STOP WATER FROM BOILING OVER – To keep pans from boiling over when cooking, add a thin layer of butter around the rim of the pan. This works well for rice, pasta and potatoes.

ADD A LITTLE SOMETING EXTRA TO YOUR PIES – Most pie recipes call for the same plain piecrust – BORING! Instead, create your own variation by adding spices to your dough such as cinnamon, nutmeg, or even ginger. Another great idea is to add ground nuts or even cookie crumbs on top of the bottom crust before adding your filling. Be sure to press them down a little though so they stay as part of the crust.

COOKING DRIED PASTA – The most common mistake when cooking dried pasta is not having enough boiling water. Have a large saucepan of rapidly boiling water ready, add a little oil & pasta to the pan, and stir for 20 seconds to separate the pasta. Boil for 10-14 minutes, depending on the shape of the pasta and the flour used. Drain it & eat immediately without any extra oil or butter if you’ll be having it hot. For cold pasta, rinse it under warm water and then cold water.

MAKE FLAKIER PIE CRUST – Add a teaspoon of very cold vinegar in place of a teaspoon of ice water for flakier pie crusts. Be sure that it is very cold though. This helps the fat chill and prevents it from releasing its water content and moistening the flour. When this happens, gluten develops and the result is pastry that is tough instead of light and flaky. Ideally you’ll also let the dough rest in the refrigerator overnight before using to get it good and cold again.

PERFECTLY COOKED PASTA EVERY TIME – For perfect pasta, do not boil the noodles! Instead, boil the water & then turn off the heat and add the pasta. Cover & stir the pasta every five minutes for twenty minutes. Your pasta will never overcook, and it will be perfect every time.

STOP WHITE VEGETABLES FROM YELLOWING – When cooking white vegetables, use a light colored pot & add a pinch of sugar to keep the white color & avoid yellowing.

MAKE A JUICIER ROAST – To keep all of the natural juices inside your roast, sear it on all sides in a hot skillet with a little vegetable oil before putting it in the roasting pan. A few seconds per side is all it takes since the point is not to cook the meat but rather to toughen up the outside so that the juices don’t flow out while it is cooking. Then be sure to use a shallow roaster to retain more of the moisture. Uncover the meat halfway through roasting in order to avoid a steamed appearance and to get the top of your roast browned.

AN EASY WAY TO PEEL GINGER ROOT – to easily peel ginger root, place it in the freezer for an hour before use & then remove the skin with a sharp knife. or try using the edge of a spoon when peeling room temperature ginger root.

KEEP YOUR RECIPES ORGANIZED – Nothing is more frustrating when you’re ready to start cooking than not being able to find your recipe. Keep things organized by finding a system for filing your recipes that you can keep close at hand in the kitchen. A great option is to buy one of those photo albums where you peel a plastic sheet and underneath is a sticky surface. This makes recipes easy to find and at any time you can remove or replace them!