Better Home Cooking Basics: #70 Neutralize Too Acidic Soups & Sauces with Baking Soda.

There’s a few things I learned about cooking with wine. The first is you have to have some in order to cook with it. If you have no wine you can’t cook with it. The second is vinegar is not the same as wine. It’s much MUCH more acidic. When you cook wine (or vinegar) it concentrates the flavor so you better like the flavor to begin with.

Why am I rambling about all this? To get to my tip of course so you can learn through my crazy mistake & miraculous quick fix. On Sunday I decided I was going to make this sauce. Four cups of red wine makes up most of the liquid of the sauce. I didn’t have any red wine on hand but I did have some red wine vinegar & some beef stock. (Remember: vinegar & wine are not the same.)

Better Home Cooking Basics: #69 Top Your Ice Cream with Spices to Add More Flavor (Not More Fat!).

It's ice cream weather! While hot fudge, whipped cream & extra sprinkles all offer extra deliciousness to everyone's favorite summer treat they also add extra calories. Today, I'm asking you to put down the typically delicious & caloric toppings & visit your spice rack instead. Spices aren't just for cooking any more. You can jazz up any kind of ice cream with spices which means more flavor without added fat! Keep reading for my ice cream & spice pairing suggestions.

Better Home Cooking Basics: #67 Freese Your Bowl & Whisk Before Using Them To Make Homemade Whipped Cream.

’Tis the season for whipped cream. Fresh fruit with homemade whipped cream is simple & sinful all at once. When making whipped cream at home I use 1-2 tablespoons of powdered sugar to each cup of heavy whipping cream. The sugar level really depends on how sweet you want it. One way to make the whipping go faster (especially if doing it by hand) is to freeze the bowl & the whisk (attachment) that you plan to use at least 15 minutes ahead of time. This helps to speed things along when it comes time to whipping. To make the whipped cream simply combine the whipping cream & sugar (if using) & beat the heck out of it with a whisk until it forms stiff peaks. It's quite the arm work out if you do it by hand but you can also employ your trusty mixer too if you're double tasking in the kitchen.

Get more of my better home cooking basics here.

Better Home Cooking Basics: #63 Store Cucumbers at Room Temperature

Today's tip is to store cucumbers at room temperature. I never knew this. I always kept mine in the fridge but apparently I'm doing it all wrong (according to Cooking Light magazine). Evidently  cucumbers develop pits outside & wateriness inside when chilled below 50 degrees. To prevent this from happening store your cucumbers in a cool place on your kitchen counter. Also, be mindful & store them away from tomatoes, melons & bananas. Turns out cukes are sensitive to the ethylene gas these fruits & veggies emit.

I learned so many life lessons today.  Is anyone else running out of counter space these days?

Get more of my better home cooking basics here.

Better Home Cooking Basics: #61 Top Baked Potatoes with Greek Yogurt Instead of Butter or Sour Cream.

If you love to load up a baked potato with gobs of butter or sour cream (like we do at our potato-loving house) this tip is for you. Swap out those fatty condiments for protein rich Greek yogurt instead. You'll get all the creaminess with less guilt & some nutrition to boot.

Want to take your baked potato to the next level? It's easy & tasty. Use this simple recipe to add some fresh & creamy flavor to your next baked potato.

Better Home Cooking Basics: #59 Don’t Throw Away Sprouted Garlic, Remove the Green Part Instead.

Have you ever found little green sprouts coming out of your garlic? I have & I've made the mistake of tossing it thinking it was bad. Turns out - it's not bad! Keep that garlic. Simply remove any green parts & then use it as you normally would. The green part is evidently super bitter.  Or if you have a green thumb, I think you can plant the garlic in the ground once it's sprouted.

Get more of my better home cooking basics here.

PS: happy birthday to my sweet friend Hely! 

Better Home Cooking Basics: #58 To Quick Bake a Potato Use a Combo of a Microwave & a Hot Oven.

Ever make a baked potato & it feel like it take hours to bake? It’s probably because it does, but who has time to bake a potato for hours especially on a ‘school night’? Not this girl that’s for sure. After much trial & error & potato soul searching on the web I’ve harvested the best tips for ‘quick baking’ a potato - & by ‘quick’ I’m talking more like 30 minutes than 3 hours so that is ‘quick’ to me. Using a combo of your microwave & a super hot oven you too can make baked potatoes on school nights!

Here’s how you quick bake a potato:

Better Home Cooking Basics: #56 Butter Bread with Mayo for the Best Ever Grilled Cheese.

