Quick Tips

Eggs, Dairy & Cheese

To hard-cook eggs, place eggs in a saucepan (do not crowd) and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 10 minutes. Drain, cover with cold water and let stand 5 minutes before peeling.
Hard-cooked eggs will be much easier to peel if you soak them in cold water for several minutes after cooking. This causes the egg to shrink away from the shell, making peeling a snap.
If a little egg yolk gets into the whites during separating, use a piece of bread to remove any traces of yolk—it attracts the small droplets of yolk like a magnet.
Store hard cheeses, such as Parmesan, in an airtight plastic container with a few sugar cubes. The sugar will absorb excess moisture and prevent the cheese from getting moldy. Replace the cubes when they get soft.

Don't throw away the rinds of hard grating cheese like Parmesan. Add them to simmering soups to add deep, rich flavor. Remove the rinds before serving.
Revive dried out Parmesan chunks by wrapping them in a damp paper towel and refrigerating in a resealable plastic bag for a day before using. After using, simply store the cheese in the bag again without the towel.
It's a lot easier to slice soft cheese, such as fresh mozzarella, using an egg slicer. Place the ball of cheese in the slicer, then push the wire tines through the cheese to cut.
Before whipping heavy cream, put the bowl and beaters in the freezer for at least 15 minutes. The cream will whip more quickly and be more stable.
After adding sour cream or yogurt to a warm sauce or soup, take care that it doesn't boil—that will cause it to curdle. Although the flavor will be fine, the dish won't look as pretty.
Garnish Caesar salads or pasta dishes with big shavings of Parmesan cheese. Simply use a vegetable peeler to shave the cheese directly onto dishes for an attractive garnish.
Prevent icy crystals from forming on ice cream by pressing a piece of wax paper or plastic wrap on the surface after scooping.
To keep whipped cream from turning watery after whipping, place it in a strainer set over a bowl and let stand for 5 minutes before serving.
For deviled eggs, mix the filling ingredients in a resealable plastic bag to combine, smashing the yolks with your fingers. To fill, snip off a corner of the bag and "pipe" the filling into the whites.
Keep deviled eggs from tipping on the serving platter by slicing off a small piece of the rounded side with a paring knife before filling.
Make a stick of cold butter spreadable by "shaving" slices of it from with a vegetable peeler. The thin butter ribbon will quickly turn soft and won't tear holes in soft bread.

Meat & Seafood

When browning ground beef or sausage, use a potato masher to break it up. It's a lot speedier than using a fork or spoon and makes the meat much finer.
Before freezing raw ground beef, remove it from its packaging, put in a resealable plastic bag, then press flat to an even thickness. Storing the meat in the freezer is easier and it thaws in no time.
To drain excess fat from cooked ground beef, use a slice of bread to "blot" the meat and the skillet after browning. The bread soaks up the fat, leaving the meat in the pan.
Partially freeze meat or chicken for 20 minutes to firm it up slightly so it's easy to thinly slice.
To keep chicken breasts or veal from tearing when pounding out, place them in a large heavy-duty plastic bag with a few droplets of water. The water will help prevent the tender meat from sticking to the bag and tearing.

