IDEAS FOR “NOT SO ORDINARY” CHICKEN SCHNITZEL

Wikkie Tap: Maizena and Tuc biscuits or Cream crackers instead of crumbs. Break biscuits into crumbs and mix with maizena, dip in egg then crumb mixture and fry.

Heather Botes: I have used a mixture of mayonnaise and mustard instead of egg. The breadcrumbs stick to this even better than egg and the chicken has an extra bit of flavour. You can try Mayo and curry powder too for something different.

HOW TO KEEP A CUT APPLE FROM TURNING BROWN
When you cut open an apple, an enzyme (tyrosinase) in the flesh reacts with oxygen to turn polyphenols into melanin (the same pigment that makes you tan). Here’s how to halt the process so your apples stay bright and white.
Choose apples that are less prone to being sour. A study found that Arangeh tend to brown the least. Granny Smith and Golden Smoty apples also showed minimal browning. Golden Delicious apples were in the middle, and Red Delicious apples browned the most.
[1] Cut the apple underwater. This keeps the enzyme from making contact with oxygen. Keep the cut apple in the water until ready to serve.
[2] Coat the exposed flesh in acid. By bringing the pH below 2, the enzyme that makes the apple flesh turn brown is deactivated.
[3] Here are some acids you can use:
Ascorbic acid, better known as vitamin C. Look for it in the canning section or pharmacy as powder. Apply directly or dissolved in water (1/2 tsp. per 2 1/2 cups of water[4]).
Lemon or lime juice. It’s not as effective as ascorbic acid, but it’ll do in a pinch, and they’re more readily available. The juice can be diluted up to
3:1. Lemon juice will have a less obvious taste than lime juice.
Use Ginger ale. Soak in ginger ale for 10 min and then eat or you can put them in a bag for a picnic.
Blanch the apples.
This will denature the enzyme. Let the apple sit in boiling water for one or two minutes, then rinse with cold water. They can then be eaten, frozen, or used for apple pie.
Cover exposed apple flesh tightly in plastic wrap. This will work best if you have half an apple (as opposed to several pieces). Try to avoid having creases in the plastic wrap on the exposed side. This technique keeps the air away from the apple flesh to prevent the apple flesh from oxidizing.
Soak apple pieces in a slightly salty water solution for a few seconds. Remove and enjoy white apple pieces for a considerable time. Works well if you’re adding apples to a fruit salad.
Another thing to do is to pour a tablespoon of lemon juice over the apple slice and you can either put it into the refrigerator or you can keep it at room temperature.
Cut down a bit of stomach fat every day by never eating these 5 foods.
Tips
These techniques will also work for potatoes. It’s the same underlying mechanism.
If you use lemon juice and then rinse it off with water, it still works reasonably well and also nearly eliminates the lemony taste.
Also, the sharper the knife you use, the better.
Sprinkling apple slices with ground cinnamon (no sugar needed) adds a nice taste and helps to “disguise” any browning.
If you coat the apple with an acid, the flavor can be affected, and picky eaters might notice. Try sprinkling apples with Jello powder or Kool-aid powder. Jello adds sweetness.
None of these techniques last indefinitely, but all are useful to keep the apples from turning brown for a few hours, for instance, if you wanted to include them on a cheese or fruit tray.
You can also use pineapple juice and it’s less noticeable than lemon or lime.
If you let the apple sit in a carbonated beverage, like Sprite, the carbon dioxide will activate the enzyme and cause the apple to brown faster than if you just allow it to sit in fresh water.
Also don’t use a metal bladed knife. Just like lettuce, break it apart instead of cutting it with a metal knife
If you eat the apple sliced with the skin on, you can cut the apple and keep the pieces together with a rubberband and it will prevent browning.

