Best Cooking Tip - Ever

I wish I had know this tip years ago. It solves a long-term cooking problem I've had that becomes even worse each Easter. The problem is how to peel an egg without tearing it to shreds? The answer? Stay tuned.

You see, I've tried numerous "tricks." Older eggs peel better than very fresh eggs, so I would buy eggs a couple of weeks in advance of when I would need them to ensure some "aging." But even this doesn't guarantee a smooth peel.

Salting the cooking water is another recommendation. But I never had any luck with that tip.

Running the eggs under water while you peel them brings moderate success if you can break the thin membrane under the shell and get water under it. Still, not a foolproof method.

So what is the answer? A pinch of baking soda in the cooking water.

Adding just a pinch of baking soda to the water as you cook the eggs makes the boiled eggs peel easily. I and others I know have tried this several times now and it works like a charm. No more ragged eggs. They peel smoothly and perfectly.

Oh, if I had only known sooner...

Don't Cry Over Broken Cookies

Do you dread taking cookies off the cookie sheet because you know you will fight to keep them from breaking? There is a simple solution to this problem -- Patience.

To make taking cookies off the cookie sheet trouble-free, just wait 2 minutes after removing them from the oven before taking them off the cookie sheet. This allows the cookies to "set" sufficiently to be removed in one piece. I set a timer for two minutes, so I don't forgt them. The two minute rule is good because if you leave the cookies on the sheet too long, they will stick and you will have trouble getting them off the baking sheet.

Other cookie tips:

1. Use an "air-bake" pan. You will have to increase the
cooking time about 2 minutes, but you will never have burned cookie bottoms trying to get the tops browned.

2. Use a cookie scoop for even, round cookies.

3. Crisper cookies - use butter for shortening. Softer cookies use Crisco or a mix of butter and shortening. Increase flour for softer cookies.