Timeless Vintage Cooking and Baking Tips Passed Down by Grandmothers
So you don’t cry, peel onions under running water.
Onion peeling often turns out to be a painful, teary affair, but it does not need to be so. The grandma knows : If you peel your onions under running water, the fumes will not touch your eyes so that they will not cry. So next time it is time to prepare onions, just peel under running water and the tears will stay at distance. However, how about that persistent onion smell that can be difficult to remove?
And of course, grandma has an answer for that, as well. Well, you just need to wipe the sink spout with your hands after peeling onions, and the smell will be gone.
You only need three things to make a perfect pie crust.
Those who can make a flaky and tender pie crust can take their baking to the next level. With the 3-2-1 method, this has never been easier! The ideal trifecta — the secret to a flaky pie crust. This basic method: 1 part water, 2 parts fat, 3 parts flour has been passed down from generations of bakers. Your pie crust will be extra delicious before you know it.
Grandmas know the ideal proportions of these three ingredients to create the ultimate pie crust, and with her expertise, you’ll be rolling out flaky and buttery crusts in no time.
To make the gravy thicker, use extra rice water.
Spoiler alert, but why not serve your gravy over rice, a tip that’s been around forever but one that hasn’t lost its charm. When you finish cooking your rice, there will be some remaining water where all those tasty starches from the grains have leaked out. Use it as a base for your gravy instead of just ditching it. The starches are a natural thickener for your gravy and mean that your gravy is the perfect thickness without added flour or cornstarch.
So next time you make gravy, pair it with rice and try out this age-old trick. You will thank your taste buds!
According to Grandma, the best way to make bacon crispy is to cook it with flour.
Bacon lovers, listen up! You might think that you know how to make the crispiest bacon out there, but we have a secret weapon that is about to change your breakfast game forever. And a technique that was taught to us by our cherished grandmas. The next time you fry up your bacon, sprinkle a little flour on top of it before cooking. This little trick turns everything you thought you knew about cooking bacon on its head.
This helps prevent the bacon from contracting, while also making it extra crunchy, and minimizes those annoying grease spatter. I promise, you will never cook bacon the same way again.
Flour your cake before you put the frosting on it so it goes on easily.
Putting frosting on a cake can be both an exciting and stressful time, but grandma’s tip makes it a million times easier. When your cake comes straight from the oven, dust it all over with flour, lightly. This makes a light wall that helps your frosting not get too stuck in the crumbs of the cake, making it easier to smear and to decorate. However, once the cake has cooled down, it will be easy to frost.
So go ahead, dust that flour on your cake, and frosting the hell out of it! And thank grandma for her life-saving baking hacks.
Do Not Cover Your Green Beans While Cooking
Green beans are such a colorful vegetable until they become a sad, brown puddle on your plate. However, we do have a little trick that your grandmothers also gave you to keep the vegetables looking fresh and glowing. The trick is to minimize that time in cooking, and to not cover them up when you are cooking. Because the acids in the greens are stable, they are not in any danger of browning.
Now you see — do as your mama or your grandma told you and your veg will be a long way better in both looks and taste.
Make a hole in a lemon to get the juice out without making a mess.
As for example, have you ever needed just one drop of lemon juice but you have to waste a whole lemon for it? Well, now you don’t have to. Well here’s one that grandma learned and it is simply have to prick end of lemon using a fork and squeeze the amount you need. That way, you still are able to slice the lemon, and use it again when lemon juice is needed.
This little trick not only saves you money by keeping lemons fresher for longer, it’s one of the best ways to reduce food waste and use every last drop of your ingredients.
To make sure your pan is hot enough for frying, splash it with water.
Do you feel like you are playing a guessing game, with your frying pan? Not quite sure if your cooktop has heated up enough for your meal? Well, fear not! You never have to deal with burning your finger or having your food speared in half in the worst way, HOW? We have the ultimate trick of the trade. If you want to avoid searing your paws, you can just droplet some water on to the pan. If it sounds like a sizzle and if it starts to dance, we are ready to go.
However, if the water stays there, it is still too cold and wait a little longer to get heated more. It is a culinary game changer among home cooks.
