🥛 Milk / Cream / Dairy

• Boiling milk? Add pinch of baking soda to prevent curdling.
• If milk scorches, put pan in cold water + pinch of salt to remove taste.
• Whipped cream: Add 2 tbsp flavored Jello for tasty twist.
• Chilled evaporated milk whips into frozen dessert base.
• Rinse measuring cup in hot water for syrup, oil, etc.

🍚 Rice / Grains / Oats / Pasta

• Add 1 tsp lemon juice per quart of water to keep rice fluffy.
• Toast oatmeal before adding to cookies = richer flavor.
• Use pancake flour instead of regular for fried food flouring.

🥩 Meat / Meatloaf / Ham

• Leftover ham: soak in maple syrup overnight, fry next day.
• Dash of lemon juice in meatballs for flavor.
• Cornflakes = breadcrumb substitute in meatloaf.
• Butter size of egg = 4 tbsp.

🥗 Salads / Vegetables

• Upside-down saucer in salad bowl keeps salad crisp.
• Cook veggies with bouillon cubes and garlic cloves.
• Lemon/vinegar in cauliflower water keeps it white.
• Add lemon slice to sweet potatoes while cooking to prevent discoloration.
• Grate citrus peels before peeling, store dry.
• Wrap parsley in foil, freeze, shave off when needed.

🥔 Potatoes / Sweet Potatoes

• Wrap peeled potatoes in wet paper towel to prevent darkening.
• Add 1 tsp baking powder to mashed potatoes for fluffiness.
• Keep mashed potatoes warm in a warmer.
• Lemon slice while cooking sweet potatoes prevents discoloration.

🍞 Bread / Rolls / Baking

• Brown sugar stays soft in container with an apple.
• Baking bread? Skip preheat—oven light = lighter bread.
• Use stale bread for croutons or breadcrumbs.
• Steam stale bread briefly to revive.
• Add sugar to yeast/water but never salt directly.
• Salt in flour prevents gravy lumps.
• Keep flour in a sugar shaker for dusting surfaces.
• Cookie/cake colored sugar: shake colored sugar in jars, store.
• Use pastry wheel for square/diamond cookie cuts.
• Wire cheese cutter perfect for chilled cookie dough.
• Funnel = great cooling rack for tube cakes.

🥧 Pies / Pastry / Desserts

• Pie crust: lift edges to avoid sticking.
• Pastry rolling: wax paper with damp cloth underneath, guidelines help.
• Marshmallows in meringue add body + flavor.
• Minute tapioca in apple pie absorbs excess juice.
• Dip shears in hot water to cut marshmallows easily.

🍬 Sweets / Treats

• Add 2 tsp vinegar to Jello so it doesn't melt when served.
• Bananas too ripe? Peel, freeze, dip in chocolate, refreeze.
• Use plastic bags on hands when shaping popcorn balls.
• Add peppermint to tea, chill for iced tea treat.

🍍 Fruits / Canned / Frozen

• Pare pineapple into rings, peel slices.
• Open canned fruit ahead of time to re-oxygenate.
• Freeze bananas or make chocolate treats.

🌽 Corn / Popcorn

• Brush corn on the cob with melted butter.
• Metal bowl trick: melt butter on grill.
• Popcorn balls: shape with plastic bags on hands.

🧂 Kitchen Tips / General Cooking

• Pickle juice: thin salad dressings or replace vinegar.
• Crumble crackers, bread, sugar lumps with rolling pin and store.
• Plastic bags good for holding crushed items.
• Roll pastry between waxed paper sheets.
• Day-old bread: steam to soften.
• Cheese wire cutter perfect for chilled dough.
• Ordinary funnel as cooling rack for tube cakes.