Life is too short to do it the right way...

[mm84321]

I have dusted wondra on fish to aid in crisping the skin. It does work nicely, but I found that I prefer the taste of the skin without any flour on it at all.

[annabelle]

It makes great tempura batter, as well.

Dakki, Wondra is available on Amazon.

Edited January 2, 2012 by annabelle (log)

[Dakki]

Thanks, annabelle. Unfortunately Amazon doesn't do free shipping to here, and charges something like $5 extra per item on top of the weight-and-speed-based shipping charge to deliver stuff to Mexico. I could have it sent to my PO box on the border, but then it'll just sit there until I can visit USA again.

[ambra]

If it's for a sauce, and I'm in a hurry, I'll sometimes grate the vegetables on a box grater instead of finely chop. As many Italian grandmothers do.

[jmolinari]

I use prepeeled garlic....used to use a garlic press, now i use a microplane.

[sparrowgrass]

I use dry roasted peanuts (Planters low salt) in my most excellent peanut brittle. The recipe came from my Aunt Rosie, and it called for raw peanuts, put in after the sugar dissolved and cooked in the hot syrup and stirred constantly. Too much work. Cook the syrup to 305, dump the peanuts in and stir just enough to incorporate. Then add the baking soda. If you warm the peanuts in the microwave a bit, the syrup stays liquid enough to stir the soda in after a brief heatup.

[ScoopKW]

"A Blender" is the only tool I've ever used for building hollandaise and bernaise. I can't be buggered to whisk that long -- even at home, for myself.

[annabelle]

I make mayonnaise in the food processor. Also salad dressing whick I make by the quart.

[maggiethecat]

We bought a case of 100 Malpecques last week and I let three other people shuck them. I've decided that shelling oysters is a task I'll delegate. Forever.

[Viktoria]

I take pre-peeled garlic, whop it in the food processor with a little oil and freeze the results in small amounts. Do it once every 6 months or so. However, I just recently found pureed garlic, chili, dill, and cilantro in convenient squeeze bottles in my local market!

I don't preheat my oven for savory cooking, either, particularly roasts and stuff.

Every once in a while I'll use the food processor to grate/chop a ton of mirepoix. Then I sauté or sometimes roast it and let it cool. I throw it in the freezer in flattened freezer bags and cut off chunks when I need it. Trader Joes also sells pre-chopped mirepoix in plastic containers in the refrigerated veggies section!

I use premixed "poultry seasoning" in my stuffing and gravy...

When I make falafel, I make large batches of it. I then flatten it into freezer bags about an inch thick, and freeze. When I want falafel, I pull out the big square block, and cut into squares as much as I need, and fry it as is. Spatters a little more because it's frozen, but the insides get cooked just fine. mmm.... falafel cubes. I also do the frozen block thing with cookie dough too. Cookies come out a little less than round, but who cares.

[Viktoria]

ok... I've also used boxed falafel mix (and boxed latke mix)... *she says sheepishly*

[andiesenji]

A trussing needle is a handy tool. Plus, trussing a bird will keep the breasts from drying out. I think it's worth the effort.

Also, I've read that poultry should be started in a cold oven, so the temperature of the meat rises with the temperature of the oven. Not sure how accurate that statement is, but I've tried it both ways and I think a cold oven works well for roasting birds.

Quite a few years ago I got three of these Backhaus towel clamps which work nicely for "trussing" poultry of various sizes - one or two for chickens, all three for larger birds.

They are cleaned and disinfected in the dishwasher or with boiling water.

It's surprising how many kitchen tasks I find for these surgical instruments.

[Kerry Beal]

A trussing needle is a handy tool. Plus, trussing a bird will keep the breasts from drying out. I think it's worth the effort.

Also, I've read that poultry should be started in a cold oven, so the temperature of the meat rises with the temperature of the oven. Not sure how accurate that statement is, but I've tried it both ways and I think a cold oven works well for roasting birds.

Quite a few years ago I got three of these Backhaus towel clamps which work nicely for "trussing" poultry of various sizes - one or two for chickens, all three for larger birds.

They are cleaned and disinfected in the dishwasher or with boiling water.

It's surprising how many kitchen tasks I find for these surgical instruments.

