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1,001 nuggets of  kitchen wisdom  The Splendid Table -  Boiling Water 101 The Cook's Thesaurus   Ingredient Substitutions Spice Usage Chart Keep Food Safe   Cooking Measures & Conversions      ~ Baking Tips ~  ~ Cooking Tips ~   ~ Kitchen Tips ~ Cookie Dough - To have future batches of cookies ready in minutes, drop dough onto cookie sheet and freeze until firm. Remove dough from cookie sheets and double wrap in resealable, plastic freezer bags.  Storage Time: Up to 3 months. Thawing Directions:  Thaw the dough in the refrigerator until it's just soft enough to use. Place frozen mounds of cookie dough on cookie sheet and follow recipe directions. Baking time may need to be increased. Cookie Dough - To have future batches of cookies ready in minutes, drop dough onto cookie sheet and freeze until firm. Remove dough from cookie sheets and double wrap in resealable, plastic freezer bags.  Storage Time: Up to 3 months. Thawing Directions: Thaw the dough in the refrigerator until it's just soft enough to use. Place frozen mounds of cookie dough on cookie sheet and follow recipe directions. Baking time may need to be increased.   Baking Pans:  The look and texture of quick breads or pound cake is affected by the pan it is baked in. When baked in a glass pan, the bottom and sides of these cakes will overcook. Shiny dark metal pans also crisp the edges too much. For the best result, choose an old fashioned, dull finished, heavy duty aluminum pan.    Applesauce as substitute for oil:  You may substitute up to 50% applesauce or fruit puree in place of oil when you bake to reduce fat content, i.e.: 1 c. oil called for in recipe, use 1/2 c. applesauce. If you have any questions call Motts: 1-800-426-4891.   Eight Common causes of failure in cake making: Too hot oven causes cake to brown over on top before it has finished rising. Then as rising continues, the center portion breaks through the crust, giving a humpy, uneven shape to the cake Too slow of an oven (low temp.) allows the bubbles of gas to escape and the cake is too heavy. Too much flour makes a cake rise too high in the center and crack open. Also makes the cake dry and hard. Too little flour allows the cake to fall. Too much shortening makes a soggy cake with a greasy crumb. Too much sugar causes a heavy cake with a sugary crust. Insufficient creaming of the shortening and sugar makes a coarse texture. Too much beating after flour is added causes large holes and tunnels Applesauce as substitute for oil . . .  You may substitute up to 50% applesauce or fruit puree in place of oil when you bake to reduce fat content, i.e.: 1 c. oil called for in recipe, use 1/2 c. applesauce. If you have any questions call Motts: 1-800-426-4891. Bananas . . . Freeze ripe bananas in their peels when they cannot be used right away.  Thaw each 30 to 60 seconds in microwave and use in baked foods like bread, cake or muffins. Cooling Cookies . . .  If you have no wire or wooden racks on which to cool cookies or not enough of them when baking large batches, cool cookies on cotton dish towels or on a large cotton tablecloth folded in half. Keeping Cookies Moist . . . A piece of bread in the cookie jar keeps soft cookies from hardening. top of page   Slow Cooking or Crockery Conversions With a little tweaking, you can cook many of your favorite soups, stews, or roasts in your crockery cooker. Choosing a recipe Use recipes that call for less tender cuts of meat, such as beef chuck roast, beef brisket, pork shoulder, and stew meat. Use a sample recipe as a guide to estimate ingredient quantities and timings. Quantities   The crockery cooker must be at least half full and no more than two-thirds full. If necessary, add an extra potato, carrot, or onion to fill the cooker to the halfway point. Vegetables   Cut potatoes, carrots, parsnips, and other dense vegetables into bite-size pieces; place them in the bottom of the cooker. Add tender vegetables, such as fresh or frozen broccoli, green beans, or peas, at the end of the cooking time and cook on the high-heat setting 30 minutes or until tender. Meat   Trim any fat from the meat and cut roasts larger than 2 1/2 pounds in half. If desired, brown the meat. Place the meat on top of the vegetables. Poultry   Remove skin from poultry pieces before cooking. Ground meats, poultry, and sausage   Brown all ground meats, poultry, and sausage in a skillet over medium heat. These products must be completely cooked before you place them in the crockery cooker. Liquids   Reduce by about half the total amount of the liquid in your recipe. Thickening   Use quick-cooking tapioca for thickening stew and sauces, or thicken the juices with cornstarch and flour in a saucepan at the end of cooking. For each cup of liquid, use 1 tablespoon cornstarch or 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour. Dairy products   Milk, cream, and natural cheeses break down when cooked for long periods of time. Canned condensed cream soups and packaged white sauce mixes can be used to add creaminess. Evaporated milk also can be used if you add it during the last 30 to 60 minutes of cooking time. Stir cheese into the finished dish just before serving. Dried beans   Rinse beans and place in saucepan. Add enough water to cover beans by 2 inches. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Cover and let stand about 1 hour. Drain and rinse beans before adding them to crockery cooker. Converting regular cooking to crockery cooking: Original recipe calls for 15-30 minutes of cooking time: cook on low 4-8 hours or 1 1/2 - 2 1/2 hours on high. For 30-60 minutes of cooking time; cook on low 6-8 hours or 3-4 hours on high. For 1-3 hours of cooking time: cook on low 8-16 hours or 4-6 hours on high.    How to pick a ripe pineapple . . . The best way to test a pineapple for ripeness is to pluck a leaf from the top: If it plucks out easily, the pineapple is ripe. If you have a problem pulling the leaf out, the pineapple is too green to use.  