Putting butter in a bowl of boiling water will make it simple to spread in seconds.
Having to use butter in a recipe, only to find out that it’s going to be rock hard as it came straight from the fridge to a recipe – can anybody say how horrible that is? But no worries — grandma has a solution to this one, as well! If you have to soften up your butter fast, you can use just a bowl and boiling water. All you have to do is place boiling water in the bowl and leave it for a couple of minutes until the bowl is hot,
Then just pour off the water and turn the bowl upside down over the butter so that it is fully coated in it. Your butter will break down to room temperature within a few minutes and will be ready to use.
The best alternative to whipped cream is one egg and a banana.
Craving some cream but no whipped cream in sight? Don’t you worry — Grandma’s got your back? Just an egg white and a piece of banana. Whip it up till it peaks and bobs up and down and that’s that! Here is a nice, healthy alternative to whipped cream that tastes just like the real thing without all of the calories.
And more, considering banana will completely dissolve, you don’t have to fret about unappealing pieces or tidbits swimming around in your cream. Well, next time you’re out of whipped cream, there’s no need to freak out. Just grab this simple alternative from your Grandma’s kitchen.
To get rid of smelly foods, add vinegar to your pot.
Are you someone who loathes cooking cabbage or ham due to the overwhelming odour that permeates your house? Well, you’re not alone! Those two are known for a horrible smell when they’re boiled. However, what if we told you that it has a one-stop answer? It can be as simple as a few teaspoons of vinegar! Simply toss this magical ingredient into your cooking pot, and it can remove the smell of cabbage or ham, and your home will instantly smell fresh and clean!
You will not even recall that you were cooking something smelly! It’s a low-cost yet highly effective solution.
Before you bake your sweet potatoes, cover them in butter or oil.
But sweet potatoes bake up so often completely dried up and tasteless when they get out of the oven. Well we have the best solution to help you have the extra moist sweet potatoes! The secret? But rub a little butter or oil on your when baking those sweet potatoes! This is the key difference between a boring side and a delicious buttery potato.
Butter or oil helps keep sweet potatoes from drying out, but it provides sticks of rich, creamy flavor with each bite.
Putting eggs in a glass of water will show you if they are bad.
If you are a foodie or love cooking and baking, you know how crucial are fresh ingredients! I mean, but what if we told you that there is a simple solution to find out whether your eggs are expired or not and this is something that grandmas have been going for years? But you shouldn’t just go by the expiration date to check if your eggs are still fresh. The grandmas have a reliable technique, which is a simple test: if it floats — so…
Step 1: Place the egg in a cup of water. If it falls to the bottom of the glass and lays flat on its side, it is fresh and is safe to consume. But if it floats to the top or standing upright, it is no good.
When pasta is boiling, olive oil can keep the water from running out.
This creamy pasta hack will stop any annoying boil-overs (and save you the hassle of cleaning the stovetop). Insider tip: Add a tablespoon of oil right into the water before you boil your pasta, for perfect pasta every time. This will also help you to keep the water from boiling over and making a mess of your stove. The oil will also aid in separating the pasta, making sure each piece is perfectly cooked and none is stuck together.
Well here are some amazing cooking tips from your grandma’s kitchen that you can’t miss out on! Well hold onto your boots…more is coming to you!
Adding lemon juice can help you avoid cooking cauliflower that turns brown.
Cauliflower is a good vegetable for a variety of recipes. However, if you are a person who likes to cook, you will make this acquaintance that cooking cauliflower is not so simple. They tend to brown or gray really quickly, which is not a good look for presentation purposes. Fortunately, the fix here is a simple one, and it simply requires adding a squeeze of lemon juice to the water you cook the cauliflower in.
Cauliflower, being a naturally pale vegetable, tends to darken after being cooked, but the acidity in the lemon juice inhibits this process and therefore ensuring that the cauliflower remains colourful and appealing looking. This little trick not only makes your cauliflower beautiful to look at, it also adds an ever so mild zap of lemon flavor to the finished product.
