Cheaper, Better, Faster by Mary Hunt Page B

the water to use as fertilizer for your houseplants.
    Freezing—fish with high fat content
    Fish with a relatively high fat content, like salmon and trout, freeze best. Thaw, without unwrapping, at room temperature in a bowl of cold water or in the refrigerator. Before you freeze a fish, it should be cleaned, gutted, rinsed, and dried.
    Freezing—ground meat
    Freeze 1 pound of ground meat in a 1-gallon resealable plastic freezer bag. Flatten the meat inside the bag and you’ll have a package that takes up very little space when you stand it on end in your freezer. When you want to use the meat, simply whack the package on the side of your counter to break it up; it will thaw very quickly once broken into pieces.
    Freezing—heavy cream
    Heavy cream can be frozen if you intend to use it for cooking, but it won’t whip once it has thawed.
    Freezing —herbs
    Place fresh herbs in tightly sealed plastic bags and freeze. Their color will fade slightly, but their flavor will remain true. Another method is to mince the herbs, place them into ice cube trays, and add water to freeze them in cubes.
    Freezing—lemon juice
    If you have an overabundance of lemons, you can squeeze the juice into ice cube trays,freeze, and then keep cubes in a plastic bag for future use.
    Freezing—liquids
    Allow at least ½ inch of space for expansion when freezing liquids.
    Freezing —onions
    To freeze onions, chop them and then spread the pieces out in one layer on a cookie sheet. Immediately place the cookie sheet in the freezer. When the onions are frozen, transfer them to a resealable plastic bag or container and seal.
    Freezing—snack foods
    Keep marshmallows, potato chips, pretzels, and crackers in the freezer. They are best if frozen in their original unopened containers.
    Freezing—soups
    Freeze soup or casseroles in a loaf pan. When they are hard, remove, wrap, label, and return them to the freezer. You’ll have use of your pan again immediately, and the product will easily stack in the freezer.
    Freezing—soups not to freeze
    Don’t freeze soups containing milk, cream, or coconut milk, which can separate or curdle.
    Freezing—vegetables
    Blanch vegetables before freezing. They contain enzymes that, if the action is not stopped, will cause vegetables to become coarse and flavorless. To blanch, drop fresh vegetables into boiling water, followed by a complete immersion into ice water. Work with small batches. Blanching time depends on the type of vegetable. For example, boiling time for green beans is 2 ½ minutes while asparagus should boil for 3 minutes. Find a handy blanching times chart at http://www.ochef.com/617.htm .
    Freezing—whipped cream in dollops
    Whipped cream can be frozen in dollops on a flat sheet. Once the dollops are hard, store them in resealable plastic freezer bags.
    Freezing—whipped cream in milk carton
    Fill a milk carton with whipped cream and freeze. When you need some, cut the required amount off the top with a carving knife, carton and all. Recap the carton with plastic wrap or aluminum foil, secure with tape or a rubber band, and return to the freezer.
    Fresher—asparagus
    Asparagus will stay fresher longer if you set the spears upright in a container in the refrigerator with the cut ends sitting in an inch of water.
    Fresher—bananas, plastic bag
    If you store bananas in a closed plastic bag, they will keep at least 2 weeks on your counter.
    Fresher—bananas, tree
    A banana tree is a great invention that prevents bananas from bruising so they will last longer. Purchase a big cup hook and screw it into the underside of an upper cabinet. Your bananas can hang properly and be up and out of the way.
    Fresher—berries
    Berries keep for several days in the refrigerator if stored unwashed in a colander or in their original container with airflow. Wash right before eating.
    Fresher—cookie dough
    Most cookie dough can be refrigerated for