Last week, we shared some tips about ingredients; this week’s hacks are all about saving time with dairy.
Freeze soft cheese before grating.
For easier grating, place softer cheeses (such as fontina and Monterey Jack) in the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes beforehand.
Soften butter quickly sans microwave by using a rolling pin.
Put the stick of butter between two large pieces of wax paper. Using a rolling pin, press down on the butter and roll it as you would a pie crust. When the butter is about 1/8 to 1/4-inch thick, lift off the wax paper and peel away the butter (before it gets too soft to peel).
Bring butter back to a solid state by stirring in ice.
If you go with the microwave method to melt your butter, but went a little too far, it’s ok because you can save it! To save partially melted butter, place it in a bowl with a few ice cubes and stir. In less than a minute, the butter will quickly cool and solidify to the soft texture you are looking for. Simply remove the ice cubes and proceed with the recipe.
This won’t work with completely melted butter, so if it’s a puddle, save it for next time!
Use frozen butter instead of milk when making omelets.
Why? Because milk can add excess moisture to your omelets. Instead, try using frozen butter, which melts more slowly and disperses more evenly, creating that perfect fluffy texture. Either cut the butter into chunks, or grate it into your eggs.
Keep ice cream soft and ice crystal free by keeping it inside a plastic freezer bag.
Store your container of ice cream in a freezer bag to keep it soft for easy scooping. This way, you won’t need to wait to enjoy it nor will you be tempted to microwave your solid ice cream and risk the chance of over melting it.
Plus, this will keep those ice crystals that water-down the taste from forming when your refreeze your ice cream!
Froth milk in a mason jar for a coffee shop-level beverage.
First, pour either 2% or nonfat milk into a mason jar no further than halfway, and shake for 30 seconds to create foam. Then, stabilize the foam by microwaving for another 30 seconds. Pour, and enjoy!
You can use whole milk or cream, but the foam won’t be as foamy because, while 2% and nonfat milk are fortified with foam-stabilizing whey protein, whole milk and cream are not.
Next week, we’re dishing out tricks that will make your entrees unforgettable, so don’t miss out!
Want more tips? Just click here.