Store Apples With Potatoes and They’ll Never Sprout
You feel like you are wasting food and money every time you buy sprouted potatoes they seem to be sprouted every time you find them in your kitchen Well, we have the answer to all your potato woes! The solution to preventing those spuds from sprouting could be a couple of apples. Yes, you read that right! Just keep a couple of apples in the same bowl as your potatoes to avoid sprouting and they will last longer.
So, don’t wait any longer! Well go to your kitchen, put a bowl with potatoes and apples, and avoid getting black broth from seedlings to seedling.
You can quickly substitute vinegar and sweet milk for sour milk.
We have all been there, you are in the middle of baking and you discover that you have forgotten to buy a vital baking ingredient. In this case, it’s sour milk. But wait, grandma has just the thing for us! You can do this when you have a sweet milk but not sour milk: just take one cup of sweet milk and two tablespoons of vinegar. Combine them and let sit for about a few minutes and then just fold it through your batter.
The vinegar will work with the milk to give you the acid flavor that your recipe calls for. That is the best part about this trick.
Salvage a Cracked Egg by Wrapping It in Waxed Paper
And who knew you could save an egg even after you did this? Well, good for Grandma because nobody lost an egg just for being a little cracked. Now, there’s an easy trick to boiling a cracked egg that has the final result just as tasty as its whole companions. You just need a piece of wax paper. All you have to do is toss the cracked egg into some waxed paper, drop it into your pot of boiling water, and you will have a perfect-looking poached egg.
Your egg is going to need this little sealed up waxed-paper dinner jacket to keep it from leaking and cooking properly. Gone are the days of chucking eggs at the first sign of a crack.
It’s easier to peel potatoes if you soak them in cold water first.
Potato-peeling could be a tedious task but thankfully grandma has a new hack that would make your life a whole lot easier and a lot less stressful. Soak the potatoes in salty cold water for a short time and this will ensure that peeling them will be easy as pie. Doing this will help in loosening and detaching the skin. And, go ahead and run that peeler under hot water for a few seconds before you get to peeling, this will help it slip right through the potato.
So, the next time you’re looking at a mountain of potatoes to peel, use your grandma’s tip and make it easier.
Shake the donuts in a bag of sugar to coat them perfectly.
Who can resist a sugary sweet doughnut? It gets tough to maintain that perfection in coating sugar sometimes. Fortunately for Grandma, she has a trick up her sleeve that will make all this super easy. If you’d like to coat your freshly fried doughnuts in sugar, just toss them in a brown paper bag with the sugar. That trick makes sure all the sides of the doughnut is coated with the sugary goodness. But the best part?
You can use this trick on more than just doughnuts. You can also use it to salt your fries or cover your chicken in flour before cooking it. The next time you require a quick and effortless method to evenly coat all items, recall grandma’s hack—it is effective, simple, and delicious!
Your grandmother’s cookies are the best ever.
Something unique about Grandma’s cookies is that they always taste fresh and good, no matter when she bakes them. What’s her secret, though? We learned that Grandma’s trick is simple to do and works well. She wraps her cookies in tissue paper and puts them in a jar that won’t let air in so they stay fresh. The tissue paper soaks up any extra water that might make the cookies go bad. Additionally, the container keeps air out, so the cookies stay fresh longer without drying out.
Do what Grandma did, and put your freshly baked cookies on tissue paper in a container that won’t let air in. You’ll be able to enjoy them for days to come!
Use wet cheesecloth to give your old baked goods a new look.
How can you keep from eating cake or bread that is too old? A damp towel and a hot oven are all you need. Wrap your cake or bread that has gone stale in cheesecloth and put it in the oven for a few minutes. The cooked food will taste fresh and moist because the cheesecloth will let water seep into it. With this simple hack, you can make your food last longer!
Say goodbye to dry cake and hello to tasty, moist treats with this simple hack that always works. But that’s not the end of the best cooking and baking tips.
Grandmas are adept at making do when they’re cooking.
Do you always do exactly what the recipe says? Now is the time to break the rules and let your inner cook shine. When our grandmothers told us not to follow the rules when cooking, they were right. The purpose of recipes is to guide you, but you shouldn’t blindly adhere to them. If you want to improve your cooking, try new things and make changes.
So get ideas from grandmas all over the world and make that recipe your own. This makes your food taste better and makes you more creative and in charge in the kitchen.
