# Cooks tricks, tips and substitutions.



## catsraven (Jan 25, 2010)

Hard cookies

You just made a batch of yummy cookies. After they cool you get one, take a bite. Durn it, its hard. You put to much flour in it. If you wanted soft cookies, there is a trick. Put the cookies in a container with a tight fitting lid. Put a peace of bread on top and close the lid. A few hrs later you will have soft cookies. The cookies will draw the moisture from the bread. Remove the bread and enjoy your soft cookies.

Sifting

Using a Sifter is a pain in the backside! If you want light moist cake YOU MUST SIFT! There is an easier way. How you ask? Your whisk is an amazing tool. Use it to sift. Yes I said your whisk. Just put flour and other dry ingredients in a bowl and mix with your whisk, back and forth, side to side, around and around. your done sifting. And a whisk is easier to wash. If you need to sift and measure, do it the same way, just don't put the other dry ingredients in until you have sifted the flour and measured it.

Flour

The moisture in flour can very from bag to bag or even day to day. Thats why you never use all the flour in a recipe all at once. If your recipe calls for 6 cups use 4. If it needs more put in 1/2 cup and mix. Dose it need more? add another 1/2 cup and mix. Dont go over the 6 cups. Never go over what the recipe calls for. Some times it will be 5 cups sometimes 5 1/2 and sometimes it will be 6 cups. If its a smaller amount like 2 cups use 1 1/4 cups if it needs more put another 1/4 cup in and mix. Up to 2 cups.

Sugar

Unless your canning (use all the sugar called for in a canning recipe) there is no written law that says you have to use all that sugar! If, like me, you dont like really sweet sweets use 1/4 to 1/2 what the recipe calls for. Always taste it. Then you will know how sweet it really is. 

Homemade Baking Powder Recipe

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon corn starch (optional)

Preparation:

Mix the baking soda and cream of tartar together until well combined. Use 
immediately.

Yield: One tablespoon of baking powder.


Ok your turn. Got any tips tricks or substitutions?


----------



## Freyadog (Jan 27, 2010)

catsraven said:


> Hard cookies
> 
> You just made a batch of yummy cookies. After they cool you get one, take a bite. Durn it, its hard. You put to much flour in it. If you wanted soft cookies, there is a trick. Put the cookies in a container with a tight fitting lid. Put a peace of bread on top and close the lid. A few hrs later you will have soft cookies. The cookies will draw the moisture from the bread. Remove the bread and enjoy your soft cookies.
> 
> ...


Yep just bought 10# of cream of tartar. cant live without it especially when all you cook is from scratch. thanks.......


----------



## Freyadog (Jan 27, 2010)

just a couple of things here. have a notebook with 40 pages of mixes but just too many to place here.

Bring you rice, eggs to a boil and place lid of the pot. let boil about a minute. turn off. leave where it is at. in 20 minutes your rice is done just fluff rice with a fork. same with eggs well you dont fluff them. 

3 minute chocolate cake

1/4 cup flour I use fresh ground whole winter wheat
1 TB cocoa powder
1/4 tsp. baking powder
10 tsp. sugar/ granulated splenda or 5 packages of sweetner-sounds like a lot but its not.

2 TB melted butter-
1 Tb water
1 egg

mix in a 2 cup baking dish, blend throughly with fork. Cover with plastic wrap and put a slit in the middle of the plastic wrap.

cook 1 minute in microwave or until knife comes out clean when you test in the center.


----------



## mdprepper (Jan 22, 2010)

Homemade Brown Sugar

1 cup granulated sugar
1-2 tablespoons molasses

Combine in a bowl and mix with a fork. Store in an air tight container.


----------



## Lake Windsong (Nov 27, 2009)

Sour cream substitute: 1 cup evaporated milk, add a couple spoons of either vinegar or lemon juice. Great for adding to those dehydrated skillet type dinners to add a little something to sauces.

I've made powdered sugar from granulated using the food processor, when I've realized at the last minute I'm out of powdered sugar.


----------



## stayingthegame (Mar 22, 2011)

keep pests out of grains with bay leaves. two or three per five pounds.
keep salt flowing with rice. a small amount in the salt shaker works well


----------



## Kevin108 (Aug 29, 2011)

For some recipes that require eggs, bananas can be used instead 1:1. Obviously, that won't work for something like...scrambled eggs, but it seems to work fine with most any baking.


----------



## stayingthegame (Mar 22, 2011)

Kevin108 said:


> For some recipes that require eggs, bananas can be used instead 1:1. Obviously, that won't work for something like...scrambled eggs, but it seems to work fine with most any baking.


fired bananas and brown sugar. yum. add a little brandy........


----------

