The only thing better than a cookie is a cookie with filling. And, if you want to get really ambitious, the only thing better than a cookie with filling is one that also happens to be healthy. It’s your lucky day. This vegan gluten-free chickpea thumbprint cookie recipe is a delicious take on a classic that you can feel good about eating. Pinky swear.

It may seem weird to use chickpeas in a dessert recipe, but they actually work wonders. Chickpeas provide the bulk and density that flour, milk, and eggs would otherwise provide. Meanwhile, their taste is neutral enough to be manipulated by the recipe add-ins. That way, you can get the cookie experience without the animal protein, over-processed ingredients, and hard-to-digest fats without stinting on taste.

To make this cookie recipe even lighter, I tried omitting the nut butter. Even though the cookies tasted delicious, they were a lot more delicate to handle and didn’t hold together very well after being cooked. Because of the outcome I experienced, I recommend you stick to the exact recipe below for the best result.

Vegan Gluten-Free Chickpea Thumbprint Cookie Recipe

Makes 12-15 cookies

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas
• ½ cup peanut or almond butter
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup
• ¼ cup coconut palm sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• ¼ cup rolled oats
• ½ cup sugar-free jam

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a baking sheet and set aside.

In a food processor, add the chickpeas, nut butter, vanilla extract, maple syrup, coconut palm sugar, baking powder, and salt. Blend until smooth and then transfer to a medium bowl. Fold in the oats.

Roll the batter into one-and-a-half inch balls and place on the baking sheet. Press an indentation into the top of each cookie and fill with two teaspoons of fruit jam.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until lightly browned and firm. Remove from the oven and let cool for 15 to 20 minutes before noshing. Enjoy!

Related on EcoSalon
Vegan White Chocolate and Macadamia Nut Cookies
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The post Vegan Gluten-Free Chickpea Thumbprint Cookie Recipe appeared first on EcoSalon.

Going gluten-free doesn’t mean you have to give up holidays treats!

The holidays can be difficult for those with food allergies and sensitivities and those following specific diets because the sweetest time of the year is also synonymous with gluten-filled treats.

And while all those tasty treats are what make the season brighter for many, you don’t have to opt out entirely or stick to the fruit plate. It is possible to celebrate the holidays while avoiding gluten.

Don’t believe us about satisfying gluten-free holiday treats? Read on for some delectable gluten-free desserts, snacks, and cookies that will make even the most diehard gluten eater do a double take.

Gluten-Free Holiday Treats

1. Cookie Cutter Cookies – The holidays wouldn’t seem complete without cut-out cookies. Not only just for the sweet and buttery taste but for the art and practice of decorating these fun holiday treats.
2. Meringue Treats – Individual meringue cookies are not only tasty but beautiful, too. They also look impressive and are sure to make an impression at your holiday parties. Plus, there are only two ingredients–can’t beat that.
3. Gingerbread Cookies – Now you don’t have to make it through the holidays without gingerbread cookies. This satisfying recipe calls for rice flour instead of wheat flour.
4. No-Bake Nutella Cookies – What is better than gluten-free treats? No-bake treats made with Nutella that’s what!
5. Almond Flour Brownies – And for something sure to please the chocolate lovers among you, try these almond flour brownies
6. Pecan Brittle – Nut brittles are perfect if you are avoiding gluten. There’s absolutely no flour involved!
7. Gluten-Free Cheesecake – Try a cheesecake as a real showstopper this holiday season. Sweet, lovely and gluten-free–it doesn’t get much better than that.

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Peanut Butter Cookies Image

The post 7 Crowd-Pleasing Gluten-Free Treats for the Holidays appeared first on EcoSalon.

It is convenient, consistent, and delicious, but canned pumpkin purée doesn’t hold a candle to homemade.

Set aside a little extra time to prepare your own version of pumpkin purée and you’ll be deeply satisfied with the results, adding more of an authentic touch to homemade pumpkin pie and all the other pumpkin-filled fall and winter dishes.

Did you know that almost all canned pumpkin mixes are not entirely made of pumpkin, even if they are labeled as such? Turns out, the FDA is lenient when it comes to squash terminology, so it is completely legal for canned pumpkin puree brands to call their products “100% pure pumpkin”, when they may be just a mixture of other winter squash varieties (good in their own right, but still, where’s the pumpkin?). That’s right, most canned pumpkin puree blends don’t have an ounce of pumpkin in them!