Let frozen cookie dough sit until it’s no longer frozen.
Do you enjoy the simplicity of using pre-made frozen cookie dough, yet find it disintegrating during cutting? Well, we have a simple answer that will make it straightforward for you to make cookies. Just set the frozen dough aside for about half an hour after taking it out of the freezer. That way, the dough will get a little softer, which will make it much easier to cut without falling apart.
This will assist you in making sure that your cookies look and taste their best, as well as saving you time and stress. You will no longer have to deal with cookie crumbs or dirty hands.
Add peanut butter to muffins and change the way you bake.
Do you like muffins but want to make them even better? We know a simple trick that will make your muffins taste great with nuts, and everyone will love it. Just put a small amount of peanut butter in each muffin pan and then pour the batter on top of it. As the muffins bake, the peanut butter will melt and mix with the batter, giving them a rich and wonderful taste.
So why settle for plain muffins when peanut butter can make them taste even better? It’s the best way to make your muffins even better and show off your baking skills to your friends.
How to hide any bad smell in the kitchen
Do you hate cooking with smelly foods like fish and veggies because the smell stays? You can’t always eliminate the lingering smell in your kitchen after cooking a meal. Okay, this tip from smart grandmothers will make everything better.Add some water and cinnamon sticks to a pot. Let it boil. You can also put in orange and lemon peels.
The smell of food will quickly go away, and in its place will be a delicious smell that you can’t get enough of.
The best way to cut your cake into perfect slices is to use floss.
You know how frustrating it is when you cut into a beautifully baked cake or pie and discover that one piece isn’t evenly baked? An odd home item holds the key to solving your problem. Get some tooth floss that doesn’t have a scent on it, and cutting the cake will go smoothly. You can cut cakes and pies with dental floss without making a mess of crumbled pieces. We also had no idea that our grandmothers had been using this trick the entire time.
That’s because the floss has wax in it, making it easier to cut through cake or pie crust. To use the floss, just wrap it around the cake or pie and pull it down through the layers. There you have it! Now you have clean, excellent cuts.
It changes everything when you add chocolate to your gingerbread cookies.
For the holidays, you can’t have a holiday without making some tasty gingerbread men. People like you have trouble getting the dough the right deep color. Granny’s all over the world have a secret way to make gingerbread dough that is just the right color. For every cup of molasses, add a teaspoon of melted chocolate. This will make your gingerbread dough darker and tastier. Add something special to your dough.
With this simple hack, you can change the color and taste of your dough, making it look and taste like rich chocolate.
Instead of dry raisins, do this.
It’s never enjoyable to eat cakes and breads that have raisins that are dry, moldy, and taste like they’ve been in the kitchen for years. With a simple trick that our grandmothers have used for years, you can make your raisins full of taste, juicy, and plump. Soak the raisins in warm water for a few minutes before adding them to the batter or dough. This will bring them back to life and make them more juicy.
Don’t be content with raisins that are dry and tasteless. Soak the raisins in warm water, and then eat them. Your grandmother would be proud of how big, juicy, and tasty they are.
You can preserve the leftover popcorn kernels.
If you’re like our grandmother, you hate it when nutritious food goes to waste. So, we’re excited to share a tip that will keep your unpopped popcorn kernels from going to the trash and turn them into a tasty snack for your next movie night. Don’t discard the kernels from your last batch of popcorn. Instead, soak them in water for a few hours.
This will replenish their water supply, ensuring they are fully hydrated and prepared for popping. Then, put some oil in a pot and heat it up. Add the kernels and watch as they pop into tasty, fluffy popcorn.
How to Choose Perfect Fruit That Isn’t Damaged
That food your grandmother makes might be the key to living forever! Yes, she does say that if you only ate her food, you’d never get sick again for almost 500 years. How does she do it, though? Grandma says it’s all about the fresh fruits and vegetables. She is adamant that the best way to keep all the important nutrients in food is to buy it without any bruises. You may think this is just an old wives’ story, but science backs up what Grandma said.
Studies have shown that vitamins and minerals are more concentrated in fresh produce than in broken or bruised produce.
Warming your knife will keep the slices from being uneven.
