Avoid soggy salad greens - Pour a small amount of your favorite vinaigrette into the bottom of a salad bowl, then mound salad greens on top. Place the bowl on the table and prepare the rest of the meal. Toss the salad when you sit down to eat. This way the greens do not sit in dressing, getting soggy.

    Bacon - Before opening a package of bacon, roll it. This helps separate the slices making for easier removal of each slice.

• Bacon cooked in the microwave cooks more quickly and evenly than pan-fried. You won't be able to believe you hadn't cooked bacon this way all along! Rule of thumb is one minute per slice depending on microwave wattage and the bacon, itself.
• Bacon Bits - You can cook bacon and freeze it.  Cut the slices in small pieces and cook up a couple of pounds at a time for bacon crumbles. After you've drained it, you can store it in the freezer and take out as much or as little as you need. It's great to have on hand for pizza topping, salads, omelets, etc.

   Beating Egg Whites - If you plan to beat egg whites, separate the whites from the yolks about a half hour before you plan to use them. Bringing the whites to room temperature will help them whip up to greater volume.

   Cheese Processing - When grinding hard cheese in a food processor, let it set at room temperature before processing. Soft cheeses such as Swiss or mozzarella for processing or slicing, do best when placed in freezer 10 to 15 minutes before slicing.

• When you find mold on your cheese, toss it.  Do not simply cut off the mold, the damage has been done to the entire block of cheese.

                   Quick & Easy Food Storage Tips

Storing Soy Sauce: Soy sauce can be stored up to one year at  room temperature if unopened and up to one year in the refrigerator after it is opened.

Storing Red Spices: Red spices such as chili powder, paprika, and ground red pepper should be stored in the refrigerator or in the freezer.

Storing Oily Seeds and Spices: Oily seeds such as sesame and poppy seeds should be stored in the refrigerator or freezer to prevent the oils from going bad.

Storing Ground and Whole Spices: Ground spices should be stored for up to six months if they are sealed tightly and located in a cool shelf or pantry. Whole spices can be stored  up to one year in the same conditions.

Storing Peanut Butter: If peanut butter is kept at room temperature it can be stored for up to one year unopened. After opening it is best to keep it in the refrigerator for three to four months.

Storing Lettuce: In a brown bag in the refrigerator. My lettuce lasted for weeks. Now, if the bag becomes damp, I simply dry it out in the microwave and go on using it. A head of lettuce has literally lasted me two months! I have used this method with both iceberg and romaine lettuce.

Storing Onions:   Never store onions with potatoes. Onions give off gasses that make the potatoes turn bad quickly.

Freezing Onions - Chop onions and spread in thin layers on cookie sheets. Place cookie sheets in freezer until the onions have frozen. Remove onions from sheets and break them up so they are not stuck together. Place into zip bags for freezer storage until needed. Contributor's note: I found the small snack size zip bags a nice size for this, and about 12 to 15 of them fill a gallon size zip bag for ease of storage. Freeze and store green peppers in this same way.

Freezing Strawberries - Strawberries are easy to freeze using a dry-sugar or syrup pack. The dry-sugar pack is especially easy and gives the best flavor and color for sliced or crushed berries. For whole frozen berries a syrup pack is recommended because it produces a plump, well-shaped berry after thawing. For special sugar-free diets, strawberries can be frozen unsweetened, but they will not be as high in quality as sugar- or syrup-packed berries.

• Twelve pounds or eight quarts of fresh strawberries will yield approximately 13 pints of frozen berries. No matter which type of pack you choose, follow these general directions for preparing and packaging strawberries for freezing:
• Use only firm, fully ripe berries. To avoid bruising and water logging the berries, wash only a few at a time in cold water.  Drain on absorbent paper or in a colander or sieve. Remove the hulls with the tip of a floating blade peeler.  Chill the fruit in ice water to lower the temperature for fast freezing.
• When packaging for freezing: Allow ½" head space for pints and 1" for quarts.  Adding ascorbic acid (vitamin C) according to package directions will prevent darkening. Label containers and freeze promptly.

Dry Sugar Pack - Halve, quarter or slice clean berries into a bowl or shallow pan.  Sprinkle sugar over berries using 1/3 to 3/4 cup sugar for each quart of fruit. Stir very gently until the sugar is dissolved.  Package and freeze.

Syrup Pack - Make a syrup using 1-1/4 cups water to each cup of sugar. Dissolve the sugar in either cold or hot water. If hot water is used, be sure to chill the syrup before using. Use about 1/2 to 1/3 cup of sugar for each pint container. Place whole or sliced berries in containers and cover with cold syrup. Package and freeze.

Garlic Mayonnaise - Dump 1 large bottle Hellman's into a bowl, add juice of 1 large lemon, 3 shakes of salt, add 3-4 large cloves of smashed/pureed garlic, mix well and pack back into original jar. This is delicious with anything using mayonnaise except fruit salad.

