Presenting the Onion Pyramid
It all begins with the onion…The word onion comes from the Latin meaning of large pearl. Onions are one of the most important ingredients to have on hand.
Once an onion has been cut in half, rub the leftover side with butter and the onion will stay fresh longer.
The trick to chopping an onion, use a sharp knife (duh). Cut off the stem end and then cut the onion in half lengthwise. Remove the skin and make parallel cuts across the onion-but do not cut through the onion. Finish with a series of slices and you have a perfectly chopped onion.
Speaking of onions…To make a fancy onion garnish for salads, a veggie platter or soup. Cut the root end off of a green onion. Place the onion on a cutting board; starting about 1 inch from the green part of the onion, use a sharp knife and make several lengthwise cuts through the white part of the onion; make your cuts as close together as possible. Cut off the green stalk leaving about a 1 inch uncut section above the cut part. Place in ice water until ready to use. The cut onion will curl and flair out like a brush or broom.
Speaking of curls…to make chocolate curls. Cover the underside of a baking sheet with parchment paper. Melt chocolate and pour a thin layer onto the baking sheet. Refrigerate until cool. Slice the chocolate into wide strips. Push a metal spatula along the length of each chocolate strip. Extra tip: If the chocolate splinters instead of curling, wave a blow dryer over the chocolate for a few seconds to form perfect strips.
Speaking of strips…for perfectly crisp chicken strips. Roll the chicken in buttermilk, then in self-rising flour mixed with a little paprika and freshly ground black pepper.
Speaking of pepper…Did you know? Most of the pepper available to Canadians comes from India. This aromatic, pungent spice is the dried berries of the pepper plant, piper nigrum. Black pepper is the whole berry; white pepper the outer skins are removed. If the holes in your pepper shaker are too small, switch it with your salt shaker.
Speaking of salt…Here’s a trivia question. When doubling a recipe for cookies, do you…A) Double the amount of salt. B) Triple the amount of salt. C) Use the same amount of salt that the recipe originally called for. Answer C
Speaking of cookies…Restore moisture to soft cookies that have dried, wrap a wedge of apple or a slice of bread in waxed paper and put it in a container with the cookies. Remove the apple or bread after 24 hours.
Substitute half the amount of honey for sugar in a chocolate cookie recipe, to create more moist cookies.
Speaking of honey…Brush warmed honey over ham and bake for 1 hour and 15 mins. Baste ham every 10-15 mins. with honey glaze. During the last 4-5 mins. of baking, turn on broiler to caramelize the glaze. Remove from oven and let sit a few mins. before serving.
Do not microwave hardened honey. Granulation is normal and will be accelerated by keeping at cool temperatures. If you wish to make honey liquid, put the glass container in a pot of warm water and gently warm just until it liquefies, doing this will save all of the best honey benefits.
Speaking of liquids flowing…transfer jelly to a small empty plastic squeeze bottle, no more mess, sticky jars or knives.
Prevent salad dressing from spilling out all over your plate by poking a hole in the protective foil.
Speaking of protective foil…sharpen scissors by cutting through a piece of aluminum foil.
Speaking of cutting…it all comes back to the onions. To prevent your eyes from tearing while cutting onions, hold an unlit wooden match between your teeth.
All tips taken from: Household Solutions 1, 2 and 3.