For the purists out there, make your own pumpkin purée and avoid the confusion. You avoid not only the can, but also the squash. This homemade pumpkin purée recipe is as pure and straightforward as it gets.

Homemade Pumpkin Puree Recipe

Makes about 2 cups

Ingredients

• 1 three-pound whole sugar pumpkin

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Wash the pumpkin, scrubbing off any dirt or debris. Cut off the stem and slice the pumpkin in half along the top where the stem once was.

Use a spoon to remove all the seeds and excess stringiness.

Place the pumpkin halves cut-side down on a baking sheet. Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for about 45 minutes, or until the skin has darkened and the pumpkin flesh is tender throughout.

Use a large spoon to scoop the pumpkin flesh out of its skin. Transfer the pumpkin to a food processor and blend until smooth. Store the pumpkin in an airtight container in the refrigerator prior to using.

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The post Homemade Pumpkin Purée Recipe: Ditch the Can, Not the Flavor! appeared first on EcoSalon.

Cupcakes are out, donuts are so in. And this vegan donut recipe is a game-changer.

Donuts are one of those treats many of us think we have to swear off in order to keep our health in check. Well, that assumption is now false. The following homemade vegan apple cider donut recipe holds the sweet comfort offered by regular donuts, only in a vegan and gluten-free package.

Gluten-Free and Vegan Apple Cider Donut Recipe

Makes 6 donuts

Ingredients

For the donut

• 1 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/4 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon allspice
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• ¼ cup apple sauce
• 1 teaspoon coconut oil, melted
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon almond extract

For the glaze

• 1 cup Medjool dates, pitted
• 2 tablespoons apple cider
• 1 cup coconut milk

For the sugar topping

• ½ cup coconut palm sugar
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a donut pan with coconut oil and set aside.

In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, cream of tartar, cornstarch, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the maple syrup, applesauce, coconut oil, and extracts. Add the wet ingredient to the dry ingredients and stir until well combined.

Pour the batter into the donut pan and pop the pan into the oven for eight to ten minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the glaze. In a food processor or high-speed blender, blend together the coconut milk, dates, and apple cider until thick and creamy in consistency.

In a small bowl, mix together the sugar topping.

Once the donuts have finished cooking and cool at room temperature, dip the tops of each into the glaze and then into the cinnamon sugar. Serve and enjoy!

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The post Gluten-Free Vegan Apple Cider Donut Recipe appeared first on EcoSalon.

Column In a locavore diet, where your types of flour come from is just as important as your produce.

Today, people are focused more than ever on the origin of their foods. Maybe you subscribe to a CSA, maybe you try to shop at a weekly farmers market, maybe you have started paying closer attention to labels at the grocery store; in an effort to vote with our forks, many of us have begun to make a concerted effort to think about what we buy and where it comes from.

Yet in this formula for eating more locally, there’s one ingredient that often gets zero attention: flour.

In the gluten-free era, flour has gotten a bad reputation. But we’re also in a revival of artisan baking, home bakers, and professional bakers all with a newfound love of the craft of turning flour and water into something beautiful. On one hand, we have the vilification of all types of flour, and on the other, the embrace of bread. But regardless of where you stand on the issue of flour, there’s no denying that when it comes  local foods, flour is rarely part of the discussion. Until now.

Flour, much like sugar and milk, has for long been a staple of the North American and European pantry. It is the base of many a recipe, and today it’s easy to think of flour as something that just comes in a bag, as opposed to what it starts out as: grain in a field.

However, thanks to the work of a variety of initiatives to reignite an interest in local grains, we are finally starting to talk about flour in a different way, one that focuses not only on where it’s grown, but one that addresses the nutritional qualities that are so often lost in the industrial form of flour that most of us are used to.

Let’s start with the basics of wheat flour.

Traditional white flour that we find at the supermarket is made to last; in order to sell, it has to have a shelf life. And to give it that shelf life, we have to zap it of essentially any nutritional value. When a whole grain is ground, oils are released, and in turn, a freshly ground flour will quickly go rancid. Today’s industrial milling process involves removing the the bran and the germ (the nutritious part of a grain) and separating out the endosperm. This part is then milled into the fine white powder that we know as all-purpose white flour, and while it has an extended shelf life, has a depleted its nutritional value. That’s why you find “enriched flour” – since all of the nutrients are stripped the first time around, they are added back in. A pretty backwards way of doing things.

