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Not only do we at Lea & Perrins produce a top quality sauce to make everything you cook taste great and a multitude of recipes to help you become king of the kitchen but we've also decided to pass on some of our favourite kitchen tips. We're too good to you. We really are…
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TIPS & TECHNIQUES / CLEANING
You love to cook but you hate to clean. Here are a some of our handy hints to make clearing up after yourself that little bit easier...
Pie Spills
If you can see the juice from your pie spilling onto the pie dish whilst baking, don't worry, simply sprinkle some salt onto the juice and continue cooking. The salt will burn the spillage onto the dish making it much easier to clean off.
Tin Openers
Tin (or can) openers should be cleaned regularly to avoid bacteria, but how do you clean the blade? Easy, get an old toothbrush, load it with anti-bacterial washing-up liquid and scrub vigorously.
Ovens
Ovens can be a nightmare to clean. To make the job much easier leave a small bowl of ammonia in the oven overnight - the following morning all that grease and gunk will easily wipe away. Don't forget to remove the ammonia though.
Greasy Dishes
Adding a tablespoon of vinegar to hot soapy water cuts straight through that grease, leaving your dishes sparkling clean.
Silverware
If your silverware is stained a non-abrasive polishing compound will make it shine again. To avoid staining in future, always rinse silverware immediately after use.
Cups
Tea and coffee stains on cups are easily removed without the need for bleach. Mix some baking soda and water to form a paste, then gently rub over the stains and watch them disappear.
Aluminium Pans
If your aluminium pans have been darkened, two teaspoons of cream of tartar mixed with a quart of water will soon have them back in pristine condition.
Baking Dishes
To remove baked on food first scrape off any loose bits. Then put a couple of tablespoons of dishwasher detergent into the dish and add hot water. Stir the solution around (there should be so much detergent that it doesn't all dissolve) and leave overnight. The baked food will lift right off the surface of the dish as you sleep. This is not suitable for non-stick surfaces.
Skillets
Add a couple of drops of washing up liquid and a little water to cover the bottom of the pan. Bring the liquid to boil on top of the stove, remove from the heat and wash after the water has cooled.
Microwaves
Food splatters and unpleasant odours in your microwave? Not anymore. To remove dried on food simply put one quarter of a cup of vinegar and one cup of water in the microwave. Remove it once it's boiled and all those food bits will be loose enough to wipe away.
Heating a cup of water with a few ounces of lemon juice in the microwave will remove any unpleasant odours.
Plastic containers
If your plastic containers still smell like the food previously stored in them, take one piece of newspaper, scrunch it up put it in the container and then put the lid on. Leave for a couple of days then remove the newspaper and the odour will be gone.
Eggs
Dropping an egg on the floor leaves an awful mess, which is difficult to clean up. If you sprinkle the egg with salt and leave it for a few minutes you will find that the egg can be easily mopped up with a paper towel.
Stainless Steel Sinks
Make that sink shine by cleaning it with vinegar.
Steak Free Counters
Use full strength vinegar to wipe down your kitchen surfaces. This prevents mould and leaves you streak free.
Blocked drains
Mix up a cup of salt with a cup of baking soda. Pour this down the drain and follow with a pot of boiling water to unclog the drain.
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TIPS & TECHNIQUES / STORAGE
Not only do you want to avoid bacteria but you want to be able to store your food for as long as possible. Here we tell you how…
Temperature
Bacteria loves to grow and does so best at between 40 and 140 degress F. Make sure you store your food either above or below this range wherever possible.
Personal Hygiene
Always wash your hands regularly when preparing food, especially after handling raw fish, meat or chicken.
Marinading
Putting cooked meats or chicken into the same dish that held them when raw can spread bacteria into the cooked meat. If a dish was used to marinade then ensure it is thoroughly cleaned before it is used to hold cooked meat or chicken.
Chicken
To avoid spreading bacteria ensure that your knives, cutting boards and hands are washed very thoroughly in very hot soapy water after coming into contact with raw chicken.
Cooked chicken should never be placed on the same plate or board you used to store it raw. If you are cooking chicken outside cover the plate with foil when the chicken is raw, then remove the foil to serve the chicken once it is cooked.
