HOUSE HOLD HINTS FOR COOKERY
SPINACH
There is no need to add water when cooking spinach. After you have washed it (in several changes of water) enough moisture will cling to the leaves for it to be cooked in.
TOMATOES
Cover tomatoes with very hot water for a minute or two and they will be easy to peel. Add a pinch sugar when cooking tomatoes, to counteract their bitterness. A pinch of sugar will also bring out the natural sweetness of carrots and turnips.
HERBS
Rather than using a chopping board and knife, it is easier and more efficient to chop fresh herbs into a cup with sharp kitchen scissors
PASTA
Always cook pasta in a large saucepan with plenty of salted water. A teaspoon of oil added to the water will stop it sticking together. A good test of whether spaghetti is cooked is to throw a strand at the wall. If it is ready it will stick there.
TO SKIM FAT FROM SOUP
A quicker way of removing excessive from soup, stock or gravy than skimming it off with a spoon is to pour it while hot through a cloth soaked in cold water. The grease will cling to the cloth. Or drop ice cubes into the pot. Fat will immediately cling to them and they can be removed before they melt.
TO TENDERIZE MEAT
Vinegar makes meat tender. Rub a tough steak with a mixture of vinegar and oil and leave for two hours before grilling. Soak an old fowl in vinegar for several hours before roasting.
DEEP FRYING
A tablespoon of vinegar added to the fat before deep frying will stop food absorbing.
TO PURIFY FAT
To remove strong flavours from a pan of fat, slice a couple of raw potatoes into it and fry until brown. Remove them with a perforated spoon and strain the fat through a piece of muslin laid in a colander.
TO COAT WITH FLOUR
To save mess and washing up, when you need to coat pieces of meat or fish with flour, shake them with the flour in a paper bag, old flour bags are even better.
CREAM
Cream should never be allowed to boil or it will curdle. Add it to a hot dish just before serving and reheat gently. Add teaspoon of lemon juice to a small carton of fresh double cream to make it sour. A few drops of lemon juice added to cream make it easier to whip.
