Does this ever happen to you when your cooking?

Adding salt to your dish is always good but too much salt can be very bad for the palate.  Do you know what to do if you find yourself in this predicament with an averly salted dish?

I know that when this happens there is no way to un-salt the dish but there are a few other things you can do if this happens.  You can first start off with adding more ingredients to the pot.  This will help with the diluting of all the salt added.  you do have to be prepared that your initial dish you were staring to prepare may come out completely different.

A handful of grains or noodles will absorb much of the salt if added to the dish as well as vegetables such as potatoes and onions. If making soup you can always try adding more chicken stock, this will thin out the soup.

Do you have any other tricks to fixing an overly salted dish?

(Image: newyork808/Flickr)

Having enough food is never an option in my house… I think there is always so much more after we all eat Thanksgiving day that everyone can take a doggy bag home.

I know, its insane!

But I know for some of us it is difficult to calculate how much is really needed when planning to host a function.  Here are a few tips that I know will help you on Thanksgiving:

• When it comes to appetizers always make sure that you want everyone to have something to nibble on while they wait for the main course.  At least figure that each person will consume six to eight pieces, that way they are not full but just at the right stage where you know they will consume the lavish feast you’ve been preparing all week!

• Pumpkin soup is always made by my grandmother, so you know its delish!  If having soup as a starter, you can predict that a cup per person should suffice.

• Now for the TURKEY… this is my favorite part! Can’t you tell I’m smiling from ear to ear… It is pretty good to assume that each person will eat a pound each, though that might not be an accurate assumption in my household since we are all GREEDY!  But hey waht can I say we love our Turkey.

• Next, is the tricky part, sides.  Sides can be a little harder to try and narrow down.  It is good to say that 3-4 ounces for vegetable sides, 2-3 ounces for pasta, and 1-1/2 ounces for grains and/or rice should be alright per person.

• Now if your having rolls or biscuits, then you can say 1 to 1-1/2 per person.  Though when it comes to my sister she could eat an entire loaf or a dozen biscuits.  Trust me, she love her some rolls, biscuits, bread of some sorts.

• Now we are at my second most favorite part of the meal… can you guess?  Let me give you a hint, its sweet, decadent, and a perfect ending to a lavish meal.  If you guessed desserts then your right on target.  If your planning on serving a pie of sorts then allot a 3-inch slice per person.  In other words make sure you have plenty!

• Last but not least drinks.  Always make sure that there are enough refreeshments with your meal.  Whether it be juice, punch, water, or alcohol.  The average guests consume roughly one to two 8-ounce drinks per hour.

Do you have any tips that you would like to share with us… please do below!

• Oreo Cookies and Cream Cheesecake Bars, there even better than they look!

• Table manners and children, what a long process.

• Snickers, yum-o, what’s your favorite Halloween candy?

• Dulce de Leche, kinda like caramel.

• Do you like fried chicken…. well then learn these tips for frying.

(Image: Daniel Greene/Flickr)

Who doesn’t love some good old-fashioned fried chicken? Or what about fried anything???

I know me and mine love fried chicken, there’s just something about fried chicken or anything that is thrown in the deep fryer that makes you feel homesick.

For safe and tasty frying tips check below:

• Make sure the oil is at the highest temperature before frying, this will help keep oil absorption to a low level which helps to cut back on fat and calories.

• The optimum temperature for deep frying is mostly between 350ºF and 375ºF.  Check the oil temperature by using a frying thermometer.  Trust me you don’t want to fry without it.

• If you find that you do not have a frying thermometer then don’t fret, you can always check the temperature by dropping a cubed piece of bread into the pot.  If it turns golden brown in 60 seconds then its perfect.

• The best oil to use when frying is peanut oil or canola oil.  It is low in saturated fat, has a high burning point and does not take-away from the flavor of the food you are frying.

Continue below to,

• DO NOT fill the pot more than half-way full.  When food is added to the oil, if too much oil is inside it will cause the oil to bubble over the pot causing an accident and the opportunity of someone to get burned.

• To fry food properly, make sure to give the pieces room to cook.  Which means do not over crowd the pot.  Overcrowding the pot makes the oil reduce in temperature and the food will in turn not cook properly and turn soggy.  Not Yummy!

• Trying cooking pieces of food the same size at the same time, this will have all of the pieces to cook at the same time and be ready together.

• To put out a fat fire cover the pot with lid.  **Did you know that baking soda helps put out a fat fire, well it does**

• If oil begins to smoke that means the oil has burnt and the whole frying process needs to be started again from the beginning.  Discard the oil in a container other than plastic and DO NOT pour it in your drain.

Are you one of those people who tags and bookmarks all types of recipes in your cookbooks or magazines?

I know I am….

If you walked into my kitchen you would find all my cookbooks have either ripped out colored paper or colored sticker bookmarks sticking out of them on every side.

The only bad thing about all my colorful bookmarks is that it doesn’t let me know what categories each of the recipes belong in which is a bad thing.

But check this little nifty creation out…. The Chef Set.

The Chef Set allows you to not only bookmark your favorite recipes but to also be able to see them in different categories (appetizers, meats, vegetables, seafood, and so on).

You can purchase them for $5.95 at Spoon Sisters.

Have you ever wondered exactly how much a pinch is? Or what about 2/3 of a teaspoon?

Now I know the majority of us have a measuring spoons already in our kitchen, but what about the tricky measurements that are sometimes asked in recipes.  I am always asked exactly how much these measurements are and how do I know if I am using the right amount.  Well after a lot of practice I just kinda figure it out but for those that have these troubles is when Odd-Measuring Spoons come in handy.

Here is a set of five-odd shaped measuring spoons which includes tools to measure a “pinch,” 1/8 Tsp., 2/3 Tsp., 1½ Tsp, and 2 Tsp.

Find them at Amazon.com.

Ground tofu absorbs flavor, so you can use it instead of ground beef in spicy dishes

like meatballs, tacos, and chili.

Image via Flickr.com

The recipe calls for lemon juice, but you don’t have lemons.  Instead of running to the store, use 1/2  teaspoon of vinegar in place of 1 teaspoon of lemon juice.

Image via Flickr.com

]]> http://www.thatssoyummy.com/kitchen-411/lemon-juice-substitute/feed/ 1