Never pour over cooked chicken the marinade you used when it was raw.
Frozen chicken should always be thawed in the refrigerator, not on counter tops or in the open air.
Celery
To keep celery fresh for up to two weeks remove it from the bag it came in. Rinse well with water and wrap with foil. To keep it fresh for up to a month, wrap first in a damp paper towel, then the foil. Store in the refrigerator.
Cucumbers
Once you've cut the cucumber open you can extend its life by wrapping it in a paper towel before storing in the vegetable drawer of the fridge.
Tomatoes
Tomatoes should be kept in a brown paper bag or closed container and should be stored in a single layer, with the stems up to avoid bruising. If you add a pear or apple to the bag or container it will cause the tomatoes to ripen quicker. Strange but true.
Cheese
The further down the refrigerator you store cheese the better, ideally it should be stored in the vegetable drawer.
Wrap hard cheese in plastic wrap and foil, put it in the freezer and it will keep for up to two or three months. If you're storing grated cheese put a teaspoon of baking soda in the container and shake well before putting in the freezer. This will ensure that the cheese does not stick together.
Nuts
Nuts can be stored in the freezer, where they will keep fresh. They will also be much easier to crack after freezing.
Dried fruit
If you put dried fruit into the freezer for one hour it will be much easier to chop.
Sauces
If you have sauce or broth left over you can keep it for another time. Pour the sauce into a plastic ice cube tray and place in the freezer. Once the sauce has frozen you can remove from the tray and put into resealable bags for longer term storage. If you're really clever keep a note of the exact quantity so that you can throw the frozen cubes straight into the pot next time, without having to thaw and re-measure.
Spices
Store herbs and spices in tightly sealed containers out of the light and they will keep for about a year. After the year is up they will still be safe to eat but most of their flavour will have gone.
Dried Food
Dried food should be stored in a cool dark place to prevent oxidation. Any container or bag that is air tight is fine for storage but be sure to check regularly for signs of mould for the first few weeks.
Pasta
Egg pasta can be stored for up to two years and non-egg pasta for up to three years as long as it is in a tightly sealed package or container, in a cool dark place.
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TIPS & TECHNIQUES / SAFETY
A safe and clean kitchen is a happy kitchen. Below we've listed some hints that should keep you and your kitchen happy...
Kitchen Fires
If you remember only one thing remember never ever to attempt to use water to put out a grease fire. Water will cause the fire to spread. The fire can be doused by sprinkling baking soda over it. It is also important to have a close fitting lid for your pan close by so that you can cover the pan if a flame erupts. The lid should be kept in place until the pan is completely cooled.
Better yet buy a fire extinguisher and keep it close to hand.
Keep it clean
You cannot be too careful when handling food. Especially raw food. Wash everything before and after it comes into contact with raw meat, and especially poultry. Hot soapy water should be used, followed with an anti-bacterial cleanser.
Piercing food
Avoid burns and stains caused by hot food splatters by piercing the skin or membrane of the food prior to cooking. Eggs, potatoes and sausages are good examples of food that should be pierced.
Cutting Boards
There should be two separate cutting boards in the kitchen. One for raw meat and the other for ready to eat food.
Appliance cords
Avoid a mess of cords in the kitchen by storing them in empty toilet paper rolls. Writing the name of the appliance on the roll will also mean that you always know what is and is not plugged in.
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TIPS & TECHNIQUES / KITCHEN CHEATS
Never got quite the right ingredient to make that recipe but not sure whether an alternative can be used instead? Here are a couple of our kitchen cheats to help you out in future...
Coffee
A little quality coffee can go a long way. Mix a small amount in with an inferior brand. The taste of the good stuff with permeate the less expensive one and your coffee will last longer as a result.
Oatmeal
When cooking meatloaf you can substitute breadcrumbs with cooked oatmeal.
Brown sugar
A mix of three quarters of a cup of granulated sugar and one quarter of a cup of molasses with do the same job as one cup of brown sugar.
Baking Powder
Mix together a quarter of a teaspoon of baking soda and half a teaspoon of cream of tartar to substitute one teaspoon of baking powder.
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Re-vamp your cooking with our selection of Autumn recipes. |
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