10 Cooking Tips to Remember

1. Line the cake stand or plate with strips of waxed paper before placing the bottom cake layer on the stand. Once the cake is iced, carefully pull out strips one-at-a-time for a completely clean cake stand. I learned this trick years ago from Nathalie Dupree.

2. Place a wet paper towel under cutting boards to keep them from slipping and sliding. 

3. Keep your knives sharp. Cuts heal faster when made with a sharp knife. 

4. Instead of crumbling bacon when it's crispy, chop it before you cook it. A lot more can cook at one time and cook faster than in strips.

5. Store skillets with paper plates in between the pans to prevent scratches.

6. Spray measuring spoons or cups with nonstick cooking spray before measuring sticky ingredients, like honey or sorghum. Instead of sticking in the spoon, it will pour right out. 

7. Mince garlic cloves while loosely wrapped in plastic wrap. Use a meat mallet to pound them to a mince and the back of knife to scrape into the pan.

8. Make all brownies the same size squares. Cut down the center of the pan first, creating two equal squares on either end. Then cut squares in half. Keep halving until all bars are cut.

9. Slice rolled cookie dough with unflavored dental floss to prevent one side of the cookie log from squishing flat. 

10. Buy nuts in bulk and store in the freezer. It's much less expensive and prevents last minute grocery trips for just one cup of pecans.