AS ROOMKAAS VERSIERSEL NIE WIL STYF WORD NIE

Ek gebruik nooit die laevet roomkaas nie en gebruik botter.
Die laevet goed is reg vir toebroodjie maar as dit by bak kom gebruik volvet produkte.
Maak n bietjie gelatien aan en gooi dit by. Dit werk.
Maak net seker dis heeltemal afgekoel voor jy dit inmeng

Wenk: Hettie Bezuidenhout

Soos Hettie se, gebruik BOTTER, nie margarien, en glad nie laevet roomkaas nie, ook net die blokkie (Philadelphia as jy kan). Klits botter en versiersuiker tot baie glad (en klits dan nog). As jy heeltemal happy is, klits dan jou (room temp) kaas by tot net gemeng. Ek glo aan red ‘n resep wat flop as jy kan, maar die is een van daai wat jy nie kan nie.

Wenk: Kiti De Jager

Stephanie Oberholzer
Ek gooi altyd n bietjie suurlemoenjelliepoeier by as my maaskaasversiersel nie wil stol nie. ……Skuimpies het ek geleer wil uitdroog, nie bak nie. Ek voer bakplaat ook uit met foelie. Dowwe kant na bo.

OM EIERWITTE STYF TE KLOP

Vries die eierwitte haal uit ontdooi halfpad en klits styf.

Wenk: Malinda Marjee Walker

WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO BOIL AN EGG
Article: Anna Stockwell
Two of our food editors face off on whether it’s better to boil eggs starting in hot water or cold water.

Almost every cook has their own version of how to get the perfect boiled egg. Honestly, if you have a method that works for you, that you know you can rely on to get consistent results every time, feel free to stick with it. Reliability is the most important factor of an egg boiling technique.

But to solve the disagreement between Kat and myself, I did a series of side-by-side tests of cold start vs. hot start for soft, medium, and hard boiled eggs.

Putting it to the test
To boil eggs with a cold start, I took eggs straight out of the fridge, set them in a pot of cold water, brought them to a boil, and then turned them down to the lowest possible setting on the stove. I pulled them out at varying times for soft, medium, and hard boiled (see chart below).

To boil eggs with a hot start, I brought a pot of water to a boil, lowered cold eggs straight from the fridge into the boiling water, and immediately turned it down to a simmer. I pulled them out at varying times, for soft, medium, and hard boiled.

In both cases, I put the eggs straight into an ice bath after cooking, cracked them up a bit by tapping them against each other or the edge of the bowl, and let them sit for at least one minute before peeling.

The hot start wins
In each stage of doneness, I found that the eggs which started in boiling water were easier to peel. Above all else, this, for me, was the deal breaker. Boiled eggs that are hard to peel are the worst. The ice bath and the cracking of the shell to let a bit of water sneak in around the egg are key parts of the process our food director Rhoda can peel a whole dozen eggs in 104 sec using this technique.

How long you simmer your eggs after placing them in boiling water all depends on how soft or hard you want them. Me, I like a yolk that’s quite runny, while Rhoda likes hers just barely set but still soft and glossy, and Kat likes hers even firmer, with just a bit of golden goo.

Once you know the time for your personal perfect style of boiled eggs, you can get the same result using any size pot in any kitchen with any number of eggs in it, as long as you bring water to a boil, lower cold eggs straight into the water, turn it down to a simmer, and start a timer as soon as your eggs are in the hot water.

Know your times
The good news is the hot start method works however you like your eggs. Refer to the table below and experiment to find your favourite.

4 minutes: eat-it-with-a-spoon-out-of-the-shell soft
5 minutes: firm white, runny yolk (my favourite)
6 minutes: nice and gooey yolk, starting to set (Rhoda’s favourite)
8 minutes: fully set yolk, but still sort of gooey and golden
10 minutes: firmer pale yolk, a bit soft in the middle (Kat’s favourite)
12 minutes: almost completely hard-boiled yolk, with a touch of golden goo still in the middle
14 minutes: completely hard-boiled crumbly dry pale yolk

Don’t forget to shock the eggs in ice water after your desired time, and you’re good to go!