Picked up quite a few pair of towel clips last trip up north (as well as some retractors that might come in useful sometime - I picture them for making the perfect turducken).

Edited January 2, 2012 by Kerry Beal (log)

[Shel_B]

I leave the most frequently used or most difficult to store pots or pans on the stove, like the above pasta pot.

Likewise - I have a 1-quart saucepan that is used for a myriad of tasks daily. It lives atop the stove on a back burner. The pot is used at least two-three times a day, oftem more frequently.

[mkayahara]

I just realized while making dinner that I can rarely be bothered to strip the leaves from thyme. The stems go in, many of the leaves fall off, the stems are picked out before I finish/serve the dish.

[Anna N]

....

Quite a few years ago I got three of these Backhaus towel clamps which work nicely for "trussing" poultry of various sizes - one or two for chickens, all three for larger birds.

They are cleaned and disinfected in the dishwasher or with boiling water.

It's surprising how many kitchen tasks I find for these surgical instruments.

Can you expand on how you use the towel clamps for trussing and other kitchen uses you have found for them? (Kerry shared some with me!)

[andiesenji]

....

Quite a few years ago I got three of these Backhaus towel clamps which work nicely for "trussing" poultry of various sizes - one or two for chickens, all three for larger birds.

They are cleaned and disinfected in the dishwasher or with boiling water.

It's surprising how many kitchen tasks I find for these surgical instruments.

Can you expand on how you use the towel clamps for trussing and other kitchen uses you have found for them? (Kerry shared some with me!)

I use them to secure the flaps of skin together, working from bottom to top, they lock in position and are easy enough to grab and unlock even with oven mitts.

They are not affected by oven heat.

I'm away from home right now, will be home tomorrow, and when I get home will see if I can take some photos to show how I use them.

[Fantastic Mr Fox]

I never peel celery or asparagus, nor do I peel bell peppers of any color.

[andiesenji]

Picked up quite a few pair of towel clips last trip up north (as well as some retractors that might come in useful sometime - I picture them for making the perfect turducken).

One of the large self-retaining retractors would seem to be ideal for holding the cavity open while working inside a meat "envelope" or inside a bird.

[Fantastic Mr Fox]

In regard to peeling things, I also often discard the stalk from brocolli because I can't be bothered.

[David A. Goldfarb]

I never peel celery or asparagus, nor do I peel bell peppers of any color.

Do people really peel celery? I guess that's one that I don't do.

[SobaAddict70]

I should know better than commenting on a thread on eG about kitchen shortcuts, but I will anyway...

Pre-peeled garlic? It takes at most, 5 seconds. Leaving aside the issue of someone with arthritic hands, typing this post took longer than the amount of time it would have taken for me to peel a couple of cloves of garlic.

I should time myself the next time I do it and make a note of it so I can post in this thread as proof.

[jmolinari]

I should know better than commenting on a thread on eG about kitchen shortcuts, but I will anyway...

Pre-peeled garlic? It takes at most, 5 seconds. Leaving aside the issue of someone with arthritic hands, typing this post took longer than the amount of time it would have taken for me to peel a couple of cloves of garlic.

I should time myself the next time I do it and make a note of it so I can post in this thread as proof.

Maybe, for 1 clove. How about 40?

And if it tastes the same, which to me it does, what's the point? There are no awards for performing more work for no reason.

[Anna N]

I should know better than commenting on a thread on eG about kitchen shortcuts, but I will anyway...

Pre-peeled garlic? It takes at most, 5 seconds. Leaving aside the issue of someone with arthritic hands, typing this post took longer than the amount of time it would have taken for me to peel a couple of cloves of garlic.

I should time myself the next time I do it and make a note of it so I can post in this thread as proof.

Not sure it is always a time issue so much as it is a mess/yuck issue with skins that fly and garlic that is sticky. Good peeled garlic is not readily available here but when we were up north and Kerry sourced some pre-peeled garlic I was more than happy to use it. Fresh garlic is not a big issue but about now the garlic I can get is rubbery and much more difficult to deal with. Just my two cent's worth.

[Anna N]

I never peel celery or asparagus, nor do I peel bell peppers of any color.

Do people really peel celery? I guess that's one that I don't do.

Yep. Guilty on that score. Like celery, hate picking strings out of my teeth.