Part of the local grain movement is to not only grow and source more local products, but to revive an interest in healthier and more diverse grains. “Heritage and other experimental wheat may sometimes have lower yields but higher market value in that it has flavor, character, more genetic biodiversity or even more to the point, that it would allow us to control our seed resources,” writes Nan Kohler on the Grist & Toll blog, Greater Los Angeles’ first urban mill in over 100 years.

While all-purpose flour has been the go-to baking ingredient, there are all kinds of types of flour that our industrial form of flour production has lead us to forget about; rye, spelt, corn, barley, teff, rice, buckwheat… the list goes on. And expanding our grain repertoire could be good for us. As Anna Roth wrote in SF Weekly in a story on locally grown and milled grains, “many in the field believe that whole, organically grown, stone-milled grains are better for the body than processed, hybridized, conventionally grown ones.”

Not only that, but the taste is completely different; compare a freshly ground grain, full of oils and nutrients, and potentially of heritage variety, with an industrially grown wheat that’s produced for quantity, not flavor, and then on top of it, milled to extend shelf life and you have two very different products. That’s what has made bakers excited; branch out from all-purpose flour and there is a whole world of new potential in terms of taste.

But creating a market for locally milled flour involves both milling, grain growing and an interest from customers; the three go hand in hand. This is of course nothing new, if anything, it’s simply a return to how things were done before. That’s not just good for independent farmers, that’s good for our soil, our health and the taste of the baked items on the table in front of us.

Related on EcoSalon

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This is the latest installment of Anna Brones’ weekly column at EcoSalon: Foodie Underground, an exploration of what’s new and different in the underground movement, and how we make the topic of good food more accessible to everyone. More musings on the topic can be found at www.foodieunderground.com.

Image: Jen R

The post Where Do Our Types of Flour Come From? Foodie Underground appeared first on EcoSalon.

Why is chocolate crumble not a thing? Adding some cocoa powder to a basic crumble bars recipe works wonderfully here! The crumble itself isn’t very sweet, but the jam-coated raspberries balance things out. I recommend using jam with the highest fruit percentage you can find. That is, unless, you don’t mind these bars being on the sweeter side of things.

Prep time: 15 minutes   |   Cook time: 42 minutes   | Ready in: 1 hour 10 minutes, plus cooling   |   Yield: 16 bars

gluten-free: Certified gluten-free oats, Whole-grain teff flour   |   dairy-free or vegan: Coconut oil, and make sure your jam is vegan

Teff Raspberry Chocolate Crumble Bars Recipe

Ingredients

1½ cups (138 grams) rolled oats
¼ cup (29 grams) Dutch-process cocoa powder, sifted if lumpy
2⁄3 cup (105 grams) whole-grain teff flour or 2⁄3 cup (83 grams) whole-wheat flour
½ cup (100 grams) light brown sugar or raw sugar
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup (113 grams) melted coconut oil if using teff–¾ cup (168 grams) melted coconut oil if using whole-wheat flour
2 cups (250 grams) fresh or frozen raspberries*
6 tablespoons (125 grams) raspberry jam (page 188)
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

* If using frozen raspberries, let them sit at room temperature for about 20 to 30 minutes. They should be neither totally frozen nor thawed. If any liquid has pooled, drain it. If your raspberries have ice crystals or seem watery, fully thaw and drain the liquid.

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Line an 8 × 8-inch (20 × 20 cm) baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on opposite ends.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the oats, cocoa powder, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the melted coconut oil. The dough may have a wet texture.

Reserve ¾ cup (160 grams) of dough and scoop the remaining dough onto the bottom of the prepared baking pan. Use a spoon to spread it evenly over the bottom. Bake for 12 minutes. The crust will bubble and not feel crisp like a regular crust. It will harden slightly as it cools. Cool the crust for at least 10 minutes while you prepare the filling.