THERMO FAN OVEN
Thermo fan baking is done with the oven trays in position on top of the wire shelves. Unused trays must be kept in position to facilitate proper airflow.
• For small items the entire area of each tray may be utilised. Larger items should be placed towards the front of each tray.
• All ovens extract a certain amount of moisture from the food being cooked. The much greater capacity of the Thermofan oven allows more food to be cooked and thus more moisture may be released. This is normal and not detrimental to the food or the oven.
• For professional results and perfect browning, open the oven door when half the baking time has lapsed. Then turn the baking tins around so that the sides previously facing the back of the oven now face the front.
Caution: Thermofan baking relies on good contact between the bottom of the cake tin and the oven tray.
Do not use spring form baking tins with araised bottom. The lack of contact will cause the bottom of the cake to be underdone. These tins may be used on a wire shelf where no insulating airspace is created.
Thermofan cooking differs from conventional cooking in that it uses the principle of forced convection within the oven.
The advantages are:
1. Both trays can be used at the same time.
2. Different dishes can be cooked simultaneously without flavour or aroma transfer.Hence fish, meat and cakes can be baked at the same time.
3. The oven door may be opened any time for inspection purposes without risking a flop.
4. By circulating hot air around the food, spit-roast chickens may be done without using a rotisserie. Cooking is done at slightly lower temperatures (10°C TO 20°C lower), saving electricity.

Amanda Conradie: Ek sê ook dat jy die twee oond bakplate in posisie MOET hou vir die regulasie van die lug in die oond.

THE SECRET TO STIFF WHIPPED CREAM
Secret #1
Whip the cream in a metal bowl – no plastic, no porcelain – just metal works right!
Secret #2
About 15 minutes before you plan on whipping the ream, place your metal bowl in the freezer!
Secret #3
When starting to whip the cream (with your electric hand mixer), just go on medium speed for about 30 seconds! After that go to full speed.
Secret #4
Get your “magic powder” ready before you start! It’s simply 1tbl cornstarch and 1tbl powdered sugar.
Adding that to your cream while whipping will make it stiff faster and keeping the stiffness longer!
Add after you went to high speed whipping!
Variations:
If you want your cream to be stiff enough for even icing the sides of a cake and staying on after the cake is out of the fridge, simply mix in some of your favorite pudding powder (of course fat and sugar free). Caution! The cream will get stiff in seconds, so don’t overmix or you won’t have a chance to spread it anymore!
So with that being said, nothing can go wrong anymore! From now on you will have the stiffest cream in no time!
Source and photo: Hungry Little Girl.

KEER GESNYDE APPEL OM BRUIN TE WORD

Janieta Nell Sny die appel in skyfies, en “bind dan weer vas” met ‘n rekkie om. Die appel verkleur nie.

Rina Kleinhans Spoel die appel af onder die water nadat dit gesny is en bind dit weer vas soos Janieta Nell se of sit in ‘n lugdigte sakkie ek vat die zip lock sakkies en druk dan al die lug uit. Dit is die metaal van die mes wat die appel verkleur en dit help om dit af te spoel is my ondervinding.

Michelle Joubert So paar druppels suurlemoensap in die sakkie! Skud, en viola!! Kan lekker in die kosblik gebere word sonder om bruin te word

Carlien Grobler Dip die gesnyde appel in Mountain Dew koeldrank vir paar sekondes….