After buying a roll of pork sausage, cut it into patties then freeze until firm on a wax paper- or parchment-lined cookie sheet. Transfer the patties to a resealable plastic freezer bag and return to the freezer. Remove only as many as you need at a time.
Keep a bowl of cold water nearby when shaping meatballs to periodically dip your hands in. The water will help keep the meat from sticking to your hands and makes the surface of the meatball smoother.
It's easiest to mix meatloaf or meatballs by hand than with a spoon, but it's messy. Next time, put all the ingredients into a large resealable plastic bag, seal the bag, then massage everything together. (This is a great project for kids!)
For the best browning, use a paper towel to pat any excess moisture off the surface of meats before searing. Too much moisture will cause the meat to steam, not brown.
Can't use a full pound of bacon? Lay uncooked strips on wax paper 1/2 inch apart, top with a second sheet of paper, roll into a cylinder and freeze in a resealable freezer bag. Whenever you need bacon, remove the frozen strips and refreeze the remainder.
Oven-frying bacon is less messy than pan-frying. Line a rimmed cookie sheet with foil, arrange strips on the sheet, and roast at 350° F. for 20 to 30 minutes, then drain on paper towels. Let the drippings solidify before removing the foil.
Always let meats and poultry rest for at least 10 minutes after roasting and before carving. During cooking, juices concentrate at the center of the meat; resting allows them to redistribute throughout the meat. Early carving causes the juices to just leak onto the cutting board.
When roasting large cuts of meat or whole chicken, create a flavorful roasting "rack" by building a grid with stalks of celery, whole carrots and thick slices of onion. The vegetables will flavor the pan drippings, making for awesome gravy!
To safely transfer a roasted chicken to a cutting board, insert a sturdy metal skewer or the handle of a long wooden spoon through the cavity and use it to lift and move the bird.
When removing skin from chicken pieces, get a grip on it with a paper towel so the chicken won't slip out of your hand.
Always slice cooked meats across (against) the grain. The "grain" is the direction the muscle fibers run, and cutting across the grain shortens the fibers, making the meat more tender.
Drain marinated meats well before grilling. Excess marinade or oil can drip into the flames, causing flare-ups and scorching on the surface of the meat.
When browning meat or chicken for soups or stews, it's best to do it in two or three batches. If the pan is overcrowded the meat will just steam and won't get as brown as it could.
To freeze homemade turkey, chicken or beef stock, divide the strained stock into smaller plastic containers, leaving 1/2 inch space at the top. Cool to room temperature, spoon off any fat from the surface, cover tightly, and freeze. Stock may be frozen for up to 6 months.
Choose fresh fish based on how it looks and smells. It should be firm, evenly colored and slightly translucent. And it should never, ever smell fishy or "off." If it does, pass it by.
Take care not to overcook fish and seafood—because it's so lean, it can turn dry and rubbery very quickly. If fish flakes easily with a fork, it's done. Shrimp and scallops are done when they're firm.
To thaw frozen shrimp quickly, place them in a large bowl, then cover with cold water. They'll be ready to use in about 15 minutes.
When preparing mussels for cooking, don't remove the beards (the wiry filaments on the side of the shell) until ready to cook. If removed too soon, the mussel will spoil. It's easiest to pull them off with a pair of pliers.

Grains, Pasta & Bread

After cooking and draining pasta for salads or casseroles, spin the drained pasta in a salad spinner. This removes excess water from the noodles and will keep the dish from getting water-logged.
Cook large pasta shells for stuffing by boiling them in a large pot of water for 30 seconds. Cover the pot, remove from the heat, and let stand for 10 minutes before draining. This helps keep the pasta from sticking together and tearing.
When cooking lasagna noodles, drain them on a rack coated with nonstick spray and placed over a baking sheet. They'll cool quickly and won't stick together and tear like they could when drained in a colander.
To store leftover lasagna, cut into serving-size pieces, then wrap in plastic followed by foil; freeze or refrigerate. To reheat, unwrap completely and place in an ovenproof dish. Cover and reheat in a 350° F. oven until warmed through.

Leftover garlic bread makes perfect croutons for the next day's salad. If the bread is already crisp, simply cut it into cubes and store in an airtight container. If the bread is soft, cut it into cubes and toast in a 350° F. oven until crisp.
To freshen slightly stale slices of bread, place them on a splatter screen and set over a skillet of simmering water. The steam will revive the bread in a minute or two.
To steam corn or flour tortillas for easy rolling, wrap them in a clean, lightly damp towel and heat in a microwave for 20 seconds.
Leftover cooked rice can be stored in resealable plastic bags and frozen to use later in fried rice dishes or to make rice pudding.
To give rice subtle flavor, add a few sprigs of hearty fresh herbs, such as thyme or rosemary, to the pot when cooking. Remove the sprigs before serving.
Before freezing a package of tortillas for storage, place a piece of wax paper between each tortilla. This way you can remove the number you need without having to thaw the whole package.
To keep bread warm in a basket, wrap dried beans in a large, clean tea towel or napkin and heat in the microwave until hot. Place the bean bundle in the bottom of the bread basket, then add bread and cover with another towel.
An easy way to make buttered bread crumbs—butter slices of soft white or wheat bread on one side, tear into pieces, then buzz in a food processor until crumbs form. (One piece of bread equals 1/2 cup crumbs.) Use to top casseroles before baking.
To make about 1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs, buzz one slice of soft white or wheat bread in a food processor until crumbs form. Use whenever recipes call for soft or fresh bread crumbs.
Give bread dough a boost as it rises by setting the bowl on top of a heating pad set to medium or low.

