Kitchen Timesavers

All home cooks have a few tricks up their sleeves. No, we can't suddenly make dinner appear on the table with the wave of a wooden spoon, but we can rely on a few simple ideas to make our time in the kitchen easier and more productive. Here are a few quick tips and techniques I've discovered that are real timesavers:

• Whenever you are measuring a sticky liquid like honey or molasses, coat your measuring spoon or measuring cup with a light coat of nonstick cooking spray. You'll get a more accurate measurement every time, since the sticky liquid won't be able to cling to the cooking utensil.
• To remove the core from a head of iceberg lettuce, bang the head, core end down, on a cutting board. The core will easily pop out from the head of lettuce.
• Often you'll find yourself frustrated with a stubborn jar lid that won't budge no matter how hard you try to turn it. Try wrapping the lid with a thick rubber band to give yourself a better grip.
• Here's a tasty discovery I made one day while trying to whip cream. Rather than producing a fluffy cloud of whipped cream, I ended up making a batch of butter. Since I really didn't want to throw it out, I poured off the remaining liquid left from the heavy cream, folded in some chopped strawberries and honey, placed the mixture into a container and put in the refrigerator. I thought that the mixture probably wasn't going to be any good, but the next morning I tried it on a muffin and it was the best-tasting flavored butter.

What are some of your favorite kitchen tips and techniques? Let readers know by e-mailing them to me at recipes@suite101.com. Please include your name, address and telephone number (this number is for verification purposes only and will not be published). We're looking for your submission, so send one today!