In a medium mixing bowl, gently stir together the raspberries, jam, and vanilla. Mash the raspberries very slightly with a fork to make them easier to spread. Spread this evenly over the baked crust and then sprinkle the remaining oat mixture over the fruit filling. Bake for 30 minutes or until the crumble topping feels crisp and the filling is bubbly. They may look “soupy” when you pull them out of the oven, but as long as they’re bubbling and the topping is crisp, they’re done. They firm up as they chill and should then be chewy.

Refrigerate for 2 hours before cutting. Let the bars cool completely in the pan, about 2 hours. Using the parchment paper overhang, lift the bars out of the pan and cut into squares. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

Tip: These bars get soft at room temperature, so if you want to take them with you on the go, freeze them for 2 to 3 hours first!

Reprinted with permission from The Sweet Side of Ancient Grains: Decadent Whole Grain Brownies, Cakes, Cookies, Pies and More, by Erin Dooner, The Countryman Press 2015

Image: © Erin Dooner 2015

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The post Teff Raspberry Chocolate Crumble Bars Recipe appeared first on EcoSalon.

Dried fruit is waiting to be made in your oven.

Some people assume that you need a dehydrator to make dried fruit. Those people would be wrong. All you need to turn fresh fruit into tasty dried fruit is an oven and some patience.

Granted, if you’re planning on launching a dried fruit business, investing in a dehydrator may be worth your while, but if you just want to dabble, your oven is a cheaper, and space-saving way to make these delicious, naturally sweet treats.

Drying fruit is as simple as drying out the fruit at a very low temperature for a very long time. You’re removing the water from the fruit so that it will keep and you can preserve it far into the winter months. The other nice thing about drying your own fruit is that you can cut down on sweetener as many packaged dried fruits have sugar added to them.

You can dry pretty much any type of fruit that you want, but different fruits will take different amounts of time. Here is a great basic guide that will give you an idea of what to expect depending on what you’re drying.

What kinds of dried fruit can you make in your oven? So many. Here are 7 different ones you can make right now:

1. Apples

Doused in some cinnamon, don’t baked apple chips sounds like the best seasonal treat ever? Yes, yes they do, and they’re easy to make. The chips take a little less time than drying apples out, so is perfect for when you’re short on time.

2. Pears

Pears are something that you can buy up a lot of at the fall farmers market, and then dry big batches for use later in the winter when fresh fruit is but a distant memory.

3.  Cherries

If you have some cherries left over from summer, drying them is a great way to preserve them, and turns them into a great condiment for winter oatmeal and beyond.

4. Lemons and oranges

Dried citrus fruit can be a nice addition to a warm cup of tea, and also perfect for garnishing seasonal baked goods and desserts.

5. Plums

Let’s be real for a second: “dried plums” is just a fancy way of saying “prunes.” For some reason prunes have a bad reputation, but they can be used in cakes and breads, eaten on their own, or even thrown into a salad. And if prunes aren’t your thing, what about a plum fruit leather?

6. Persimmons

This bright orange fruit always confused people. “What do I do with this?” you ask yourself as you pick it up. Well now you know: you slice them, dry them and enjoy in everything from yogurt to trail mixes.

7. Cranberries

Dried cranberries are a popular ingredient in everything from cookies to salads, but you don’t have to buy them at the store. Round up a batch of fresh red berries, add some honey, and make your own sweet dried cranberries.

Related on EcoSalon

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Image: storrebukkebruse, Benjamin Esha

The post All Kinds of Dried Fruit You Can Make in Your Oven (No Dehydrator Needed!) appeared first on EcoSalon.

Concerned about how your sourdough starter will fare when you’re on vacation? Drop it off at the sourdough starter hotel.

Sweden is known for baking culture. If you’re not baking your own bread, then you know a good bakery to get it from. The bread is usually dense – none of that fluffy, baguette stuff – and hearty. The stuff good quality, no-nonsense Scandinavian meals are made of.

So maybe it’s no surprise that in Stockholm, there’s a place to store your sourdough starter when you go on vacation. Yes, for a mere 200 Swedish kronor (about $30) a week the Urban Deli bakery on Södermalm will take your sourdough starter and give it all the love it needs while you’re off galavanting on vacation.

Åsa Johansson at Urban Deli told The Local about how the idea started as a nursery for sourdoughs. “Then we took it further and came up with the hotel idea. It was just for fun really, we didn’t think it was going to get this big,” she said.