Vegetables

To blanch (cook) vegetables, bring a pot of salted water to a boil, then add vegetables and cook until tender-crisp. Immediately transfer vegetables to a bowl of ice water to cool.
Revive limp celery by trimming the ends and sticking the stalks in a jar of cold water. Place the jar in the refrigerator for a couple of hours until the stalks are crisp.
Trim the woody ends off fresh asparagus then arrange in a tall vase or glass with a little water in the bottom. Loosely tent with a plastic bag and refrigerate until needed, refreshing the water every couple of days.
To clean leeks, cut them as instructed in the recipe, then place in a bowl of cold water and swish around until the sand falls to the bottom of the bowl. Drain carefully, then rinse again to remove any traces of grit.
Quick-thaw frozen spinach by placing it in a colander and running cool water over it until thawed. Squeeze out as much excess water as possible before using in recipes.

Peeling cucumbers is simple—just use a standard vegetable peeler to remove some or all of the green skin. You can also use the tines of a fork to make decorative "stripes" down the length of the cucumber.
When tomato season is in full swing and you can't use tomatoes up fast enough, freeze them whole in resealable plastic freezer bags. Pop a few frozen tomatoes into a pot of soup or sauce and simmer, breaking up with a spoon as they thaw.
Ripen hard avocados or green tomatoes by placing in a paper bag with an apple. The apple emits a gas that helps speed ripening.
Freeze extra tomato paste or chipotle chiles in a small resealable plastic bag, pressing the paste flat before freezing. When a recipe calls for a little paste or chile, just break off a chunk from the frozen block and refreeze the remainder for later.
When making guacamole, use a potato ricer to mash the ripe avocados. If you don't have one, mash the avocados in a bowl with a hand-held pastry blender.
Soft-skinned vegetables, like tomatoes and eggplant, are easier to slice with a serrated bread knife. The serrations on the knife grab the slick skin much better than a chef's knife.
Arrange stuffed bell peppers in a Bundt or tube pan for baking. They'll stay upright and won't tip over as easily.
When cutting corn off the cob, it's easiest to do it on a rimmed baking sheet. That way, the corn kernels aren't as apt to fly all over the work surface.
Cook sweet corn by placing shucked ears in a large pot of boiling water. Cover the pot and remove from heat. The corn will be cooked in a few minutes and will hold in the hot water for about an hour—perfect for groups!
Before baking whole russet potatoes, rub them with oil, then bake directly on the rack of the oven, not on a pan. This makes the skin super-crisp.
Potatoes will cook faster if they're quartered or cut into cubes before boiling. So they cook at about the same rate, cut them into similar-sized pieces.
Mash potatoes up to two hours ahead of time and keep warm in a slow cooker set at low heat. Just before serving, stir in a little milk or butter. This makes coordinating big dinners, like Thanksgiving, a lot easier.
To prepare hard winter squashes, first use a vegetable peeler to remove the skin, then very carefully cut the squash in half. Scoop out the seeds and trim any remaining skin with a paring knife before cutting into chunks.
Use a soft brush or lightly damp paper towel to clean mushrooms. Rinsing is okay too but be prepared to use the mushrooms right away—they'll mold if stored wet.
Store mushrooms in a paper sack, not the plastic-wrapped styrofoam containers they're sold in. They'll last longer if allowed to "breathe" in the paper bag.
Plastic clamshell containers that strawberries are sold in are also perfect for storing fresh mushrooms—air circulates around them and keeps them fresh longer.
Roast mushroom caps before stuffing to prevent them from turning soggy. Sprinkle the cavities with salt and roast, cavity side up, at 400° F. for 10 minutes. Turn the caps over and roast another 5 minutes before stuffing.

Herbs & Spices

Use a rubber jar opener to take the papery skin off garlic cloves. Rub the cloves in the jar opener to loosen the skins, then peel them off with your fingers.
After roasting garlic, cool until easy to handle, then squeeze the entire head with your hand to release the cloves from their papery skins.
Put extra fresh herbs to good use by mincing them, then stirring in to softened butter. Roll the herb butter into a cylinder, wrap in plastic, and freeze to use later to garnish a piece of grilled fish, steak or steamed vegetables.
Extend the life of fresh cilantro by trimming the root ends and wrapping the bunch in a damp paper towel. Store the cilantro in the refrigerator in an unsealed plastic bag (so the leaves can breathe).
Grate fresh ginger on the small holes of a grater, then freeze in tablespoon mounds on a wax paper- or parchment-lined cookie sheet. When frozen, transfer to a resealable plastic freezer bag and freeze—perfect for using in stir-frys or adding to soups or stews.

