SUPER HINTS 3

Smart Tips

When Less is Better
If you are hosting a buffet with many items to choose from, order a little less than the number of people coming. Caterers tend to bring more than what one person can eat anyway. For example, if you expect 50 people to come, ordering for 30-35 is usually sufficient.

Tired Citrus Fruit
If you've kept lemons, limes and oranges in the fridge too long, they may look tired and dried out. Soak them in hot water for a few minutes and the fruit will absorb the water. You'll have much juicier and better looking fruit in no time!

Useful Leftovers
Leftover vegetables? Puree them and add them to your base stock when you next boil soup.

Physical Tenderizing?
If you see a chef pounding meat, it isn't because he's tenderizing it, but flattening it out so that the meat cooks evenly.

Guest Takeaways
If you're organizing a party and anticipate leftovers and don't relish finishing up the food several weeks on, buy some disposable boxes. When guests leave, have a package of food from the party for them to bring home. It'll be terribly rude of them to refuse!

Microwave Test
Many plastic products now have microwave-safe labels. But you may want to put it to the test, as suggested by Whirlpool. Place the empty container together with a glass of water in the microwave. Switch the oven on at full power for one minute. When you touch the container, it should only be slightly warm.

Fruity Punches
If you're serving up fruit punch, here's another idea. Cut up fruit or freeze berries in your ice cubes. When the ice melts, your guests will enjoy munching on these little bits of fruit.

Keep it Hot!
To keep ice from melting, wrap newspaper around it. Did you know that you can keep your food warm with newspaper too? Wrap hot foods in heavy duty aluminum foil, and wrap that up with a thick layer of newspaper.

Cool it
Next time you have a barbecue, instead of letting the leftover coals burn to ash, pour water over your pit and let the coals cool. The next morning, put those lumps of unburnt coal into flowerpots. They make excellent fertilizers.

Smart Grocery Shopping
If you find yourself spending too much money on groceries, make sure you make a shopping list before going out. And stick to it! That way, you'll only get what you need.

Cheap Coolers
A cooler can be expensive…so make your own? All you need is a box, plenty of newspapers, ice and plastic bags. Line the box with thick stacks of newspapers, and place a big plastic bag of ice at the bottom. Put in the food, fill in any gaps with ice cubes. Place plenty of newspapers on the top before sealing the boxes. Don't stinge on the newspapers!

Wooden Spoons
If your wooden spoons and salad bowls have lost their luster from
too many washings, try this: Dip a paper towel or soft cloth into a
small amount of mineral oil, then rub the bowl, working the oil into
the wood. The sheen will be restored in seconds.

Hot Spot
Looking for a spot in your kitchen that's 85 degrees so your yeast
dough will rise? Three easy place: a gas oven warmed by the pilot
light; an electric oven with the light on; or an electric oven
that's been heated to 200 degrees for one minute.

Leftover Peels
After peeling an orange, store the peel in a zip-top plastic bag in
the freezer. Later, add it to your tea as it steeps to impart a
subtle orange flavor. You can also grate it to add to fruit salads
or icings.

Cookies
If you want to reduce the amount of butter but preserve the
crispiness in cookies, add a little corn syrup to the dough.
Substituting as little as a tablespoon of corn syrup for sugar can
make cookies much browner because corn syrup browns at a lower
temperature than sugar.