These tips for cooking and baking are from a large collection of tips I’ve gathered together from a variety of books and magazines from the 1940s and 1950s…most of these are quite unique I think since I don’t recall coming across them before.
Sift flour as it is being emptied into the container. As most recipes call for sifted flour, this will save much time.
- Ease graham cracker crusts from the pan by dipping the pie pan in hot water before slicing and serving.
- Keep a tin of orange concentrate opened in your fridge and ready for use. Sneak a spoonful into your sweet sauces, icing for cakes, lemon cake mix, fresh salads and ever so many recipes and watch them take on a tang.
- Red cabbage will keep its red color if cooked with a bit of vinegar added to the water; add when cabbage is partially cooked.
- French toast is made crisper by adding a tablespoon of flour to the egg and milk mixture.
- Instead of deep frying croquettes, place them in a greased pan and bake; just as good and much more digestible.
- Bacon drippings are valuable–save them. Use as seasoning for vegetables; as a basis for soups and white sauces; to add meat flavor to scalloped dishes; for frying eggs, French toast, potatoes, etc.
- A dash of ginger added to chocolate icing gives a delicious, unusual flavor.
- Juice from pickled fruits such as crab apples, peaches and pears is wonderful for basting smoked ham.
- For a variation in meat balls, add chopped apple to ground meat along with other seasoning, roll into small balls and simmer in tomato puree, seasoned with sage.
- Boiled icing will keep soft if a scant teaspoon of vinegar is added with the flavoring.
- Add one of the following to the room temperature egg whites for the highest meringue: add a pinch of baking powder; add a pinch of salt; add a generous pinch of baking soda.
- A teaspoon of celery salt added to cracker crumbs in which oysters are rolled before frying improves their flavor.
- If you can’t find either fresh or dried dill, use 2 or 3 tablespoons of dill seed to each quart of pickles.
- When you get through with a tea ball, empty and clean it, then use it to hold onion or other seasoning for flavoring soups and stews.
- Something new in frosting! For a white or yellow cake, put 2/3 cup chopped dried apricots (well washed) in the frosting. Flavor with 1/4 teaspoon each of almond and lemon extract as well as the usual teaspoon of vanilla.
- If whipping cream won’t thicken, add some instant vanilla pudding powder.
- Heavy muffin papers set in muffin tins make excellent gelatin molds. Serve in papers or remove by placing muffin tins in warm water for a few minutes. Top with a cherry or peach slice.
- A little crushed or diced pineapple is delicious added to savory stuffing used for roast.
- Pastry will be flakier if you include 1 tblsp. orange or lemon juice as part of your liquid.
- Diced fruits for salad or desserts can be kept from turning dark by covering them with grapefruit juice.
- Once an onion has been cut in half, rub the left-over side with butter and it will keep longer.
- Leftover onion will keep much longer then the root is left intact – use top part first.
- Leftover eggnog makes a lovely sauce for vanilla ice cream or cake. And mixed with rice, it makes a tasty rice pudding. Just substitute it for the milk in your recipe.
- Popcorn should always be kept in the freezer. Not only will it stay fresh, but freezing helps eliminate “old maids”.
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