Lisa Simpson has an article on “Kitchen Tips and Gadgets” in the Winter 2009 Innkeepers Quarterly Time saving tips and tools? You bet! Here are some of her favorites.
Wrap celery in foil when you bring it home from the store; it will stay crisp for weeks in the fridge.
Freeze leftover egg whites in an ice cube tray, one per section. When needed, just bring to room temperature before use.
Use a chopstick to measure the height of liquid in a pan when you are reducing it.
Spray measuring cups lightly with non-stick spray when measuring sticky ingredients such as honey or molasses.
A damp kitchen towel placed underneath will keep mixing bowls and cutting boards from moving across the counter while you work.
TOOLS:
“Microplane” zesters and graters
Serrated chef’s knife. It’s perfect for slicing bread and thinly slicing just about anything.
Various sizes of “disher style” ice cream scoops for portioning everything from cookie dough to butter balls. (They are color coded at a restaurant supply store. Yellow (1/3 c) is perfect for cupcake and muffin batter. Purple (1 T) works great for drop cookie dough.)
Break apart kitchen sheers
Off-set spatulas for spreading everything from frosting to batters
Set of biscuit cutters in graduated sizes. Work for biscuits, cookies, and fruit slices.