Ingredients
1 whole chicken
Black Pepper and salt to taste
Method
1. Place chicken on a flat surface breast side down, legs facing away from you.
2. With kitchen shears or a very sharp knife, cut out the neck bone all the way to the butt by cutting down one side of the neck bone and then repeat on the other side.
3. Turn chicken over and press flat, season and grill or bake as desired.
Baking is quite an interesting and rewarding hobby and very enjoyable too.
Sumptuous pizzas, tasty cherry cakes, moist, chewy, huge spicy fruit buns, chocolate brownies, crunchy biscuits, irresistible chocolate fudge cakes so wonderful to imagine, arent they? But to tell you the truth they aren't all that difficult to make too if you follow directions, mix the ingredients in the right proportions and if your oven is in perfect order.
Equipment List
Baking is a process by which articles of food are cooked entirely in the oven. So the first and foremost thing that you need is an oven. Other things that you will require are baking trays, large roomy mixing bowls, wooden spoons for mixing, a rolling pin, sieves, cutters, scales, nylon piping bags with nozzles, whisks, measuring jugs, palette knives, etc. etc.
Ingredients
Some ingredients are common to all recipes. These are flour, baking powder, butter or margarine or oil, sugar and eggs. Self-raising flour is at times used instead of plain flour (maida) because it has just the right balance of raising agents for quite a number of cakes. And, yeast is often made use of instead of baking powder especially when baking bread or pizzas. If it is a chocolate cake that you are baking, you will also need cocoa powder.
Preparation
The first thing is to get hold of some great tried and tested recipes. Seek help from your friends or consult some good book. Weigh all the ingredients first and then mix them as directed. When the dough is ready, place it in the baking tray but first grease it with some oil or butter or line it with greaseproof paper. Now put it in the oven at the temperature specified.
Once it is ready, you might decorate it with fruit or jam or cream or icing sugar or top it with some delectable chocolate sauce which you can prepare according to the instructions given in the recipe.
Useful Tips
1- Never open the oven door until the cake is at least three-quarters cooked according to the time given as this lets in cold air and might spoil your cake.
2- Always give your flour a good airing by sifting it two or three times.
3- Eggs to be used should be at room temperature and not too cold.
4- Dont keep yeast longer than two months before using.
5- Insert a skewer in the center of the cake, if it comes out clean the cake is cooked.
Enjoy!
Home made goodies taste good and cost less than those bought from the bakery. They can also be symbols of friendship and love for if someone takes the time to bake something for you then that means he or she cares about you. So surprise others with your baking talent and get the praise which is your due!
Although you may not realize it, simple table salt has a great number of uses other than simply seasoning your food. The following list discuss uses/benefits of salt, many of which you probably didn't realize:
1. Soak stained hankies in salt water before washing.
2. Sprinkle salt on your shelves to keep ants away.
3. Soak fish in salt water before descaling; the scales will come off easier.
4. Put a few grains of rice in your salt shaker for easier pouring.
5. Add salt to green salads to prevent wilting..
6. Test the freshness of eggs in a cup of salt water; fresh eggs sink; bad ones float.
7. Add a little salt to your boiling water when cooking eggs; a cracked egg will stay in its shell this way.
8. A tiny pinch of salt with egg whites makes them beat up fluffier.
9. Soak wrinkled apples in a mildly salted water solution to perk them up.
10. Rub salt on your pancake griddle and your flapjacks won't stick.
11. Soak toothbrushes in salt water before you first use them; they will last longer.
12. Use salt to clean your discolored coffee pot.
13. Mix salt with turpentine to whiten you bathtub and toilet bowl.
14. Soak your nuts in salt brine overnight and they will crack out of their shells whole. Just tap the end of the shell with a hammer to break it open easily.
15. Boil clothespins in salt water before using them and they will last longer.
16. Clean brass, copper and pewter with paste made of salt and vinegar, thickened with flour
17. Add a little salt to the water your cut flowers will stand in for a longer life.
18. Pour a mound of salt on an ink spot on your carpet; let the salt soak up the stain.
19. Clean your iron by rubbing some salt on the damp cloth on the ironing surface.
20. Adding a little salt to the water when cooking foods in a double boiler will make the food cook faster.
21. Use a mixture of salt and lemon juice to clean piano keys.
22. To fill plaster holes in your walls, use equal parts of salt and starch, with just enough water to make a stiff putty.
23. Rinse a sore eye with a little salt water.
24. Mildly salted water makes an effective mouthwash. Use it hot for a sore throat gargle.
25. Dry salt sprinkled on your toothbrush makes a good tooth polisher.
26. Use salt for killing weeds in your lawn.
27. Eliminate excess suds with a sprinkle of salt.
28. A dash of salt in warm milk makes a more relaxing beverage.
29. Before using new glasses, soak them in warm salty water for awhile.
30. A dash of salt enhances the taste of tea. ?
31. Salt improves the taste of cooking apples.
32. Soak your clothes line in salt water to prevent your clothes from freezing to the line; likewise, use salt in your final rinse to prevent the clothes from freezing.
