- Tot Timesaver: Put a plate of frozen French fries or tater tots in the microwave for 2 minutes to defrost them before putting them in the oven to bake. It cuts your cooking time in half.
Minimize cooking time, and keep your kitchen cool: Stuck inside cooking in a hot kitchen is the last place you want to be after a long day in the sun. Grilling means less mess and fuss in the kitchen and more time to be outdoors with family. Another great kitchen helper is your slow cooker. You can cook a fabulous meal without heating up the kitchen. Place all of the ingredients in it before you leave in the morning and by dinnertime, you have a hot and delicious meal waiting for you. You can find a large variety of slow cooker cookbooks at the public library, or online.- Ore-Ida Chopped Onions: “I saw this one on the Food Network recently and think it’s the best idea. I hate to chop onion for anything, although I like the flor. Ore-Ida sells a bag of frozen chopped onion. They are finely chopped and perfect for almost any recipe. One bag is equivalent to about 3 or 4 onions and I paid $1.16 for a bag. I’m certain I’ve wasted that much money on “fresh” onion that I never use up completely or allow to go bad. I just keep the frozen onion in a Ziploc bowl or bag (in the freezer) and spoon out as much as I need when I need it. The onion tastes just like “fresh” and is so much better than those dried onion flakes.”
Submitted by Delinda Hawkins.