As owners of sourdough starter know, having one requires some maintenance. To keep it active it needs regular additions of flour and water, and while a dried one can be brought back to life, the thought of letting a living sourdough starter die out is unthinkable to some. Plus, your travels may have you dreaming of baking, and this way, you get get a new crusty loaf started the second you return home.

The amazing thing about sourdough starters is that if you take good care of them, they can last a lifetime. And then some. In fact, the Urban Deli has a sourdough starter collection that it runs in collaboration with Josefin Vargö, a student at the University College of Arts and Crafts and Design, who came up with the idea for her masters project. A “living archive” so to say. They have one that comes from America and dates back 130 years.

According to the Living Archive website, “Anyone with a sourdough starter can take part and join the network. It investigates how to use existing platforms of knowledge to create new social relationships. The project is under constant development as new forms of information and contacts are established.”

Sounds like it’s time to pack our bags and take our sourdough starters to Sweden. Or if a plane ticket is too much, just send in your sourdough starter by post:

Josefin Vargö
Brännkyrkagatan 13b
118 20 Stockholm

Bon voyage little sourdough starter.

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Image: Bev Sykes

The post There’s a Hotel for Your Sourdough Starter… in Sweden appeared first on EcoSalon.

Quintessential Sweden: Abba, pickled herring, meatballs… cinnamon rolls.

Sweden is equated with many things, but there is nothing as iconic as the cinnamon roll. In Swedish culinary culture, every cup of coffee deserves to be served with a baked good. This tradition is called fika and at its core is the cinnamon roll.

I don’t mean the cream cheese frosting topped, so-sweet-it-makes-you-cringe version that is served in the U.S., I mean the classic Swedish pastry, with a hint of cardamom and just sugary enough. In a country where cinnamon rolls are a staple in every cafe and bakery, and every respectable Swede has made their own batch at least once in their lives, it should come as no surprise that Sweden is in fact the cinnamon roll’s presumed country of origin.

The beauty of the Swedish cinnamon roll is in its versatility. Depending on your mood, you can switch out a few key ingredients for a completely different taste. Cardamom infused filling instead of the standard cinnamon and sugar mix for example.

October 4 marks Kanelbullens Dag (Cinnamon Roll Day) – an entire day devoted the the baked good. Since you probably don’t have the chance to sit in a warm Stockholm cafe on a crisp autumn day and order a kanelbulle from the counter, here are a few versions you can make yourself. Just be sure to serve with coffee.

Kanelbullar – Swedish Cinnamon Rolls

Makes about 30-40 buns

Dough ingredients:

• 2 1/8 cup (500 ml) milk
• 25g fresh yeast (or 2 envelopes dry active yeast)
• 2/3 cup (150 ml) brown sugar
• 5 7/8 cups (1400 ml) flour
• 2 teaspoons whole cardamom seeds
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 5 ¼ oz (150 g ) butter (at room temperature)

Alternative 1: cinnamon filling

• 4 ½ oz (about 125 g) butter (at room temperature)
• 1/3 cup (75 ml) regular sugar
• 2 ½ teaspoon cinnamon

Alternative 2: cardamom filling

• 4 ½ oz (about 125 g) butter (at room temperature)
• 1/3 cup (75 ml) brown sugar
• 4 teaspoons whole cardamoms
• (optional: 1 teaspoon cinnamon)

Topping

• One small egg (whipped together)
• Pearl sugar or sliced almonds

Prepare the dough: Crumble the yeast (if using dry yeast prepare it as required) in a big bowl. Heat milk until it is warm to the touch, about 100ºF (about 110ºF for dry yeast). Add the milk to the yeast and stir until yeast has dissolved.

Crush the cardamoms in a mortar and pestle.

Mix together flour, sugar, cardamom and salt before adding it to the milk and yeast mixture. Add in the butter in small cubes. Blend well, either by hand or by using a food processor. Knead it well for about 5-10 minutes.

Cover the dough and place in a draft free place and let it rise for at least 40 minutes.

Filling: Mix all ingredients for the filling to an even batter. It is important for the butter to be at room temperature so it’s easier to spread. 