I love a good grilled cheese. The bread is buttery & crispy & the cheese is melty & gooey. When you get a good one you know it & there is nothing better. I’ve tried endlessly to make the perfect grilled cheese at home but it wasn’t until recently that I found this life (or grilled cheese) changing tip in Bon Appetit that I was able to perfect my grilled cheese sandwich. The key - the secret to the best grilled cheese is MAYO!! Who knew? I’m personally not a mayo fan but you don’t taste the mayo with this method, you just taste nutty, brown, crispy, toasted bread. What’s even better is your cheese gets all melty & gooey just like you’ve always dreamed!

So without further adieu, this is what you do:

Better Home Cooking Basics: #55 Add Baking Powder to Water for Hard Boiled Eggs for Shells that Don’t Stick.

I’m new to the hard boiled egg game. I’ve only recently felt confident in cooking them. Not too long ago I was under or overcooking them & now I’ve finally got it down pat. After the cooking I have to peel them & sometimes take off more of the egg whites with the shells than I’d like so when I came across this tip I had to share it with you guys. Next time you make hard boiled eggs add 1 tablespoon of baking powder  to the water, it helps prevent the egg shells from sticking! It works! I’ve tried it several times now & it has worked every time.

Do you have a tricks for making hard boiled eggs? If so, please share in the comments below!

Get more of my better home cooking basics here.

PS: happy birthday to my sweet baby cousin Renee!!! I love you! (check her site out here)

Better Home Cooking Basics: #54 Thicken Soups & Sauces by Blending Them instead of Adding Extra Fat.

It’s still freezing & there’s nothing more that I want to eat than thick, creamy soups & sauces. While adding cream or a roux (butter + flour) to soups & sauces will no doubt thicken them up that’s not the only way to achieve a creamy texture. You can do it simply by blending some of the chunky veggies with the broth & it will add instant thickness to whatever you’re cooking (like I did here & here). I love using my immersion blender to do this because I can blend in the pot i’m already cooking in & there is no flip flopping of putting your soup/sauce in the blender & then back in the pot.
Now that your soups & sauces are thicker you can eat more without the extra fat!

Get more of my better home cooking basics here.  

Better Home Cooking Basics #53: Freeze Soups & Sauces in Large Food Storage Bags & Stack to Save Space.

My freezer is packed to the max, with what I’m not certain but I do know that every inch is coveted. In hopes to save space I freeze soups & tomato sauce in large freezer bags. Then I lay them flat so that they are stackable & save space. Then when you want to defrost the contents you can defrost all of it in the bag or break off a small ‘piece’ if that’s all you need.

Get more of my better home cooking basics here. 

Better Home Cooking Basics: #52 Peel Fresh Ginger by Scraping the Skin with a Spoon.

Fresh ginger looks really weird. It's knobby & has a thin brown skin which looks like it would be difficult to peel with a regular veggie peeler - because it is. If you use a regular veggie peeler you will no doubt be taking chunks of the ginger with it. Put your veggie peeler away & open your silverware drawer. Take out a spoon - I like to use a teaspoon. Now balance the ginger between your hand & a cutting board & start to scrape the skin off with said spoon a little bit at a time. The skin will come off easily without sacrificing any of the ginger beneath it.


Get more of my better home cooking basics here.

Better Home Cooking Basics: #49 A Pinch of Salt Brings out the Flavors in Sweet Baked Goods.

The cookies have already started to appear in the kitchen at my office. I have no self control & eat one each time I go to refill my water. 'Tis the season for delicious baked goods. Even though these treats are sweet don't forget the salt (yes I love salt but this is valid for even those who don't crave it). A pinch of salt will bring out the flavors in your baked goods. Just a pinch will do.

What are you baking this holiday season?

Get more of my better home cooking basics here.

Better Home Cooking Basics: #47 Start with Cold Water When Using it to Boil.

First, & foremost THANK YOU to all those who have kept our country safe & continue to do so today on Veteran's Day & every day. We're so blessed to live in the country we do especially in a world where freedom seems like such a luxury.

Today's tip is super basic. Start with cold water when boiling it. Yes, I know it seems like warm or hot water from the tap might actually cut down on the the time it takes that water to boil (which feels like forever sometimes). There's actually a good reason for it. When you use warm or hot water there's sometimes sediment & other stuff in your pipes that you'll be adding to the water that you're using to cook with. So eliminate other elements with cold water & bring it up to a boil from there.


Get more of my better home cooking basics here. 

Better Home Cooking Basics: #46 Use Baking Ingredients at Room Temperature for the Best Results.

Temperatures are dropping &  that only means one thing - more baking to heat up the house of course.

My mom always said to use ingredients like eggs & butter for baking at room temperature. I've seen it written in cookbooks & heard foodies on tv repeat it too. But why? What difference does it make? I'm sure my mom told me but I really did not remember (punky kid).  I looked it up. It makes a big difference. If all your ingredients are at room temperature they'll bond together better & in turn trap air so then when it bakes the air inside expands resulting in light, airy baked goods! Knowing this now I will do my best to bring all my baking ingredients to room temperature because hey I like light & fluffy baked yummies. (This goes for pancakes too guys!)

