| To check the freshness of eggs, dissolve 30ml (2 tablespoons of salt in about 1 pint of water. Place the eggs in the water. If the egg sinks then it is fresh, if it floats then it is stale. Store eggs in a carton in the refrigerator to prevent them from losing moisture, and also being tainted by nearby strong flavoured food. Store eggs in the refrigerator, as they age far slower than out of the fridge. Always store eggs with the pointed end down. This keeps the yolk in the centre and helps to keep the egg fresh. Eggs should be brought to room temperature before use. To prevent eggshells from cracking, add a pinch of salt to the water before boiling. If eggshells crack during boiling add a little vinegar to the water. This will set the white To prevent black rings from forming around the yolks of hard boiled eggs, drain them as soon as they are cooked. Crack the shells and run under cold water to cool quickly. To make soured cream: add one 5ml spoon of lemon juice to 150ml ( ¼ pint) of single cream, stir well and then leave to thicken. If you want to heat cream in a recipe, use double cream as it does not separate as easy as single cream or soured cream. Or you can use creme fraiche as a substitute. Always wrap butter well as it picks up odours from any strong foods in the fridge. You can keep unsalted butter in a freezer for 6 months, but salted butter for only 3. Only freeze cheese containing more than 45% fat. Cheese with a lower fat content will separate and become grainy. Store cubes of feta cheese in a jar. Add sprigs of herbs, garlic cloves for flavour. Fill the jar with olive oil; you can use the oil later for salad dressings. When you buy cheese wrapped in plastic, remove the wrapping as soon as you get home. Then wrap the cheese tightly in greaseproof paper, this will stop it from sweating and it will keep longer. Before buying grapes you should shake the bunch gently, if grapes fall of the bunch is not fresh. To store grapes, wrap loosely in newspaper and keep in the dark. Citrus fruits such as lemons and oranges, should feel heavy for their size if they are full of juice. Citrus fruits yield most juice if they are stored at room temperature. If citrus fruits have been stored in a fridge, microwave each one for about 4 seconds to increase the amount of juice produced. The skins of bananas become slightly flecked when ripe. Freeze bananas in their skins, wrapped in cling film for up to 6 months. Eat them whilst still slightly frozen, or mash them and use in baking or drinks. To check the ripeness of a melon, hold it firmly in both hands and lightly press around the end of the melon, opposite the stem. The surface should give slightly. A ripe melon will also have a pleasant sweet smell. Store tomatoes in a fridge if they are ripe. But you should not put under ripe tomatoes in the fridge as low temperatures spoil the ripening process. To ripen tomatoes quickly, place them in a paper bag with an apple. Leave in a cool dark place and the tomatoes will ripen in a couple of days. When buying vegetables such as Brussel Sprouts choose all the same size so that they all cook evenly To check the freshness of a bean, hold it between your forefinger and thumb and bend it gently. If it is fresh it will break in two and not bend. When buying a cauliflower always pull back the leaves to make sure the florets are white. To store ice cubes for a party. When the ice cubes have frozen, remove from the ice trays and place on a baking sheet in the freezer for a couple of hours. You can now store them in a bag without them sticking together. You can do the same for the following;- If you have a glut of fresh herbs you can store them as follows;- get an ice cube tray and place freshly chopped herbs in each section, add a little fresh water to each section and then freeze. Remove cubes of the herbs and add to recipes as required. Open freeze double cream in an ice cube tray, then turn out the cubes into polythene bags and store in the freezer. The cubes can be added straight into hot soups, sauces or casseroles. Store any unused wine by freezing it in ice trays and then drop them into soups and sauces as required. Store any unused stock in the freezer by freezing in ice trays. If you over cook carrots, peas parsnips or swede: drain well and place in a food processor and puree until smooth, add a little cream to taste. Et voila a rich creamy puree! To revive mashed potatoes, just whisk an egg white until stiff and fold carefully into the potatoes. Put the mixture into a dish and bake in a hot oven until fluffy and golden. Rescue over-salted vegetables by pouring boiling water over them, OR drop a peeled potato in, it absorbs the excess salt. This also works for over-salted dishes. To revive mushrooms that have dried out, add a little red wine and leave to soak for a few minutes. Then bring to the boil, stir in a little cream and parsley and serve. To keep bread fresh if you don’t have a bread bin or crock, use a cotton drawstring bag. Wash and dry the bag regularly to prevent mould from developing. To revive a stale French loaf, cut it into thick slices almost to the base then spread garlic butter between the slices. Wrap in foil, and bake in a hot oven for 10 minutes. To revive a slightly stale loaf of bread, place it in a colander over a saucepan of boiling water. Cover with the pan lid until the bread is warm. To freeze sliced bread;- place greaseproof between the slices so that you can remove them without thawing the whole loaf. If you make your own bread, you can freeze unrisen bread dough for a month When thawing frozen bread or rolls, do it in an oven and they will be crisp and fragrant If you have nowhere to store a loaf of bread, place the loaf on a wooden bread board, and cover with a upturned earthenware bowl. Alternatively wrap in a clean, dry tea towel. To improve the life of a large fruit cake cut it in half. Then take slices from the middle of the cake, sliding the two halves back together. Store in a airtight container. Store an iced cake on the lid of a cake tin, with the inverted tin over it. You can then slice and remove pieces without risking damage. When freezing a large cake or gateaux, cut it into slices before freezing, and interleave each slice with a piece of non-stick paper. Reassemble the cake and freeze as usual. You can then remove as many slices as you need without having to thaw out the whole cake. To make home made flour shaker, make several holes in the metal lid of a screw top jar by hammering a nail through it, while resting it on a wooden board. Fill with flour. If clear honey becomes crystallized during storage, restore it by standing the jar in a bowl of hot water for 5 minutes. Then rotate the jar a couple of times until the honey becomes clear and liquid again. To measure honey and syrups easily, use a metal spoon that has been dipped in hot water. Honey and syrups will not stick to a heated spoon. If you have a dish or bag of hardened brown sugar, place a slice of apple in it to soften it again. Potatoes will take food stains off your fingers. Just slice and rub the raw potato on the stains and rinse with water. | 
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