Help With Meatloaf - For a browner, crustier meatloaf, coat a 9" X 5" X 3" loaf pan cooking spray, pack with meatloaf mixture, then invert in a shallow roasting pan. Bake as directed.

• Finely grated orange or lemon zest makes a great flavor booster for meat loaves.
• Meatloaf doesn't have to be a loaf! Try baking one in a ring mold, then fill the center with green peas, beans or other vegetables, creamed mushrooms, mashed potatoes, gravy or whatever else your creative little mind comes up with.
• For a lower-fat meatloaf, use very lean meat and substitute nonfat frozen egg product for eggs (1/4 cup = 1 egg).
• When trying to cut fat in meatloaf by using leaner cuts of meat, try increasing the amount of finely chopped vegetables in your recipe, such as onions and peppers, by about half. The water from the veggies will help keep the low-fat meatloaf moist and juicy.
• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese is an easy meatloaf flavor booster. Try adding 1/4 - 1/3 cup to your recipe.

Improve Balsamic Vinegar - To approximate the rich, sweet character of expensive, aged balsamic vinegar,  add one large pinch of brown sugar per tablespoon to supermarket balsamic  vinegar. Aged balsamic also has the consistency of syrup; if you have time, you can thicken a supermarket balsamic by simmering it in a small saucepan to evaporate some of the water.

Instant white sauce - Blend together 1 cup soft butter and 1 cup flour. Spread in an ice cube tray. Chill well, cut into 16 cubes before storing in a plastic bag in the freezer. For medium thick sauce, drop 1 cube into 1 cup of milk and heat slowly, stirring as it thickens.

Perfect BBQ - Are you tired of eating ribs or chicken from the grill that are wonderful on the inside and charcoal black on the outside? Precook your meat for a few minutes in the microwave. Then put it on the grill and it will be done on the inside before it gets black on the outside. People will marvel at your golden grilled chicken!

Quick Stock Flavoring - Make a quick stock flavoring for soups or stews by combining onion, garlic, celery, and carrots in a blender with a small amount of water.

Ready Ice - This is probably a really obvious one, but instead of buying ice, keep a few 2 liter pop bottles in the freezer for picnics and outings. Also, they're handy for keeping things cool when you defrost the freezer

Preserving Peppers New Mexico Style - This is how they preserve chilies (specifically, Anaheim peppers) in New Mexico. A friend told me about it. I tried it last fall and it was a great success.

• Harvest your chilies (I'm even going to try halved bell peppers this year). Wash them and grill (if using a charcoal grill, use plenty of mesquite or hickory chips), turning until all sides are blackened. Let them cool, place them in zipper locked freezer bags, charred skins and all, and freeze until ready to use.
• When you want to use them take out as many as desired and let thaw, the charred skins will slip right off. Twist the stem and the seed ball will pop right out. They will not be crispy but are great in chili recipes, egg dishes, sliced on salads and chicken breasts, etc. I did my jalapenos and habaneros this way too. When you add them to recipes in the middle of winter, you can smell the summer backyard come to life in your kitchen!

Spruce Up Your Soups - There's nothing like a bubbling pot of soup on the stove to chase away the winter chills. We're serving you up a steaming bowlful of hints for making your soups better than ever.

• Add Flavor - To help your vegetables reach their full flavor potential, you should sauté or roast them before you add them to your soup pot. This process caramelizes the naturally occurring sugars in the vegetables, giving them a much richer, deeper flavor. Over a medium-high burner, heat a skillet that's big enough to contain your chopped vegetables in a single layer (they will steam instead of caramelize if they're stacked on top of each other), pour in a small amount of oil, and add your vegetables. Stir or toss them often enough to keep them from burning, but be patient. Really good browning can take some time. Another way to add flavor to your vegetables is by pan-roasting them in a hot (450 degrees F, 230 degrees C) oven. Toss them very lightly in oil, place them on a sturdy baking sheet in a single layer, and DO NOT COVER THEM. Stir occasionally, and remove when golden-brown.
• Add Variety - One of the greatest things about soup is its versatility. You could eat soup every day of the year and never have the same kind twice. If you're bored with your old standards, remember that every cuisine in the world has delicious specialty soups; go exploring! Try Thai chicken and coconut milk soup (tom ka gai), Mexican pork and hominy stew (posole), Indian lentil soup (daal, or dahl), Italian meatball soup ("wedding soup"), Greek lemon and egg soup (avgolemono), French seafood stew (bouillabaisse), Moroccan lamb and chickpea soup (harira), Cuban black bean soup, or American regional favorites like gumbo, chowder, cioppino, burgoo, frogmore stew, and good ol' chili. And that's just for starters!
• Add Garnish - Not only will a little garnish make your soup look beautiful, but it will add a whole new dimension to each mouthful by introducing a contrasting flavor, texture or temperature. Try a sprinkling of freshly minced herbs or finely grated flavorful cheese. To cool down a spicy soup or just add a touch of creaminess, stir lime juice, or a little grated ginger, or some finely chopped orange zest, or perhaps a dash of curry powder into some sour cream or plain yogurt. A spoonful of salsa, or a few chopped tomatoes, bell peppers, scallions, or cucumbers add a cool, fresh taste to your soup. Finally, add crunch with a topping of croutons, tortilla chips or crackers.

Tender Ribs - For tender ribs on the barbecue grill I first make sure they have been cut apart (if they are beef ribs); for pork ribs I roll them up. Stand ribs up in a crock-pot adding a little water so they don't stick to the bottom. Heat on high for several hours before throwing on the grill to finish cooking and soak up BBQ sauce. They come out super tender.

 The 'Wrong' Side Is 'Right' - Turning peanut butter jars upside down causes the oil to stay mixed with the butter so that you don't have the oil sitting on top when you open the jar. I put a new jar upside down in the pantry for that reason. Anything that can be put upside down will stay fresher longer because you are forcing the air out and cutting down on oxidation.

Misc. Tips

   Pancakes are lighter and fluffier when you substitute club soda for milk in the batter recipe.

   Muffins - For high rising, rounded tops on muffins like you see in the bakeries, preheat your oven to 500 F. As soon as you put the muffins into the oven, decrease the temperature to whatever the recipe calls for. Remember to decrease the baking time. This may take a bit of watching and practice but the result will be worth it. The increased temperature causes the muffins to rise quickly giving them that nice dome-shaped top.

   Mashed Potatoes - T o make lighter and fluffier mashed potatoes, add a pinch or two of baking powder to the potatoes before whipping.

   Cakes - When greasing and flouring cake pans for baking chocolate cakes, use cocoa powder instead of flour. The cake will have a nice rich dark color. This is especially great for bundt cakes and cakes that don't need frosting.

• When baking a cake, bake at 325 F for a moist cake every time.
• Do not dust moist cakes with confectioners' sugar -  wait until  just before serving to sprinkle the sugar. Otherwise the sugar  will turn gray in color.

   Eggs - To make a perfect hard-cooked egg is to poke a hole with a needle in the round part of the egg. Boil water then remove the pot from the flame. Add eggs and boil gently 9 to 10 minutes. Pour water out and shake eggs in the pan to crack them. Drop eggs into a bowl of water and ice. Peel under water for easier peeling, then back in the water.  This will prevent green tinged egg yolks and that horrible sulfur smell. (taken from Everyday Cooking with Jacques Pepin)

   Gravies   To remove salt from overly salty gravies and sauces, add a peeled potato to the sauce and cook; discard when finished. --Martha from Florida

• Also to remove salt from overly salty gravies and sauces, add a dash (no more or the flavor of the dish will be dramatically changed) of vinegar to the sauce.  I especially like this when it's a tomato based sauce.

   Cookies should always be baked on a silver baking sheet.  They will cook more evenly and are less likely to burn on the bottom.

   Lettuce - To remove the core from iceberg lettuce, tap the head of lettuce, core side down on the counter top. Simply twist the core out.

   Fried Chicken - There are 3 secrets to great fried chicken: 1. Salt.  Yes, salt.  An unusually high amount of it. Even if you are not a salt user, as I am not, salt is the key and, 2.  Use a mixture of solid shortening and oil for  browning and, 3. Brown one side of your chicken pieces and turn over to brown the other side and cover your pan with a lid to finish cooking. This gives you  moist chicken.

   Herbs - Crush dried herbs in your hands before using to release their oils and flavor.

   Flour - When measuring flour, stir it first to loosen it and allow air in. Carefully spoon the flour into a measuring cup, never scoop. To level, use the flat side of a knife

   Fish - Soak fishy smelling fish in milk for 30 to 40 minutes to freshen it.

   Sun-dried tomatoes - When buying sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, look for the reddest tomatoes. Avoid the dark brown ones.   Never toss the oil, it's great for cooking.

   Meat in wine - If you intend to cook meat in wine, then be sure to sear the meat first before adding the wine. This helps prevent the meat from  becoming wine soaked by searing the outside.

   Vegetables - A little lemon juice added to the water you cook green vegetables in will help them retain their color.

   Sugar - You can make confectioners' sugar from granulated sugar by processing in a blender until it is pulverized. Stir occasionally for even processing.

   Olive oil can lower overall blood cholesterol levels by reducing levels of dangerous LDL's (low density lipoproteins). It also acts at a mild laxative and can help remove stored toxins from the body.

   Rice cooks better in low wide pots than high narrow ones.

   Turkey - You get more meat per pound when you buy a turkey weighing 12 pounds or more. A 15-pound turkey, for example, will feed 18 to 20 people, while a 10-pounder will feed only 6 to 8. You will save about a dollar per serving by buying a larger bird. You also end up saving time cooking the larger turkey and using the leftovers.