Do you enjoy cutting into a block of cold cheese, only to be disappointed by lumpy and uneven slices? We have a hack that both moms and grandmas swear by. You just need to wait a second or two with some hot water. Hold your knife under hot water for a few seconds before you start to cut. This will warm up the blade and make it easier to cut the cheese.
Now you won’t have to struggle to get the right slice; this simple trick will make you a pro at it.
Putting flour in a salt shaker really does improve your baking skills.
It might look like more flour is wasted than is used to make something. Is there a way to keep it from going everywhere? Fill a salt shaker with flour, and use it to sprinkle just the right amount. This is better than adding a lot of flour to something or putting it in a bowl. Why did we not think of this before?
The faster, better method saves flour and money. Thank you, grandma!
Grandma’s Best Kept Secret to the Fluffiest Omlettes
A plate of soft, tasty eggs in the morning is the best way to start the day, especially when Grandma makes them. Have you ever thought about how she always makes them so light and fluffy? Please don’t worry—we know Grandma’s best way to make fluffy eggs. You only need eggs and baking powder. Add a teaspoon of baking powder to every four eggs you beat before cooking.
The baking powder will help your eggs get airy, making them light and fluffy.Say goodbye to flat, thick eggs and hello to the tastiest, fluffiest eggs you’ve ever had.
Decorate Cakes Like a Pro With Shaved Chocolate
If have a hack that will make you look like a great baker in no time if you want to make your desserts look even better. You only need a chocolate bar and a knife for vegetables. You can just use the veggie peeler to add some curls to your chocolate bar. These chocolate curls will make any treat look classier and more elegant, from cupcakes to cakes and beyond.
Not only that, but chill your chocolate curls for a few minutes before decorating your treat. This will really make them stand out. They will be able to keep their shape better.
Aluminum Foil Keeps Veggies Fresh Longer Than Usual
You buy fresh veggies all the time, but they go stale after a few days. As it turns out, Grandma taught us a trick that will make your vegetables last longer. You only need metal foil and your favorite veggies, like celery and broccoli. After you wash and dry your vegetables well, wrap them up tightly in aluminum foil. This will seal in the moisture, preventing them from drying out or going bad too quickly.
Do what Grandma says and see how much longer your vegetables stay tasty and fresh!
Oatmeal Is the Best Secret Ingredient in Soup
The soup is consistently unsatisfactory and lacks flavor. We know a simple trick that will make your soup taste amazing. An effortless amount of plain rice is all you need. You only need to add the oatmeal to the soup and watch as it suddenly thickens the broth, giving it a rich and satisfying texture. Your soup will taste better and be healthier with this tip!
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When you make soup again, don’t settle for watery broth. Instead, make a bowl of deliciously thick and hearty soup that will keep you warm and full.
You must boil the hot dogs before grilling them.
Nobody enjoys cooking hot dogs or sausages that end up dry and unappealing. We have positive news for you, though, so don’t worry. Grandmas all over the world have told us how to always make sausages that are properly cooked and full. It looks like the key is to boil them for a few minutes before cooking or pan-frying them. This will prevent them from drying out and losing shape, making the sausages juicy and tasty for everyone.
Try this tip the next time you cook sausages and see the difference. Everyone will want to know how you make your hot dogs.
Roll Your Lemons Before Using Them
If you like foods that taste like lemon, you know how frustrating it is when you need a lot of lemons but only get a little juice. However, this hack will change the way you squeeze lemons for the better. For more lemon juice, roll it to loosen the fibers. Hot water or a brief microwave session are other options.
You no longer need to go through a lot of trouble to extract every drop of juice from your lemons.
Add Sugar to Pasta Sauce, You’ll Thank Your Grandma Later
We often make tomato sauces that are either too acidic or too bland by mistake. Thanks to these food secrets from the best grandmothers, you can now make delicious tomato sauces. They said that adding a tablespoon of brown sugar to your pasta sauce is the best way to make it taste even better. This small thing does a fantastic job of bringing out the acidity of the tomatoes, making the sauce just the right amount of sweet and sour.
It not only tastes great, but it also turns your sauce into a rich, browned flavor that your guests will love.