Get more of my better home cooking basics here.

Better Home Cooking Basics: #45 Speed Up Prep Time & Reduce Mess with a Food Scoop or a Dough Scraper.

After you’ve chopped your onions & minced your garlic how do you get it into your skillet or pot that you’ll be cooking it in? Do you carefully scoop & balance it on your knife & then slowly walk it over to your stove while maybe sacrificing some to the floor & by some I mean most & now you have to clean the floor? Do you bring your entire cutting board to the pot & scrape all of your hard prep work into said pot or skillet (if you’re lucky enough to keep the balance of it with one hand while you scrape with the other?

I can be a bit of a spaz & would love to say I never spill anything - but that couldn’t be further from the truth. A handful of years ago I bought a stainless steel food scoop like this one while I was down visiting Charleston. I wish I could tell you the name of the store or even the brand of mine but I can’t. Yes most people probably pick up something more sentimental when on vacation - but me - I opt for practical kitchen gadgets.

Turns out this little "souvenir" is my favorite & most used gadget in the kitchen. I use it daily. It’s the perfect way to caddy food from your cutting board to your pot without spilling it everywhere - no balancing act required. It's a great way to be more efficient with your time in the kitchen (read: spend less time cleaning the mess of your floor.)

I like the one I use (see the photo below) because it has sides to it so none of the food can escape that way. This one & this one are great alternatives with sides.

You can also use a pastry/dough scraper like this one. It won’t have sides so more balance is required but you can scoop larger amounts for transporting around your kitchen.

What's your favorite kitchen gadget? I would love to know! Please comment below.

Get more of my better home cooking basics here. 

Better Home Cooking Basics: #44 Reheat Pancakes in the Toaster & then 30 Seconds in the Microwave.

If you've ever made too many pancakes (like I did on Saturday), this tip is for you. I don't like to throw food out & find leftovers are a great time saver but sometimes when you're reheating them in the oven they get dried out or get too mushy in the microwave.

To reheat pancakes I've found that the best balance for reheating them is a combo of using the toaster (hopefully your pancakes aren't larger than a piece of bread & if they are cut them in half & work in batches) & then microwaving them for 30 seconds. That way they still have a slightly crispy outside but the inside is still moist.

Get more of my better home cooking basics here.

Better Home Cooking Basics: #43 To Make a Quick Chili Use Canned Beans Instead of Dried Beans.

Last night I made this chili. We both got home late, so I started cooking late so we ate kind of late but the chili cooked pretty quickly - Chris pointed this out. He was right.  Usually chili is supposed to simmer for hours on end but I think that has to do with the doneness of the beans. The last thing you want in chili is undercooked beans so if you don’t have time use canned beans which take no time at all to incorporate & cook in you big pot of chili.  No one will know or care as they eat their second bowl.

Looking for a good turkey chili recipe? Try one of these: the best turkey chili ever or turkey & white bean chili .

Get more of my better home cooking basics here.

Better Home Cooking Basics: #42 When Roasting Veggies Create Space between Pieces, Don’t Overlap them.

I've definitely mentioned this time in recipes past but I thought I'd call it out again since the temperatures in the North East have begun to drop & cranking the oven on is starting to sound like a great idea.  Roasting veggies is a great (not to mention easy!!) way to cook your veggies. Cut your veggies up into equal sized pieces. Toss them with olive oil & season with salt & pepper. Then lay them out on baking sheets without overlapping or creating layers. You want just one layer so that the outsides crisp up & the insides are soft & tender.  If you run out of space on your baking sheet, use another one. If you don't & you opt to over lap you veggies might not cook at the same rate & they'll be missing that caramelized crunch on the outside.

Get more of my better home cooking basics here.

Better Home Cooking Basics: #41 For Super Fluffy Pancakes, Separate the Eggs & Beat the Whites.

This pancake tip is a breakfast/brunch game changer. (Amanda, listen up this one is for you.) I found it on Say Yes with four other great ways to make the fluffiest pancakes. Ever. Check the others out here.

The key take away from this tip is before you go gangbusters & add your eggs all in, take a minute to separate the yolks from the whites instead. Then in a small bowl with either an electric mixer or just some aggression & elbow grease whip those egg whites into shape until they form stiff white peaks. Then after you’ve mixed all your wet & dry ingredients together gently fold your beaten egg whites in right before you hit the griddle.  Et voila the best, fluffiest pancakes you’ll ever make. Thanks Say Yes for this amazing tip!

Now I all I want to do is remake all of these pancakes with this new tip!

Get more of my better home cooking basics here.