The biggest trick to keeping a ham from drying out is to keep it securely covered in foil for the majority of the cooking. I prefer to cook my ham on a roasting pan that separates the meet from the drippings in the pan. Most recipes call for the ham to sit directly on the pan, but I've found that this creates a situation where part of the ham is too moist and part of it is too … [Read more...]
Slow cooking a potato casserole
We usually make our potato casserole (with either shredded or cubed potatoes) in then oven. Bake at 375F for 45 minutes covered in foil, then uncover and back for 15-20 more minutes. My mother-in-law baked at 400F for 30 minutes covered, then 30 minutes uncovered at 350F. Either way, the casserole turned out great. But during the holidays, and frankly on a lot of hectic … [Read more...]
Draining Ground Beef
Buying ground beef is like rolling dice. If you don't know what you're doing, the results won't mean anything to you. Once you've bought your ground beef, the most common next step in cooking it is to brown it. While that's not really that hard, the next step is one that often gets overlooked...draining away the fat. If you don't drain the fat, not only is it less healthy, but … [Read more...]
Homemade Taco Shells
I discovered this method of preparing taco shells from my friends at MyFridgeFood. They have some really great recipes over there. I'm including this tip here because I love the ability to customize the width and doneness of these taco shells. [amd-zlrecipe-recipe:35] … [Read more...]
Toothpick Test
So you want to check if your cake or brownies are done? To do that, some really helpful baker has told you to use the toothpick test and left you hanging. You don't want to sound like a total kitchen idiot, so you say "Thanks for the advice" and continue to look at the phone...completely baffled. Been there, done that! So what's the toothpick test? It's not rocket science. … [Read more...]