Category Archives: frugal tips

Sep
6

Honey Storage

Posted in frugal tips
If your like me, and cant keep your honey at room temperature, because ants seem to like it just as much as you do, then this tip is for you.
All honey crystallizes over time. The more pollen it contains, or as with me, you keep it refrigerated, the faster it will crystallize. Don’t throw it away though! It is still perfectly good, it just needs to be liquefied again. The easiest and safest way to do that is with this simple trick.
Place the bottle of honey in a pot of hot, not boiling water and let it sit for about 1/2 hour. Stir the honey and the crystals will be gone.
Other Honey Tips:
Spray a thin layer of cooking spray into a measuring cup. Then pour as much honey as needed for the recipe into the measuring cup. The honey will literally slip out of the cup without a sticky mess.
*NEVER* give a baby under the age of 1 1/2 years of age honey! Pasteurized honey is a known source of bacterial spores that produce a toxin which can cause infant botulism. It is rare, but this serious form of food poisoning will affect the nervous system of babies and can result in death!
I don’t want to scare anyone away from honey, just don’t give it to babies. Their systems aren’t strong enough to handle it.
Aug
30

Cutting Fudge

Posted in frugal tips
Cutting Fudge

Want to quickly and easily cut a batch of fudge? Spray a pizza cutter with cooking spray and use it to cut the fudge into squares. Make sure the fudge is well chilled and set before cutting.

Extra tips for making the perfect fudge:

1. Line the pan your going to pour the fudge into with aluminum foil, then lightly butter the bottom and sides. This will make it easier to remove from the pan. Then just peel the foil off and cut.

2. Make sure to use butter. Margarine contains to much water and will prevent your fudge from setting up.

3. Have all of your ingredients set out and measured before you begin. The fudge needs to be watched closely as it cooks.

For a delicious and easy fudge recipe, that turned out even for me, a person who used to be a failure at fudge making, try this recipe. Chocolate Pecan Fudge

Aug
15

Cooking Fish 101

Posted in frugal tips

Thaw Fish In Milk For Fresher Flavor

Always defrost seafood in the refrigerator the night before using. Rinse fish fillets with water, then submerge in milk. Don’t rinse it again when you take it out of the refrigerator, just pat it dry and cook. The milk absorbs the “frozen” taste and adds a “fresh caught” taste.

Important Tips:

Never thaw frozen fish out on a counter, as the bacteria will grow rapidly and may cause food poisoning.
Thawed fish should be cooked as soon as possible. If not using immediately, store in the refrigerator and use within 24 hours of thawing.
Do not refreeze thawed fish.
It is safe to refreeze fish once it has been cooked but some of its quality will be lost.
Get rid of fish smells on your cutting board by cutting a lemon or lime in half and rubbing the board down with it.

Guidelines for Cooking Fish

Measure fish (dressed or stuffed, fillets or steaks) at thickest part.
Allow 7-10 minutes cooking time per inch of thickness for fresh fish.
Fish is ready when fish is opaque and flakes easily along the natural lines of the fish.

Aug
9

Kitchen Shears/One Of My Favorite Kitchen Tools

Posted in frugal tips
Kitchen Shears
I use me kitchen shears for a lot of things, and would be lost in the kitchen without them. Just look at some of my favorite uses for them.
Snip chives and other herbs
Cut open the tops of vacuum-sealed packages, as well as seasoning packs.
Cut up a whole chicken into parts before cooking. You can also use them to cut up other meats, such as a roast into cubes for stew or kabobs.
Trim the roots off of scallions and green onions, and chop them to. Why stop at onions, chop other veggies to such as celery, peppers and lettuce. (Make sure your going to eat the lettuce right away, as it will turn the edges brown.)
Cut the florets off broccoli and cauliflower
Slice mushrooms for pizza
Cut bread into cubes for croutons or bread pudding.
Aug
2

Long Term Onion Storage

Posted in frugal tips
Long Term Onion Storage
Have lots of onions? With the proper storage technique, you can keep them fresh from six months to a year by storing them in pantyhose.
1. Inspect onions and make sure they are good. No soft spots or signs of mold.
2. Cut off the legs from a clean pair of pantyhose.
3. Drop an onion into the foot of the first leg, and tie a knot.
4. Continue adding onions and tying knots until both legs are full.
5. Hang the pantyhose in a cool, dark, dry place. A pantry would be ideal for this.
6. Cut onions off as needed.
Some other interesting and helpful tidbits about onions:
1. Onions shouldn’t be stored with potatoes because the moisture potatoes give off makes the onions rot quicker.
2. If an onion has sprouted, the sprouted part can be used as a substitute for scallions in recipes.
3. If you have a stainless steel sink, you can get the onion smell off your hands by rubbing your wet hands on the wet sink.
4. Place onions in the freezer 30 minutes to an hour before chopping to help eliminate tearing while you slice or chop them.