33. Rub any wicker furniture you may have with salt water to prevent yellowing.
34. Freshen sponges by soaking them in salt water.
35. Add raw potatoes to stews and soups that are too salty.
36. Soak enamel pans in salt water overnight and boil salt water in them next day to remove burned-on stains.
37. Clean your greens in salt water for easier removal of dirt.
38. Gelatin sets more quickly when a dash of salt is added.
39. Fruits put in mildly salted water after peeling will not discolor.
40. Fabric colors hold fast in salty water wash..
41. Milk stays fresh longer when a little salt is added.
42. Use equal parts of salt and soda for brushing your teeth.
43. Sprinkle salt in your oven before scrubbing clean.
44. Soaked discolored glass in a salt and vinegar solution to remove stains..
45. Clean greasy pans with a paper towel and salt.
46. Salty water boils faster when cooking eggs.
47. Add a pinch of salt to whipping cream to make it whip more quickly.
48. Sprinkle salt in milk-scorched pans to remove odor.
49. A dash of salt improves the taste of coffee..
50. Boil mismatched hose in salty water and they will come out matched.
51. Salt and soda will sweeten the odor of your refrigerator.
53. Remove offensive odors from stove with salt and cinnamon.
54. A pinch of salt improves the flavor of cocoa.
56. Salt and lemon juice? Removes mildew.
57. Sprinkle salt between sidewalk bricks where you don't want grass growing.
58. Polish your old kerosene lamp with salt for a better look.
It is a good idea to freeze samosas; it comes out very handy for snacking or parties. The trick is to half fry the samosas before freezing them. Only fry them until samosa’s shell becomes lightly gold. Wait until samosas are at room temperature, and then bag them in zip lock bags. When you are ready to eat, fry on medium heat. Samosas will stay good for 1 to 2 months.
In order to extend the shelf life of green vegetables like cucumbers, squashes, zucchini and green beans, wash and dry the vegetables and wrap them in paper towel or put them in paper bags before refrigerating.
Gulab jamuns are often hard because the dough is not soft enough and are cooked on too high heat. Gulab jamuns should be cooked on low heat. Gulab jamuns will tend to break because of too much baking soda added to the recipe.
In my opinion there are two reasons
1. Rotis become hard is because after each individual roti is made, they should be covered immediately so the steam keeps the rotis soft. Many people wait until all rotis are made and then cover them.
2. Rotis may become hard is because the dough is not completely kneaded and pliable.
Its better not to wash cilantro until you are ready to use it. Before refrigerating, chop off the heavy steams and remove the leaves that are going bad. Pat dry the cilantro. Wrap the cilantro in the paper towel and store it in a paper bag. I like using brown paper lunch bags.
I have been able to store cilantro for almost 1 to 2 week.
If the yogurt has become sour, put it in a muslin cloth and drain all the water. Then add milk to make it as good as fresh in taste.
Peel off potato`s skin[after boiling]] and wipe it on the mirror.It will be clean and glazing.
To remove stain of carrot juice rub the surface with a cotton cloth dipped in vegetable oil.
Most of my breads are made with all-purpose flour. Bread flour can also be used instead of all-purpose flour in most recipes. Most bread recipes call for shaping bread into a loaf and baking in a loaf pan. However, bread can be shaped into any shape and baked in almost any pan, just adjust your baking time as needed.
Bread rises best in a moist, warm enviorment. For a perfect place to raise bread, place bread in a microwave oven or regular oven with a pan of steaming water. Do not turn oven on, but close the door.
When yeast is dissolved in warm water, the water temperature should be 105 degrees F to 115 degrees F. This is usually very warm tap water. If a thermometer isn't available, run hot water over your wrist. It should feel very warm, but not uncomfortably hot.
Even though you don't need it when making bread, a little sugar can bring out flavour, just as salt can. For added moisture, try honey, maple syrup or regular or dark un-sulphured molasses.
Do not increase or decrease the amount of salt. Salt helps strengthen gluten, which gives bread texture. Too much salt, however, can affect how well the yeast works.
There are two kinds of measuring cups. One for dry ingredients which has a round top. And one for liquid ingredients which has a lip for pouring. Be sure to use the correct cup when preparing a recipe or the measurement will be wrong.
If you are browning meat or anything else in oil and it sticks to the pan when you try to turn it. Take the pan off the burner and allow it to sit for a minute or two. The moisture in the food will loosen it from the pan and you can then turn it easily. Unless it is burnt to a crisp, this will work every time.
If your eyes start to water when cutting onions, try submerging the onions in water while chopping.
To prevent rice from sticking, add a few drops of lemon juice to the rice while cooking, you will find that the grains of rice will tend to remain separate.
To neutralize burnt food odors in the house, mix half cup of whole cloves with 2 cups water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer cloves for 15-30 minutes. The house smells wonderful and the burnt odor is gone.
Potatoes can be divided into two general categories, mealy and waxy. Brown-skinned russets are the mealy type while white, red and new potatoes are waxy. Mealy potatoes cook up light and fluffy and are good for baking, mashing and frying. Waxy potatoes hold their shape during cooking, when sliced, diced and boiled whole.
