Joey Green's Kitchen Magic: 1,882 Quick Cooking Tricks, Cleaning Hints, and Kitchen Remedies Using Your Favorite Brand-Name Products

Joey Green's Kitchen Magic: 1,882 Quick Cooking Tricks, Cleaning Hints, and Kitchen Remedies Using Your Favorite Brand-Name Products

From the guru of brand-new uses for brand-name products come ideas and tips for culinary fun, cleaning shortcuts, and kitchen cabinet remedies Joey Green has fascinated readers for more than a decade with his quirky and innovative tips to make domestic engineering a lot more fun. Now fans will be completely intrigued and entertained by Joey's kitchen- and pantry-focused ideas, like using Canada Dry Club Soda to buff stainless steel appliances and flexible fabric Band-Aids as labels for frozen foods. Filled with time- and money-saving ideas, Joey Green's Kitchen Magic offers clever ways to make household items do double duty, like using ReaLemon for revitalizing wilted asparagus, L'eggs Panty Hose (clean, of course) for removing corn silk, and Oral-B Dental Floss for slicing layer cake. He shares unusual ideas for kitchen troubles, like stirring in Jif Peanut Butter to save burnt gravy and using Efferdent to clean the coffeepot. Joey even tosses in home remedies from the kitchen (soothe a blister with Carnation Nonfat Dry Milk) and simple recipes (try Slow-Cooker Brisket with a Coca-Cola marinade). Whether it's a quick fix (Eggo Waffles for hot dog buns, anyone?) or an emergency substitution (Bounty Paper Towel for a coffee filter), there are loads of useful and entertaining tips for making the most of brand-name purchases. JOEY GREEN is the bestselling author of more than 45 books. He appears frequently on national television and at consumer shows around the nation. He lives in Los Angeles. CHAPTER 1 Shopping and Storing Dairy and Eggs Cheese • Domino Sugar Cubes and Ziploc Storage Bags. To prevent mold from forming on a block of cheese, place the cheese and a few Domino Sugar Cubes in a Ziploc Storage Bag, seal the bag partially shut, suck out the excess air from the bag, and seal tightly. The sugar cubes attract the mold spores away from the cheese. Change the sugar cubes every few days. • Heinz Apple Cider Vinegar. To prevent a chunk of cheese from getting moldy, dampen a soft, clean piece of cheesecloth with Heinz Apple Cider Vinegar, wrap it around the block of cheese, seal it in a Ziploc Storage Bag or airtight container, and refrigerate. The acetic acid in the vinegar helps prevent the growth of mold without affecting the flavor of the cheese. Refresh the cheesecloth with more vinegar when necessary. • Morton Salt. To prevent cheese from molding in the refrigerator, dissolve two tablespoons Morton Salt in three cups of water, dampen a cloth with the salt water, and wrap the block of cheese in the damp cloth before refrigerating. • Reynolds Cut-Rite Wax Paper and Saran Wrap. Natural cheese contains enzymes and bacteria that require air and moisture to survive. Rewrap cheese in a sheet of Reynolds Cut-Rite Wax Paper, followed by a sheet of Saran Wrap and refrigerate to create a healthy microenvironment. After using some of the cheese, rewrap the remaining cheese in fresh waxed paper and fresh plastic wrap. • Ziploc Storage Bags. Store grated cheese in a Ziploc Storage Bag in the freezer to prevent mold from forming. Seal the bag partially shut, suck out the excess air from the bag, and seal tightly. WHAT'S COOKING SAY CHEESE • The best places to buy cheese: a specialty market, a cheese shop, or a gourmet food store that specializes in cheeses. • Check the label to ensure that the cheese is well within its expiration date. Question whether any cheese offered at a bargain price has passed its expiration date. • Before buying cheese, check the aroma, appearance, and flavor. Avoid any cheese that smells like ammonia, sour milk, or a barnyard. Make sure the cheese appears free of cracks, discoloration, and mold (except for blue cheese). If possible, taste a sample of the cheese before you buy. • If you have any dietary restrictions or concerns, check the label on the cheese or ask the cheesemonger to determine whether the cheese was made from pasteurized or raw cow, goat, or sheep milk and whether the cheesemaker used animal, vegetal, or microbial rennet. • Avoid buying more cheese than you will consume within a few days. • If you accidentally purchase a spoiled cheese, return the cheese to the store for an exchange or refund. • Don't be repulsed by the unsightly appearance of some types of cheese. Many cheeses taste wonderful even though they look hideous. • To prolong the shelf life of cottage cheese or ricotta cheese, store the container upside down in the refrigerator. • Store packages of blue cheese and Roquefort cheese in the freezer. To prepare a salad, use a paring knife to scrape the cheese, causing it to crumble beautifully. • The following cheeses can be frozen and will remain fresh: Cheddar, French, Greek, Italian, Swiss, and processed cheese. Cream-cheese dips can also be frozen. If the cream cheese appears grainy after being thawed, simply whip the dip thoroughly. • If a blue-green mold forms on the outside of hard cheeses (with the exception of fresh cheese or blue