Divide the dough into two pieces and using a rolling pin (or a wine bottle), roll each of them out separately to the shape of a rectangle (see diagram above).

Spread half of the filling onto each piece of rolled out dough so that it covers the entire area. Roll the dough up beginning with the long side. Slice the roll into about 20 equal sized (about 1 inch wide) slices and place them with their cut side up on baking sheet. Repeat above procedure with the last piece of dough.

Let them rise for about 30 minutes.

Note: You can also fold the dough as shown below which is more common when making the bun with cardamom filling.

In a small bowl, whisk the egg and brush all buns and sprinkle pearl sugar or sliced almonds on top.

Bake them in the oven at 225ºC (about 440F) for 8-10 minutes.

This dough recipe was adapted from Mia Örn’s recipe on Kardemummabullar.

The post Baking and Celebrating Swedish Cinnamon Rolls (On Cinnamon Roll Day!) appeared first on EcoSalon.

 

Helpful tips to make life in the kitchen easier and food taste better. 

Mother knows best! When it comes to the kitchen, this idiom couldn’t hold more true. But it’s not only your female superiors who have so graciously passed on their secrets – with the rise of celebrity chefs and the number of Food Network productions, the general public is increasingly more educated on ways to become the master of mealtime making.

Sometimes however, it’s the information that gets lost between the lines that matters most, so we’ve assembled 60 of the most important kitchen tidbits that have stood the test of time and experience. This guide is packed with essential culinary pointers that will not only help you cook better meals but also navigate the kitchen with even greater ease and effectiveness.

Keep your onions in the refrigerator. A chilled onion is easier to chop, and causes fewer tears.

If you switch out seltzer for tap water or milk, you’ll end up with fluffier pancakes, waffles and scrambled eggs.

Want to boost the antioxidant power of your green tea? Add some lemon to it.

If your bananas are black, spotty and on the verge of turning from ripe to rotten, put them in the freezer so you can keep them on hand for a batch of banana bread on a rainy afternoon.

Put a dash of cinnamon or cardamom in your coffee for an extra spice boost.

Wow your guests when it’s time for dessert by adding cinnamon to your whipped cream.

Make your own vanilla sugar by placing a whole vanilla bean in a small jar and filling it with sugar. Screw on the lid and store until you need sugar with just a little extra flavor.

Not sure if your eggs are still good or not? Test their freshness by dissolving 2 teaspoons of salt in a cup of cold water. Place your egg in the water and if it floats it is an old egg, if it sinks, it’s fresh.

If you’re freezing summer’s bounty, spread berries out over a baking pan. Place pan in freezer until the berries are well frozen, then transfer to freezer bags. This keeps the berries individually frozen instead of in one big mass.

Not sure if spaghetti is fully cooked? Pull a noodle out of a pot of simmering water, let the water drip from it for a few seconds, and then chuck it against the nearest kitchen wall. If it adheres to the wall, it’s al dente!

Always keep dough covered with a moist cloth to avoid a dry crust from forming on it.

Never refrigerate tomatoes and citrus fruits. Refrigeration kills their flavors, nutrients, and textures.

Knock on a watermelon to check for signs of hollowness. It is sounds hollow, its ripe. If it doesn’t sound hollow, it’s unripe.

Pour oil into a pan that has already been preheated. This will prevent sticking later on.

Only add vegetables to a saucepan if they begin to sizzle upon impact. To check if the oil is hot enough to add vegetables, flick a few drops of water into the pan – if the oil makes a sizzling sound, it’s ready.

Oil biochemically changes for the worse when cooked. Enjoy extra-virgin oils in their raw state and benefit in both taste and nutrition.

Want to dehydrate without splurging on an expensive dehydrator? Set your oven on its lowest temperature setting and keep the door slightly ajar.

Squeeze lemon juice over half-eaten fruits and prevent them from rotting or turning brown.

Pour some vinegar over defrosting meat to accelerate the thawing process as well as tenderize the meat.

To keep cookies fresh, toss a piece of bread in the cookie jar. The cookies will extract moisture from the bread and retain their softness.

Keep milk fresher for longer by adding a dash of salt into the carton right after opening it for the first time.

Soak almonds in hot water for 20 minutes to make removing their skins easy.

Place dough in the freezer for a few minutes to prevent it from sticking to the rolling pin.

To smoothen the icing on a cake, use a knife dipped in hot water and gently rub it over the top and the sides.

Cut a cheesecake with a wet knife to ensure that the filling doesn’t stick to the knife’s edges and ruin presentation.

To get the most digestive benefit from bananas, wait until they’re browned and spotted – the more spots, the better.

Under-ripe or just ripe bananas can lead to constipation. Overripe bananas have developed their sugars and induce the complete opposite effect.

Ice-creams set faster and better in aluminum containers.

A pinch of soda in your icing will keep it moist and prevent it from cracking on the cake.

Is the salt in your shaker clumping? Put a few grains of rice into the shaker to absorb excess moisture.

Added just a pinch too many of salt to your soup? A raw potato added to the soup white cooking absorbs the extra sodium. Toss a chunk in the pot and let it linger in there until the soup is appealing to your tastes.

Adding a little bit of baking soda to dish water will help to remove pungent odors from utensils and dishes.

The key to smooth dressings, sauces, and gravy is to put all ingredients into a tightly sealed jar and then shake until all lumps and inconsistencies disappear.

Rub hands with dry salt to remove onion and garlic odor.

Add a tablespoon of butter or olive oil to a pot of boiling pasta to stop the water from boiling over the edge of the pan.

Dip fish into scalding water for a minute to scale more easily.

Another way to spread icing more easily on a cake is to sprinkle the top with flour as soon as the cake is removed from the oven.

To make rice as white and fluffy as possible, add approximately 1 teaspoon of lemon juice or vinegar per quart of water while cooking.

If you want to eliminate eggs, try this easy egg replacement: mix one tablespoon ground flaxseeds with three tablespoons warm water. Let sit for a few minutes and substitute for one egg in baking recipes.

Avoid storing onions near potatoes. Doing so will cause the potatoes to spoil sooner.

Forget to bring butter to room temperature for a recipe that calls for it? For a quick fix, fill a glass with hot tap water and let it sit for a few seconds. Empty the water and place the glass upside down over the amount of butter required for the recipe. Wait one minute and the butter should be ready to use!

Don’t have a rolling pin? Use an empty bottle.

In a recipe with both salt and some sort of acid, such as citrus, vinegar, or wine, you can offset one of the flavors by adding more of the other. For example, in a dish with too much vinegar, add salt to balance it out. Likewise, in an over-salted dish, add more vinegar.

Dust raisins, berries, or chocolate chips with flour to prevent them from sinking in while baking in a cake.

Always add sea salt to vegetables before roasting. The salt brings out the juices from the vegetables and gives them a caramelized flavor and deliciously browned appearance.

To prevent egg shells from cracking, add a pinch of salt to the water before hard-boiling.

Place a slice of apple in hardened brown sugar to soften it back up.

When boiling corn on the cob, add a pinch of sugar to the mix to help bring out the corn’s natural sweetness.

Can’t stomach an entire avocado? Mash the remaining flesh and smooth it onto your skin for an impromptu, but highly effective, face and body mask. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes and then wash clean.

To prevent potatoes from budding, place them in a bag with apples.

Brush beaten egg white over pie crust before baking to end up with a deliciously glossy finish.

Store spices in a cool, dark place that is not above the stove. Humidity, light, and heat will cause herbs and spices to lose their flavor.

Boil pasta 1 minute less than the package instructions and cook it the rest of the way in the pan with sauce.

For rich, creamy dressings made healthy, substitute half the mayo with Greek-style yogurt.

For best results when you’re baking, leave butter and eggs at room temperature overnight.

To easily peel a mango, cut a small part of the end off and you will be able to easily stand it up while you peel it.

Don’t like watered down iced coffee? Freeze coffee in an ice cube tray, and use those instead of regular ice cubes.

Put berries on a toothpick or skewer and freeze them for colorful and tasteful additions to spruce up a glass of champagne or sparkling water.

For a milder garlic flavor in dishes, roast garlic in the oven and then freeze the cloves until you are ready to use. Perfect for adding to sauces, mixing with olive oil for a spread and more.

Store bunches of basil in a glass of water so it keeps longer.

Instead of lemon, add cucumber or apple slices to your water.

Image: Sassy Lassies Vintage Life, Aylin Erman

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