Posts by Gail South

Fry a sliced potato and strain oil.

Make sure they haven’t been treated w pesticides and are free from bugs. Bergamot (good w poultry, pork and curries), calendula (peppery), dianthus or pink (spicy and clovelike), hollyhock (mildly flavored), nasturtium (peppery flavor; the flower, leaf and seeds are all edible); carnation (clovelike), marigold (citrusy and pleasantly bitter), violet (slightly wintergreen) and dandelion (bitter);…

Rub fish w lemon juice and salt and rinse well. Cook in milk.

Place in refrigerator; allow fat to get hard and remove. Or pour gravy over ice cubes. Most of the fat will solidify and you will be able to remove it.

Puncture fat end of egg w needle. Put eggs in large heavy pot and cover w 1.5 inches of cold water. Partially cover pot and bring to a rolling boil. Reduce heat to low and cook eggs, covered completely, for 30 seconds. Remove pot from heat and let eggs stand, covered, 15 min. Run under…

If you just need to add one, use 1 Tsp cornstarch or use mayo in place of the egg and the oil. Also add a bit of sugar

An all purpose cleaner for decks, siding, bricks, stucco–any place where dirt and mildew accumulate outside the house. Mix 1/2 gallon non-chlorine bleach (if solution will come in contact with vegetation) or Clorox, 1.5 gallons water and 1 cup TSP (trisodium phosphate–a powdered detergent available from most paint or hardware stores). Wear rubber gloves and…

To “candy” herbs and flowers: paint with egg white and sprinkle w superfine sugar. Keep in a cool dry place several days. You can add food color to sugar.

Preheat oven to 450. Place whole coconut in oven and bake 20 min. Pierce the 3 eyes of coconut w metal skewer or small screwdriver and drain liquid. Break open shell w hammer and remove flesh, levering it out carefully w point of a strong knife, small spatula or grapefruit knife. Using a vegetable peeler,…

Here’s how to clean your aluminum baking sheets: ​​Here’s how to clean aluminized steel pans:  Here’s how to clean non-stick pans:Since you can’t scrub these pans too hard without risking damaging the nonstick finish, it can be pretty tricky to get rid of the baked-on goo. Here’s one safe tactic to try: