sponge stinks, dampen it, put it in a resealable plastic baggy and pop it in the microwave for 45 seconds to a minute. This kills bacteria and cuts the odor.
• Cut tomatoes with a serrated knife. This helps retain the juice while still cutting through the skin.
• Put leftover cooking grease in old coffee cans and throw away the filled cans. That way, the grease doesn’t go down the sink or make the trash can greasy.
• Pot holders are your friends.
Sources: Marianna Duncan, Victoria Garrett, Casey Mellody-Camacho, Clarence Plank and David Stevens.
Argen Duncan is the PNT senior writer. Her column appears on Thursdays. You can reach her at 356-4481 or by e-mail: aduncan@pntonline.com
