• After stewing a chicken for diced meat for casseroles, etc., let cool in broth before cutting into chunks. It will have twice the flavor.
• To slice meat into thin strips (as for chinese dishes), partially freeze and it will slice easily.
• A roast with the bone in will cook faster than a boneless roast. The bone carries heat to the inside of the roast quicker.
• Never cook a roast cold. Let stand for at least an hour at room temperature. Brush with oil before and during roasting, The oil will seal in the juices.
• For a juicier hamburger, add cold water to the beef before grilling (1/2 cup to 1 pound of meat).
• To freeze meatballs, place them on a cookie sheet until frozen. Place in plastic bags and they will stay separated so you may remove as many as you want.
• To keep cauliflower white while cooking, add a little milk to the water.
• When boiling corn, add sugar to the water instead of salt. Salt will toughen the corn.
• To ripen tomatoes, put them in a brown paper bag in a dark pantry and they will ripen overnight.
• Do not use soda to keep vegetables green. It destroys Vitamin C.
• When cooking cabbage, place a small tin cup or can half full of vinegar on the stove near the cabbage. It will absorb all odor from it.
• Potatoes soaked in salt water for 20 minutes before baking will bake more rapidly.
• Let raw potatoes stand in cold water for at least half an hour before frying to improve the crispness of French fried potatoes.
• Buy mushrooms before they "open". When stems and caps are attached snugly, mushrooms are truly fresh.
• Do not use metal bowls when mixing salads. Use wooden, glass or china.
• A few drops of lemon juice in the water will whiten boiled potatoes.
• Lettuce keeps better if you store in refrigerator without washing first so that the leaves are dry. Wash the day you are going to use.
• To keep celery crisp, stand it up in a pitcher of cold, salted water and refrigerate.
• Use greased muffin tins as molds when baking stuffed green peppers.
• Don't despair if you've over-salted the gravy. Stir in some instant mashed potatoes and you'll repair the damage. Just add a little more liquid to offset the thickening.