FREEZING MEAT – When freezing red meat or poultry, wrap it very tightly or seal it in a plastic bag to prevent air spoilage or freezer burn. Be sure not to pile pieces on top of each other but do pack meat as flat as possible so it freezes quickly, which will ensure its texture is not spoiled. Meat should be completely thawed in the refrigerator before cooking. Never thaw poultry at room temperature or you risk salmonella contamination.

A FLAVORFUL ALTERNATIVE TO SOUR CREAM – Out of sour cream, or looking for something different? Consider a quick creme fraiche, which can be made from one cup of buttermilk & three cups of heavy cream. Mix them together & let them sit on your counter for about three days. Then store it in the refrigerator for as long as two weeks.

SALTED BUTTER VS UNSALTED BUTTER – Butter is available both with & without salt. The salt is added for extra flavor & to help preserve it so it has a longer shelf life. The problem is that sometimes the salt in butter can be more than a recipe needs. Choosing unsalted butter gives you more control over how much salt your dish contains. If you only have salted butter, the best thing to do is omit approxmately 1/4 tsp salt per 1/2 cup (one stick) of butter used in the recipe.

MAKE SURE YOUR YEAST IS FRESH – Yeast is a living organism, and in order for it to work, it needs to be alive when you use it. To test whether yeast is active, combine it with the amount of warm water asked for in the recipe. Then add a small amount of sugar (1/8 tsp is all that is needed). The sugar acts as food for the yeast, and if it’s alive, it will begin to bubble within approximately 10 minutes. If there is no bubbling, then you know the yeast is no good.

UNTANGLE SPAGHETTI BEFORE SERVING – If you have allowed your spaghetti to cool for too long and it becomes tangled, toss it back into the hot water & stir with a large spoon. Then, drain & rinse the pasta in cold water immediately. You can add some olive oil if you’d like, but it isn’t a necessity.

BLANCHING VEGETABLES – Blanching vegetables means to boil them for 5-6 minutes prior to using them in a recipe. This is particularly helpful for harder vegetables such as carrots, broccoli & cauliflower that take longer to cook. Otherwise, you end up with vegetables that are too crunchy.

PREPARE THE BARBECUE GRILL PROPERLY – For a better barbecue, brush your hot grill with a thin layer of oil prior to cooking or line your grill with a layer of aluminum foil covered with cooking spray. This will ensure that the meat does not stick & need to be torn away from the grill.

KEEP THE BREADING ON MEATS – If a recipe calls for coating meat with bread crumbs, refrigerate the breaded portions for an hour or even overnight before cooking. This will help the breading cling when you cook the meat instead of sticking to the bottom of the pan. breaded meats can even be frozen & pan-fried without defrosting. be sure to increase the cooking time slightly.

KEEP CHICKEN BROTH HANDY – Not only is chicken broth an easy way to add flavor to sauces, it can also be used to add moisture to dry stuffing. And the unsalted variety can be used to tame over-salty gravy without diluting the flavor.