Poll: Best tip or advice ever?

[KimKelly]

I'm sure that everyone has a tip or piece of advice that you have found to be invaluable. Be it the simplest or most basic, or something more advanced, I thought it would be interesting (and informative!) to share. (I sure hope I'm not duplicating something here! I checked the search and didn't come up with anything....)

For example: I can't tell you how many times I made muffins and they came out good, but tough. A tip that made all the difference in the world for me was to discover that it was overmixing when combining the wet and dry ingredients that produced the toughness (I read in the King Arthur cook book that the baking powder can be mixed as much as you like in the dry ingredients, but overmixing when wet causes toughness). (I used to mix the heck out of them just to be sure they were mixed! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/redface.gif ) Also, that proper measuring of flour was important in the toughness issue - just a bit too much flour can toughen them up.

Anyway... thought it would be interesting to find out what everyone else has found to be important or informative.

Kim

[This message has been edited by KimKelly (edited 10-14-2000).]

[Vanessa]

Hi! I think measuring can make a huge difference (using correct measuring cups for liquid and dry products not scooping flour but putting in cup then using the knife to level) When cooking light its VERY imp to follow instructions. Also yes overbeating creates a dry tough product. I make a hole (pushing the dry mix to sides) of lets say muffins then add the liquid ingredients. I also use some of the flour or sugar to coat fruits going into muffins so they don't sink in.
The best advice I ever got regarding cooking was from my mom. She said "if you can read you can cook". After this it was easy to try all kind of recipes....

[Gail]

This is utterly idiotic to even mention, but I will anyway, because way back, when I was first learning my way around the kitchen, it really helped... I have long since gotten into the habit of cooking with a small container of water nearby. Why? Because maybe the burner is too high, maybe something is cooking faster than planned. Maybe it's sticking to the pan, or thickening too quickly. So, as I'm making my rounds, checking things, lifting lids, stirring, if something doesn't look quite the way it should, in goes a splash of water and a quick stir. Amazing how many things I've revived that way!

...told you it was stupid... http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif

[Laura]

I know this is really basic but my mom always told me to read a recipe completely through before doing ANYTHING! Not wanting to follow her advice early on I made many mistakes. Isn't it interesting that our mothers become smarter as we get older and become moms ourselves?

[This message has been edited by Laura (edited 10-14-2000).]

[dncomom]

Ok, this one is so mundane I almost hesitate to post it but...it is a great tip, so I will share! When spreading rice krispie treats in the pan get wet your hands with cold water and the treats won't stick to your hands! This was a really big thing for me to discover as I have four kids under 10 and rice kripsie treats are their own food group here! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif

[Marcie]

Okay, so this might not be the "best tip ever," but a handy one is to use dental floss to slice cheesecake. Just pull it taut and straight down through the cheesecake, pulling the string out one side when you get to the bottom. A great way to get lots of clean slices. I've gotten as many as 24 slices out of a 10" cake, which I sure couldn't do nicely with a knife.

[Sandy1]

How about when brown sugar turns into a cement-like block in the bag.... I just throw a slice of bread into the bag and presto, within a couple of hours the sugar returns to it's original soft, moist state!

[Tally]

Great topic!

Probably the most basic, but most helpful, piece of advice I've gotten is for measuring dry ingredients, especially flour: scoop the dry item out of its container with a spoon and dump it into the measuring cup, rather than scooping out with the measuring cup. Definely improved my baked goods!

[mah]

somewhere, it may even have been here, i learned to keep my brown sugar in the freezer--it keeps it from getting like a brick...

[RUSTYSMOM]

My best tip was to mix dry ingredients together with a whisk to get same effect as sifting - much quicker and neater!