To store peppers . . .  Freeze them:  Seed the peppers and put them in a freeze-lock plastic container then freeze. Be aware that they will be slightly mushy but still good for sauces and such. (you can also freeze the peppers whole, this will result in a hotter pepper because of the seeds remaining intact) Dry them:  Cut peppers length-wise and seed them (using a spoon was suggested) and place on a cookie sheet or baking pan. Put your oven on its lowest setting (150° is desired but your oven may not go that low), place peppers in oven and prop the oven door open with a wooden spoon (just slightly ajar, about 1 inch or so). Cook for 24-48 hours til they are brittle and dry. Remove, cool and chop to desired consistancy (caller uses a food processor for this task). Store in a tightly sealed jar. Note: when handling hot peppers wear rubber gloves and do not touch your eyes or face. Cabbage leaves . . . Freeze, don't blanch the leaves.  Instead of blanching cabbage leaves before you stuff them, freeze them overnight.  This little trick results in leaves just as limp and easy to roll as if they were blanched.    Ripening Avocados . . . An avocado will ripen faster if placed in a plastic bag with a piece of banana peel. Keeping Avocados looking good . . .  To keep refrigerated guacamole dip or half a sliced avocado from turning dar quickly, place the avocado pit in the center and wrap to form an airtight seal.   Fat Free Pan Lining . . .  Parchment paper can be used to line baking pans so you don't need to oil or butter the pans.  This saves calories and also saves cleanup. top of page Storing Potatoes We stored all-purpose potatoes in five environments—a cool (50-60 degrees), dark place; the refrigerator; a basket near a sunlit window; a warm (70-80 degrees), dark place; and a drawer with some onions at room temperature—and then checked them after four weeks. Only the potatoes stored in the cool, dark place were firm, hadn't sprouted, and were crisp and moist when cut. Selecting and Caring for Peaches What do you look for in a great peach? Pick peaches that are ripe and slightly soft and free from bruises. You can usually tell a ripe peach by its firmness. A fresh peachy fragrance will also indicate ripeness. Don’t pick under-ripe peaches. Under-ripe peaches will soften on the counter and develop more juice; they will not become sweeter. What do you look for in a great peach? When shopping for peaches, select peaches that are fragrant with a mildly sweet aroma, slightly soft, and free from bruises. Choose peaches with yellow and red tones and no green patches. Plan on using them within two days; they won’t stay their best for longer than that. For the best peaches, choose those that are locally grown when possible. Peaches bruise easily and are highly perishable. While California, Georgia, and South Carolina are the largest peach producers, most areas of the country grow peaches. Check your local farmers’ market for some of the best peaches. The yellow-fleshed varieties are higher in vitamin A. Both are low in calories, only about 37 calories in a medium peach. A Peachey Tip for Peeling a Peach There’s an easy way to peel peaches for that favorite recipe. Dip the peaches in boiling water for 30 seconds then immediately immerse then in cold water. The skins should slip right off. Peaches will darken quickly once peeled or sliced. Balsamic vinegar: This sweet, dark brown vinegar is made from the boiled-down juice of a white grape. According to Italian law, balsamic vinegars labeled as "aceto balsamico tradizionale" cannot contain any wine vinegar and must be aged at least 12 years. These vinegars can sell for $40 to $350 for 4 ounces. Less expensive balsamics blend wine vinegar with the grape juice.   Good to the last drop . . . Now you can really get your money's worth on everything you buy in a bottle.  I keep extra rolls of toilet paper and paper towels handy to use for draining the last to the neck of bottles or to drain into another bottle.  No fuss, no mess and you save money. © Joanne Gardiner 2005 A Quick Fire Extinguisher . . .  If you cook with electricity, keep a box of baking soda near the stove.  Should an electrical fire start, baking soda will extinguish it immediately.    Cleaner Broiling . . .  Pour a thin layer of water in the broiling pan before broiling meat, fish or poultry.  This makes the pan easier to clean later and the fat doesn't smoke as much.   Peeling vegetables . . .  Peel veggies without making a mess. I prop open a plastic shopping bag and turn back the top.  Standing in front of the opened bag, I peel my vegetables into the bag.  When done, I throw the bag and all the peelings in the trash.  Makes the peeling task a lot neater and clean up time a snap.   Stubborn Jar Lid . . .  Place a wide rubberband around the middle of a jar or bottle where you hold it when opening. Then wrap another rubberband around the jar or bottle lid.  The rubberbands help your hands get a good grip and make opening the jar or bottle much easier. top of page

For information on buying or selling east bay homes, please contact me at 510-429-4800 or send me a note on the  form. Thank you, Joanne P.S.  Be sure to add us to your favorite places. ~ Joanne L. Gardiner, Broker, e-PRO Realtor Advantage Realty 3205 Whipple Road - Union City, California 94587 (510) 429-4800 San Francisco Bay Area  ~ San Francisco East Bay Real Estate web site: http://www.joannegardiner.com   Our primary realty service areas in the San Francisco Bay Area: Hayward, Castro Valley, Fremont, Newark, Niles, San Leandro, San Lorenzo, San Ramon, Sunol, Oakland, Foster City, Burlingame, and San Mateo. The types of real estate in which we specialize are:  single family homes, detached homes, attached homes, duets, condominiums, townhomes, garden homes, PUDs, manufactured homes, mobile homes,  income property, investment property, tri-plexes, four-plexes, apartment property, and special use properties such as churches for sale.

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