Kitchen Tips

1.To check the freshness of eggs, dissolve 30ml (2 tablespoons of salt in about 1 pint of water. Place the eggs in the water. If the egg sinks then it is fresh, if it floats then it is stale.2. Store eggs in a carton in the refrigerator to prevent them from losing moisture, and also being tainted by nearby strong flavoured food.3. Store eggs in the refrigerator, as they age far slower than out of the fridge.4. Always store eggs with the pointed end down. This keeps the yolk in the centre and helps to keep the egg fresh.5. Eggs should be brought to room temperature before use.6. To prevent eggshells from cracking, add a pinch of salt to the water before boiling.7 .If eggshells crack during boiling add a little vinegar to the water. This will set the white8. To prevent black rings from forming around the yolks of hard boiled eggs, drain them as soon as they are cooked. Crack the shells and run under cold water to cool quickly.9. To make soured cream: add one 5ml spoon of lemon juice to 150ml ( ¼ pint) of single cream, stir well and then leave to thicken.10 .If you want to heat cream in a recipe, use double cream as it does not separate as easy as single cream or soured cream. Or you can use creme fraiche as a substitute.