Ready to Carve

It's important to let a roast -- beef, pork, lamb or poultry -- sit a little while before carving. That allows the juices to retreat back into the meat. If you carve a roast too soon, much of its goodness will spill out onto the carving board.

Corn Meal Mix

To make your own corn meal mix: combine 1 cup corn meal, 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 4 teaspoons baking powder. You can store it in a tightly covered container for up to 6 months.

A Perfect Pastry Crust

In your favorite recipe, substitute a 4:1 ratio of lard:butter

Mixing Salads

Do not use metal bowls when mixing salads.
Use wooden, glass or china.

Fresh Lettuce

Lettuce keeps better if you store in refrigerator without washing
first so that the leaves are dry.

-Wash the day you are going to use.-

Fresh Mushrooms

Buy Mushrooms before they "open"

When stems and caps are attached snugly, mushrooms are truly fresh

Crisp Potatoes

Let raw potatoes stand in cold water for at least half an hour before frying, to improve the crispness of french-fried potatoes.