Cooking Tips for Apartment Living

Cookin' Up a Storm

For some of you out there living on your own for the first time might also be the first time you've had to cook for yourself. You might even miss the dorm room cafeteria. Below are some cooking tips to help you make great meals and safety tips to keep from burning your new home down.

Grease Fire — Put baking soda on a grease fire. DO NOT put water on it because water spread a grease fire.
Smelly Fridge — Place a box of baking soda in the freezer and the fridge to keep unpleasant odors from forming.
Is the Pasta Ready — To check to see if your noodles are ready, take one and throw it against the wall. If it sticks your pasta is done.
Cooking Timer — Use a cooking timer so you won't over cook your food. Also helpful if you have to leave the kitchen to do something else in another room.
Mixing Bowl Dance — To keep your mixing bowl still while you stir place a damp towel underneath it.
Chicken, Fish & Red Meat — Always wash your hands and kitchen utensils after handling raw chicken, fish and red meat so as to not spread any bacteria to any other food or surface area.
Too Sweet — Add vinegar to any dish that you accidentally made too sweet.
Boiling Over — Place a toothpick between the pot and the lid to prevent a pot from boiling over. Also to keep pasta, custards, and milk from boiling over coat the inside of the pot lid with vegetable oil.
Don't Cry — To keep from crying when dealing with an onion, refrigerate the onion before you slice it, peel and cut under running water and chop near a gas flame.
Kitchen Scissors — They are not just for cutting open a bag. You can save time by cutting up small vegetables like green onions or leaves like mint leaves instead of using a knife.
Reheating Rice — Put a small amount of water in the rice when you are reheating it in the microwave to keep it from getting hard.
Garlic Hand Cure — Immediately after chopping raw garlic rub your fingers thoroughly with the bottom of a stainless steel spoon under running water. Then wash your hands with soap. The metal magically neutralizes the garlic fumes.