Newsletter chitchat - January 23, 2024

[Cassel]

Do you do some cooking/baking and have special hacks or tools that are useful to you?

Are those common or uncommon?

Are they new or something handed down from the previous generation?

Let's share (and if you have pics, even better!)

[Michele]

I had to Google rolling pin rings, but now that I've seen how they work, it makes perfect sense to me.

If you want to cook chicken breasts but are concerned that they will dry out, try this. Bread (I like to use Panko crumbs) and par fry them to get the desired color on the breading. Put them in a baking dish, add chicken broth, and bake at 400F for about 30 to 45 mins. When they're all done, the broth will have been absorbed and the chicken will be nice and moist. Since I don't usually like white meat because it's too dry for my taste, I was glad when my sister taught me this method.

[Cassel]

5 hours ago, Michele said:

If you want to cook chicken breasts but are concerned that they will dry out, try this. Bread (I like to use Panko crumbs) and par fry them to get the desired color on the breading. Put them in a baking dish, add chicken broth, and bake at 400F for about 30 to 45 mins. When they're all done, the broth will have been absorbed and the chicken will be nice and moist. Since I don't usually like white meat because it's too dry for my taste, I was glad when my sister taught me this method.

Interestingly, just this weekend, we tried a new recipe for chicken breasts. It was soooooo easy (5 minutes prep). It is to cook those breasts in the slow cooker. NO LIQUID added, yet, it generated almost a cup of its own juice and the meat was so tender.

[Michele]

5 minutes ago, Cassel said:

Interestingly, just this weekend, we tried a new recipe for chicken breasts. It was soooooo easy (5 minutes prep). It is to cook those breasts in the slow cooker. NO LIQUID added, yet, it generated almost a cup of its own juice and the meat was so tender.

I don't have a slow cooker, but I'm glad you were happy with your results.

[Joyce Nease]

I started cooking out of necessity at a fairly young age.  I am now pretty old and have a gazillion kitchen gadgets, but maybe my favorite and most used these days is my instant-read thermometer!  After years of leaving food to cook 'just a little longer to be safe', I can now know when it's done to perfection!  It would be my first kitchen accessory recommendation for any new cook!

 

[Anne Lamp]

I have a gas stove so the broiler is on the bottom. It came with a broiler pan with two layers a slotted one and a drip pan under it.  I make sure after I have put the steaks on a plate to take the pan to the sink and use the sprayer to rinse the " good stuff " off the top into the pan below.  Then I empty the  water with all those good seasonings into a pot to make some  Au Jus to use with the steaks or put away for later.  I guess because the steaks are pretty lean there isn't a lot of fat in it.  Of course with today's prices I don't do many steaks anymore. 

[Bonnie Ballentine]

I use to bake a lot and also cook. Now I seldom bake but do all the cooking. I have a very thin blade knife I got from my parents. It was a give away at a gas station if you purchased a certain amount of gas...lots of years ago. It is the last piece of that set. It is perfect for slicing cake and I guard it, making sure no one walks off with it. It rusts easily so I make sure to dry it immediately after washing it.