To perk up wilted fresh basil sprigs, soak the sprigs in cool water for half an hour, then blot the leaves dry with paper towels. Store basil at room temperature in a sealed plastic bag—if refrigerated, the leaves will turn black.
Thinly slice fresh basil by stacking 5 or 6 large leaves on top of each other, then rolling them into a cylinder and slicing across the leaves into thin strips.
Nearly empty Dijon mustard jars and bottles are great for making vinaigrettes. Measure vinaigrette ingredients (except mustard) into the jar, screw on the lid, and shake vigorously. The residual mustard on the sides of the jar will be incorporated into the vinaigrette.
Dried herbs and spices lose their punch after 6 to 8 months. If you can't remember when you bought that canister of dried thyme or chili powder, now might be a good time to purchase a fresh supply—the flavor will be a lot better.
Make a removable spice sachet by tying whole spices such as bay leaves, peppercorns and herb sprigs in a coffee filter with string. Float the sachet in simmering soups and stews, and simply remove and discard the bag after cooking.

Fruit

To get the most juice from lemons and limes, first heat the fruit in a microwave on high for 30 seconds, then roll it on the counter with your hand, pressing firmly. This can yield as much as twice the amount of juice!
Prevent apples, bananas and pears from turning brown after cutting by tossing them with a little lemon juice. If the lemon flavor is too overpowering, toss them with a touch of lighter-tasting lemon-lime soda instead.
Freeze overripe bananas in heavy-duty resealable bags. Then when you need them for a recipe, thaw the bananas, then mash by squeezing the bag.
Peel peaches by covering with boiling water in a bowl and letting them stand for a minute. Rinse in cold water, then remove the skin with your fingers—it should slip right off of ripe peaches, but underripe fruit may need paring with a knife.
To keep strawberries fresher longer, store them in cardboard (not styrofoam) egg cartons. Don't wash first—water can cause them to spoil quickly. Instead, rinse them just before serving.

Raspberries and blackberries spoil quickly in their packaging. To prolong their life, line an airtight plastic container with paper towels, then arrange lightly rinsed fruit, stem side down, on the towels. Covered and stored in the refrigerator, the berries will stay fresh several days longer.
When grating lemon or orange peel on a box grater, be careful not to grate down to the white spongy layer—this is the "pith" and tastes bitter. You want only the colored, aromatic portion of the peel.
Ping pong ball-size Key limes can be tough to juice, but squeezing quartered Key limes in a garlic press makes the job easier and extracts plenty of juice.
Sugared grapes, cranberries, citrus and sturdy herbs like rosemary sprigs, make gorgeous garnishes. Use a pastry brush to dab the fruit with lightly beaten egg whites, then coat with sugar. Dry on wax paper before using. (For decoration only. Raw eggs should not be consumed.)
When choosing cantaloupe, first smell it, avoiding those with no scent. That's a sign of under-ripeness. Next, shake it—seeds should slosh inside. It should feel heavy for its size, sound hollow when thumped, and the stem end should give slightly when pressed.
To choose a ripe mango, look for smooth fruit that's free of blemishes and gives slightly when pressed. Hard mangoes will ripen in a couple of days on the kitchen counter. Store ripe mangoes in the refrigerator.
Ripen slightly green pineapple by placing it on the kitchen counter turned upside down to rest on the leafy top. This forces the sugars in the bottom of the fruit to travel to the top for even ripening.
Extracting pomegranate seeds is messy, so cut the fruit into quarters, place in a bowl of water, and use your fingers to remove the seeds from the membrane, letting them sink to the bottom. The membrane will float to the top for easy removal.

Nuts

Store nuts in the freezer in resealable plastic bags or jars. This will keep them fresher and prevent them from turning rancid so quickly.
It's easier to chop whole nuts right after toasting, while they're still hot. The nuts are pliable and won't fly around the work surface.
When chopping nuts in a food processor for baking recipes, add a couple tablespoons of sugar to them (decrease the amount of sugar in the recipe). This will help prevent the nuts from turning into nut "butter."
Toast nuts for recipes by tossing them in a skillet over medium heat until fragrant and lightly browned. Keep an eye on them and stir or toss often to prevent burning.
Rub the skins off toasted hazelnuts by placing the nuts in a small mesh bag (like those that cherry tomatoes come in) and rubbing vigorously between your palms.

