Freezer How To

Dear Home-Ec 101, I’m completely lost when it comes to freezing food. I know this is a great way to have meals on hand, but once it’s in the freezer I don’t know what to do with it. Just last night I made too much enchilada filling. So I made an extra pan, covered it in foil …

Read more

How to Cut Up a Whole Chicken, a Knife Skills Tutorial

Heather says:

Why would anyone want to cut up a whole chicken? It’s a useful skill to have, I tend to buy whatever is on sale and if whole chickens are on sale that week, then I load up. By buying a whole chicken, I have not restricted myself to one form of cooking or another. Additionally some people in this house are white meat fans, while others prefer the dark and good luck finding chicken breasts at a reasonable price on their own.

If you purchase whole chickens, come home and cut them up, they can be frozen in pieces. However, do not thaw the chicken, cut it up, and refreeze. That’s a big no on the safety meter.

As some readers of Home Ec 101 are vegetarian and others read their feeds first thing in the morning, I’m putting a cut, just so no one is surprised with pictures of raw chicken. You’re welcome.

Also, give my stepdaughter a big round of applause, she was a trooper and helped me take the pictures for this tutorial. It’s not every teen who’s willing to hang out with their stepmother over a chicken carcass, you know.

Read more

How to Dice a Tomato

Heather says: Today we’re continuing with our knife skills series with how to dice a tomato. Since I don’t have a photographer or an extra set of hands at my disposal -the latter would totally ruin my frequent “I only have two hands, wait a minute” excuse- the reader should know that during the actual …

Read more

How to Roast Potatoes

Heather says: Roast potatoes are a simple side dish. This recipe comes together quickly and can easily be made while the main dish is cooked. In our home we use two different methods to roast potatoes.  Don’t forget that roast potatoes can serve as the basis for other one dish meals like homemade breakfast skillets. Depending …

Read more

How to Slice an Onion, a Step-by-Step Photo Tutorial

Heather says: Knife skills are important for every cook and this step-by-step photo tutorial illustrates how to slice an onion. With a little practice slicing onions becomes a quick chore and eliminates the temptation of the expensive pre-sliced onions in the produce department. Yay for self-sufficiency. The right tools help. For this chore I prefer a …

Read more

How to Cook a Bread and Butter Beef Roast

Dear Home-Ec 101 I have a couple of bread and butter roasts from our beef side, and I can’t figure out the best cooking methods for them. Actually, I’ve never heard of them. Can you help? Signed, Beefuddled The bread and butter roast is a cut of beef from the chuck region of the cow. …

Read more

How to Roast a Turkey

Heather says: I won’t lie. My hands down favorite way to cook turkey is to head outside and plop that bad boy into peanut oil. However, that’s not an option for many of you. Since turkey is running at $0.69 lbs and my 6 year old has a hollow leg, I call that a bargain …

Read more