There are some special tricks in cooking that we may not have heard about. If you have some of your own cooking trivia, please share them in comments.

Trivia 1:  Fresh ginger can be frozen.  I place mine in a jar in the freezer.  When I am ready to use, there is no need to thaw.  Just scrap off the skin and grate the quantity of ginger needed.

Trivia 2:  Fresh garlic cloves can be frozen with the peeling.  When ready to use peel and chop while frozen.

Trivia 3:  Do you buy tubes of herbs.  After opening, store the herb tubes in the freezer.  When ready to use, allow to sit out for 3 to 4 minutes.  After using put back into the freezer.

Trivia 4:  It is hard to buy avocados that are perfect for use.  If the avocado is not ripe and you need to use it now, put it in a bowl of flour to speed up the ripening.  If the avocado is ripe and you are not ready to use it, put it in the refrigerator to slow down the ripening process.

Trivia 5:  If parsley with washed with hot water instead of cold it retains its flavor and is easier to chop.

Trivia 6:  Dry mustard mixed with water in an open dish placed in the refrigerator overnight removes odors.

Trivia 7:  When it is damp and salt won’t come out of the shaker, add a teaspoon of corn starch and mix well.

Trivia 8:  Add finely grated cheese to your soup to improve the taste and to thicken.

Trivia 9:  To remove the core from lettuce, sharply hit the core on the counter top, and then twist the core out.  This prevents the lettuce from turning brown.

Trivia 10:  Why risk the chemicals of plastics.  Store your vegetables and foods in glass jars in the refrigerator or freezer.

Trivia 11:  Egg shells can easily be removed from hard boiled eggs if immediately rinsed in cold water after removing from the heat.

Trivia 12:  Use full strength vanilla on fresh burns or scalds to avoid blisters and to ease the pain.

Trivia 13:  When making pasta and a sauce, save the pasta water adding ¼ cup to thicken the sauce.  The remaining pasta water can be frozen in ice trays to use at a later time in soups or sauces.

Trivia 14:  Add 1 cup of water to the bottom of the broiler pan before putting into the oven.  The water will absorb the smoke and grease.

Trivia 15:  When browning meat be sure to pat the meat perfectly dry and add to very hot oil.  Mixing in a teaspoon of butter is also helpful.

Trivia 16:  When pan frying or sautéing, always heat your pan before adding your oil or butter.  This will prevent sticking.

Trivia 17:  After flouring or breading your chicken or fish, chill for 1 hour.  The coating adheres better during the frying process.

Trivia 18:  When broiling meats on a rack, place a slice of bread in the bottom of the broiler plan to soak up the dripping fat.  This eliminates the smoking fat and reduces the chances of the fat catching on fire.

Trivia 19:  Sprinkle a little bit of salt into the frying pan to prevent spattering.

Trivia 20:  Don’t stick a fork into your steak or chop while frying or grilling, because it lets the juices out.

Trivia 21:  Thawing frozen fish in milk draws out the frozen taste and produces a fresh-caught flavor.

Trivia 22:  Make clams and oysters easier to open by rinsing in cold water, and placing in a plastic bag into the freezer for an hour.

Trivia 23:  If celery is no longer crisp, place it in a pan of cold water with a slice of raw potato.  Let stand for a few hours.  The celery will be crisp when removed from the water.

Trivia 24:  When cooking vegetables that give off unpleasant odors, simmer a small pan of vinegar on the stove top.  This will be an excellent room freshener.