Baking

The next time you bake chocolate cake or brownies, dust the baking pans with cocoa powder instead of flour for an extra hit of flavor.
To toast a small amount of coconut, place it on a paper plate and microwave at high power 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until toasted.
Heavy cookie doughs and batters are easier to mix if you place the bowl inside your sink on top of a damp dish towel. The lower position of the bowl is easier on your back, and the towel keeps the bowl stable.
When baking a cake in a tube or Bundt pan, cover the center hole in the cake pan with a small paper cup or muffin liner to prevent batter from dripping into the hole.
To make simple drop cookies more attractive, use the rough side of a meat mallet to press a decorative pattern on the cookies before baking.
When folding whipped cream or beaten egg whites into a batter, use a wire whisk instead of a rubber spatula or spoon. The whisk is quicker and more thorough.

Try coating greased baking pans with sugar instead of flour. The sugar creates an even layer and won't leave a greasy, floury residue on cakes. Actually, it adds a lightly sweet, crunchy coating on the cake!
Freeze tablespoon-size mounds of cookie dough on wax paper- or parchment-lined baking sheets until solid, then transfer to a resealable plastic bag. Keep frozen, baking only as many as you want at a time. (Add a few minutes to the baking time for frozen dough.)
If a pie filling or cobbler recipe calls for quick-cooking tapioca, grind it to a powder in a clean coffee grinder for more even distribution in the dish.
When making blueberry muffins, rinse the berries lightly (or thaw slightly if frozen) then toss in a little flour. The flour will help prevent the berries from sinking to the bottom of the muffins.
For flaky pie crusts and tender scones and biscuits, grate cold butter on the large holes of a cheese grater right into the flour mixture.
For perfectly round icebox cookies, refrigerate the wrapped cylinder of dough standing upright in a tall vase or glass. This prevents one side from flattening out as it would if chilled on a refrigerator shelf.
Often, it's easier to slice sheet cake and brownies with a large pizza wheel. The wheel prevents frosting from building up like it can on a knife blade.
To crush cookies, crackers, cereal or chips, place in a heavy-duty resealable plastic bag, seal the bag, then roll with a rolling pin until they're the texture you're looking for.
Plastic squeeze bottles are great for making pancakes. Just put the batter in a bottle, cut the tip to make a large opening, then squeeze batter right onto the griddle. (Thin out thick batter with milk or water.) Chill leftover batter right in the bottle.
Transport individual bite-size tartlets to parties in an egg carton that's been lined with a sheet of plastic wrap. This will keep them from breaking en route to the party.
Before measuring shortening or peanut butter for a recipe, swirl a raw egg in the cup first (use the egg in the recipe if one is called for). The egg coating inside the cup will cause the contents to come right out.
Before measuring sticky ingredients, like corn syrup, honey and molasses, spritz the inside of the measuring cup with nonstick cooking spray. The sticky stuff will slide right out.
Soften rock-hard brown sugar by placing a slice of bread inside the box or bag. The sugar should be good to go in a day or two.
For quick mixing of dry ingredients, keep an empty wide-mouth jar handy. Measure dry ingredients into the jar, replace the lid, then shake until blended.
Use clean, empty spice jars to hold flour for sprinkling on a work surface or for coating baking pans.
For the most accurate measuring, spoon flour into a cup rather than scooping it directly from the jar or bag. Level the flour off with the straight side of a table knife.
Be sure to check the expiration date on your box of baking soda. If the date has come and gone, the soda won't have the leavening power it should. Buy a new box for the best results.
Baking powder's strength diminishes over time. To see if yours is still good, sprinkle a generous pinch into a glass of warm water—it should fizz and bubble. If nothing happens, buy yourself a new container.

Beverages

Freeze slices of lemons, limes or oranges on a cookie sheet covered with plastic wrap. When solid, transfer to resealable freezer bags and keep on hand to add to cold drinks along with ice cubes. The fruit adds flavor and makes an attractive garnish.
To prevent watered down iced tea, iced coffee or punch, freeze some of your drink of choice in ice cube trays to use the next time you pour yourself a glass.
Ice cubes made from fruit nectar or specialty juices, like tomato or cranberry, add great flavor to iced tea as they melt in the glass.
Pipe or spoon extra whipped cream onto a wax paper- or parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze. Use the frozen whipped cream to garnish hot chocolate or hot coffee drinks.
To open a champagne bottle, remove the foil and untwist the wire gasket around the cork. Cover the cork with a towel and grasp tightly with one hand. Use your other hand to slowly turn the bottle, gently easing the cork out of the neck.

