For the kitchen masters here, I'm sure you have something to share with us. There are tricks in the kitchen that are passed on by tradition but I know there are new tricks that are discovered from day to day. These are all I can share for now which I inherited from my husband. 1. Corn starch - use cold water to dissolve. We usually add dissolved corn starch when we cook spaghetti sauce to make it a bit sticky. 2. Cheddar cheese - after opening, this usually dries when left in the refrigerator. Place it in a plastic container or even in a sandwich bag to retain the original texture. That's all I have for now, I will be awaiting yours.
You can also use corn starch to thicken a soup if it is too runny. I didn't know corn starch could make spaghetti sauce feel sticky.
Very Important ........ ALWAYS KEEP ALL YOUR KNIVES VERY SHARP AT ALL TIMES ... Generally, you won't cut yourself with a sharp knife....
Well I've baked the best Shepherds pie in years ! I use baked potatoes instead of mashed - yummy it is
How did you use the baked potatoes, @Patsy Faye? I have also never heard of using corn starch in pasta to make it sticky. I've heard of sticky rice, but have never looked at a recipe for it, but perhaps that's what makes the rice sticky, as well? I add a little olive oil to my past water, it gives the pasta a nice texture, but I think it would have the opposite effect of the corn starch. I enjoy both pasta and rice, so I'm sure I'd like them either way.
Instead of boiling the potatoes and mashing them, I roast the tatties and mash 'them' Having cooked the beef mince, added the onions too - I place this in a big fry pan cook a while then add the mashed roasted potatoes on top and brown and turn over the heat - really nice and tasty
That sounds interesting, so there's no bottom crust either, and it's cooked in a frying pan, rather than a pie plate or casserole dish? Do you use a cast iron skillet? My large 'casserole' type dish cracked the other day, so I might try doing my next dinner pie your way.
@Diane Lane I used to cook the shepherds pie in the oven dish, but for some reason prefer it fried Its a 'big' fry pan so is enough for two You could oven cook though, having cooked your mince and potatoes, transfer to your oven dish .......... I only add onions to the mince but you could add carrots too, we have the pie then with peas
I like the idea of doing it in the pan on the stove sometimes. I guess that could be made on a grill, too. I make baked potatoes (in the microwave) a lot more than I do mashed potatoes. do you leave the skins on and roughly mash them, or get the lumps out? I like the idea of a more rustic pie .
@Diane Lane - ooo never thought of that, leaving the skins I much prefer the tatties roasted, gives the meal better substance, its good you have a microwave it will be quicker
I like smashed potatoes sometimes, which is why I thought about leaving the skins on. They provide extra nourishment, so I tend to leave them on, except when I'm making 'proper' mashed potatoes for the holiday dinners.
We have several uses for corn starch that's why there's always a box in our cupboard for a reserve. Not only to thicken pasta sauce, we also use it in cooking fish. We roll the fish in corn starch before frying so it will have a semblance of breaded fish but not that thick. It's actually a defense so the fish will not break. We also add corn starch when we cook chili beans just like the spaghetti sauce to make it slightly sticky. In making hamburgers, we add a spoon of corn starch for half a kilo of ground meat (and of course also the other ingredients) to prevent the hamburger from disintegrating. The corn starch acts like an extender but it's not. I can't think of more uses of corn starch in the kitchen for now but I'm sure there are still more.
@Corie Henson by using the corn starch to coat the fish before frying does that make it more of a tempura batter?... I love tempura coated fish in preference to a heavy coated egg and flour batter..but I use cornflour and iced soda water for the coating mix. Patsy...I must..Must...try making the shepherds pie using roast potatoes ..I've never thought of doing that, and I'll leave the skins on...sounds delishus!!
@Holly Saunders - Oh good Holly - hope you like as much as we do, mind you, I've not tried with skins on yet - should be as good though x Probably delishus