Mason-Dixon Recipes

Helpful Kitchen Hints

Cakes
To make any box cake taste like it was from a bakery, follow directions, but do the following: add 1 more egg (or 2 for an even richer taste), replace oil with melted butter and double the amount, and replace water with an equal amount of milk.

Pies
The secret to a flaky pie crust is to add the water a little at a time. Add about 1 tbsp at first, and then 1 tablespoon at a time.

Almost all pies freeze well. The only ones that don't are custard, cream, or meringue pies. If you plan on freezing a pie, brush the inside of the pie crust with egg whites beforehand to prevent soggy crusts.

Two-crust pies (apple, cherry, etc.) and deep dish pies taste better if they are not baked until just before serving time. This requires preparing and then freezing them first. Prepare pie up until the point of baking and then slip them into a freezer wrapping, seal with tape and freeze. Just before its time to serve, remove from freezer and freezer wrapping, bake in preheated oven at 425ºF without thawing for 40 to 60 minutes.

Vegetables
Lettuce and celery last longer if you store them in paper bags.

If you cut off the root end of an onion last, you’ll have less tears. Or, place them in a deep freeze 4-5 minutes beforehand.

All vegetables last longer in the refrigerator (lettuce, onions, cabbage, etc) if you leave the root on.

Salt
Salt has many uses around the house besides just as a flavoring.

Freshening sponges—soak in salt water.
Clearing a stopped drain—put equal parts of salt and soda in drain. Let stand for an hour, then pour in boiling water.
Keeping oven pans from scorching—sprinkle salt on bottom of pan.
Cleaning vases—put salt and vinegar in vase. Let stand, shake, and then rinse.
Cleaning vegetables—wash in saltwater to remove dirt and pesticides.
Removing pecan meats—soak nuts in salt water a few hours before cracking them.

Baking Soda, Baking Powder, and Self-Rising Flour Explained
Flour is a basic ingredient in baking. But flour alone does not make the food rise. That requires a leavening agent—most commonly yeast or baking soda. Baking soda is sodium bicarbonate. When baking soda is combined with moisture and an acidic ingredient, the resulting chemical reaction produces bubbles of carbon dioxide that expand under oven temperatures, causing baked goods to expand or rise. This is the leavening process.

If the recipe includes an acidic ingredient—buttermilk, lemon juice, for example—then baking soda can be used on its own. If there are no acidic ingredients, then one must be supplied or the food will come out flat. That's where baking powder comes in. Baking powder combines baking soda with an acidic agent such as cream of tartar, a drying agent such as a starch, and some salt. Its mixed with the flour in your recipe, but the problem can be one of unevenness. If the baking powder is not mixed throughly, then one part of the baked good may rise and another may not.

To take out the guesswork, along came self-rising flour. Invented in England in the 1800s as a way for sailors to create better baked goods while on board, it's kind of a cheat product, but ensures perfect baked goods every time. In 1849, it was patented in the United States, which eventually led to the creation of mass-market baking mixes like Jiffy, Bisquick, and those Betty Crocker cake mixes that we all know and love.

But self-rising flour is not the be all, end all. Don't substitute self-rising flour in your recipes without paying close attention to the rest of the recipe. As a general rule, you probably don't want to use self-rising flour if there is another leavening agent called for the in the recipe, such as yeast or baking soda.

Cleanup
If you spill cooking oil on the floor, immediately pour salt over the spill. In a matter of minutes, you'll be able to sweep away the salt and oil with no stain. Works well for eggs too.

For normal cleanup, mix 1 tbsp borax, 1 tbsp baking soda, and 1/2 gal warm water together for a nice kitchen cleanser.

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