Desserts

For clean slices, dip your knife into hot water each time you make a cut through the meringue topping on pies.
Use an electric knife to slice soft cakes like angel food or jelly rolls. The speed of the blade prevents pressing down on the cake and crushing it.
To easily serve ice cream to a crowd, pre-scoop it several hours ahead of time onto a wax paper- or parchment-lined baking sheet that's been pre-frozen for at least 30 minutes. Once scooped, return the baking sheet to the freezer until ready to serve.
Coarsely crush red and white peppermint candies in a resealable plastic freezer bag with a meat mallet and use as a garnish on cupcakes, brownies, cakes and sundaes.
To make chocolate shavings for garnishing desserts, use a vegetable peeler to slowly "peel" curls off a bar of milk chocolate (Hershey's^® chocolate bars are perfect for this).

It's easier to chop big blocks of chocolate with a large serrated bread knife than with a straight-edge chef's knife. The knife's serrations cause the chocolate to crumble into small bits.
Many dessert recipes call for special liqueurs, but it can be expensive to stock up. Instead buy small "airplane" size bottles from liquor stores.
Chocolate can scorch very quickly so it's important to stir it often while melting. Take it off the heat or out of the microwave while still a little lumpy—residual heat will melt the last bits in no time.

Equipment, Safety & Cleaning

To prevent accidents in your kitchen drawers, push a cork onto the end of sharp tools like fondue forks and metal skewers.
To quickly polish silver, rub a little bit of toothpaste (not gel varieties) on the silver until shiny, then rinse with water. (This is best used on smaller pieces of silver.)
A toothbrush does a good job of cleaning out the holes of a garlic press. It also comes in handy when cleaning out the small holes of a cheese grater and shredding disks of a food processor.
To clean caramelized or burnt-on sugar from a saucepan, bring water to a boil in the pan until it dissolves the sugar layer.
To clean a dirty blender carafe, fill it halfway with warm water and a few drops of dishwashing soap. Replace the lid and run at low speed, then pour out the water and rinse clean.
Stretch a wide rubber band (like those that hold bunches of broccoli together) around the lids of jars to help you grip them. Wrap a few rubber bands around your knife handle, too. This will be easier to hold on to than a wet, greasy handle.

If you don't have a strawberry huller, a drinking straw does the trick too. Simply push one end of a straw up through the bottom of the berry and through the green top.
Make a wide-mouth funnel by using scissors to cut off the top of a 2-liter plastic soda bottle around the upper edge of the label.
Prevent a cutting board from sliding on a work surface by placing it on top of either a damp kitchen towel or a sheet of nonskid rubberized shelf liner (sold in the housewares section of grocery stores).
Put a few marbles in the bottom of your teapot before filling with water. You'll know when the water has boiled down by listening to the rattle of the marbles inside.
Nonstick skillets have a tendency to nick if stacked on top of each other in cabinets. To protect the nonstick surface, place inexpensive paper plates or folded up paper towels between the pans before storing.
Use a stiff wire brush to scrape any cooked-on residue off the grill grates. Clean grates are key to preventing sticking.
Line a large platter or cookie sheet with foil before taking meat out to the grill for cooking. Once the meat is on the grill, simply remove and discard the foil—the platter is clean and ready to use after the meat is cooked.
The next time you grill burgers, put the condiments in a muffin tin—no more toting several bottles and jars to the picnic table.
A coffee grinder is great for grinding spices but should be cleaned between tasks—add a tablespoon of dry rice and buzz until all traces of the spice are gone. Wipe the grinder clean with a dry paper towel.
For easy cleanup, coat the inside of a colander with nonstick spray before draining pasta or potatoes. The starchy residue in the cooking water won't leave a sticky film on the colander.
When pureeing hot soups in a blender, prevent scorching splatters by filling the carafe just half full and covering the lid with a kitchen towel. Use short on/off bursts of power—this keeps built-up steam from blowing off the lid.
Keep a pair of tweezers handy specifically for kitchen use. They're perfect for retrieving herbs from simmering soups or removing small bones from fish fillets. You'll be amazed at what you use them for!
Before slicing pizza, coat the wheel of the pizza cutter with nonstick spray—this will help keep the cheese and toppings from sticking to the blade.
If you don't have a small funnel to refill your pepper grinder, cut the bottom off of a cone-style coffee filter at the seam and fold the filter in half. Fit the filter into the opening of the grinder and pour in the peppercorns.

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