HOE OM SLEGTE REUK UIT JOU OOND TE KRY
Jo-Anne Smit:
Suurlemoen sap, halwe uie en vanilje gesel het my vrieskas gered. Wel seker net 1 ek het ales daar in gegooi
Rita Killian:
Sit suurlrmoen sap on bak kookwater en kook met toe deur tot al die water op gelos is
Pauline Olivier:
Suurlemoensap, vanilla essense en water in bak water en bak vir ruk en laat afkoel oornag.
Lisinda Blaauw:
Mix into a paste Bicarbonate of soda and some water. Apply paste to the inside of your oven and leave over night. Spray some vinegar on the next day and remove from oven with a damp cloth. The bicarb neutralizes the smell and with the vinegar makes and excellent oven cleaner 
Annelise Anna Brits:
Maak ‘n groot bottel vanila essence oop en los dit in oond….koeksoda en sodawater….
Tina Kriek:
Weet of dit vir stoof werk nie – maar swembad chloor het die vrot reuk uit my vrieskas gehaal. was ook op vakansie toe vrieskas afgaan – reuk was baie erg.
Gerda Spies:
Sny pineappel en sit net so in oond. Vir n paar dae trek reuk uit
Kelly-Rose Horowitz:
Vanilla essence in a bowl normally works
Cindy Slabbert:
Vanilla essence weet ek werk gewoonlik vir slegte reuke
Petré Van Jaarsveld:
Ek was eenkeer vir n week weg van die huis af … het padkos by die huis gemaak en n hoender in die mikrogolf oond vergeet …. dit was regtig nie baie aangenaam nie … al wat gehelp het was koeksoda en asyn … het daarna suurlemoensap gekook en toe met vanieljegeursel skoongemaak .. reuk was weg …
Elizabeth Margaret Hendrikz:
Was met koeksoda wat soos n pasta aangemaak is…spoel met asyn… spuit dan oond met vanilla essence terwyl hy baie warm is. Hou aan spuit tot dit lekker ruik. Die hitte sal bakterieë verwyder wat slegte reuk veroorsaak
Pauline Olivier:
Laat weet ons wat gewerk het asb. Ek glo in die suurlemoensap, water en vanilla essense. Hoor graag van jou.
Koos van der Merwe:
Ek het verlede week n ou stoof wat nie meer gebruik was uitmekaar gemaak om te kyk of ek dit kan reg kry. Ek dink nie die vorige eienaars het ooit skoon gemaak nie. Ek na nie vertel hoe dit gelyk het daai taai ou vet en die reuk. Ek het dit iewers gelees en toe probeer. Koeksoda en bruin asyn gemeng en op gespuit en na n uur met warm water begin af vee. Dit werk en vat die reuk uit. Waar jy kan gooi die droe koeksoda en spuit dan die asyn op. Jy sien hoe kook alles skoon.
Koos van der Merwe:
Die asyn op toast in n koel sak wat n reuk gekry het en die volgende dag was die reuk weg
Abie Le Roux:
Kry by apteek botteltjie FORMALIEN. Was oond uit met koeksoda. Gooi bietjie formalien in piering en los fit in toe oond vir 2 dae. Pasop formalien baie skerp reuk. Moet NIE daaraan ruik nie. Ons het die ook gebruik vir yskas toe krag af was. Werk soos n bom

HOE OM AVOKADO’s RYP TE KRY

Aankoop, berging en rypmaak van avokadopere:

Kies avokadopere met dowwe skille. Peervormige avokadopere moet baie vleis rondom die nekgedeelte hê en swaar in massa wees vir hul grootte wanneer jy dit in jou hand weeg.

Moenie aan avokadopere druk om te voel of hulle ryp is nie – koop liewer gereed- om- te- eet avokado’s of plaas die avokado in jou handpalm en rol dit effens heen en weer. Druk liggies met die palm van jou hand teen die avokado, dit behoort effens mee te gee (afhangende van die soort avokado).

Die avokado moet nie sag of pap voel nie. Om die rypmaak van avokado’s te bespoedig kan dit saam met ‘n ryp appel of piesang in koerant- of handoekpapier toegedraai word en in ‘n donker kas gesit word. Die vrugte stel etileengas vry wat die rypword van die vrug bespoedig.

Ryp avokado’s of avokado’s waarvan die rypmaakproses vertraag moet word, kan in die groentelaai van die yskas geberg word by ‘n temperatuur van nie laer as 5 C. nie.

Indien die temperatuur wel laer is, moet die avokado’s beskerm word met handoekpapier of iets dergliks – te lae temperatuur veroorsaak dat die skil van die avokado’s swart word. (Hierdie swart-word-proses is nie dieselfde as wanneer die meer ovaalvormige avokado ryp word en van donkergroen na pers-swart verander nie.)

Om oksidasie of verkleuring van ‘n avokado te voorkom, kan ‘n halwe oorblywende avokado in die yskas gebêre word deur die pit weer terug te plaas in die vrug, die vlees te seël met suurlemoensap en dan toe te draai met kleefplastiek.

‘n Halwe avokado kan ook “afgespoel” word onder ‘n lopende koue kraan en dan onderstebo geplaas word op ‘n bord in die yskas – die vrug behoort vir ten minste nog een dag groen te bly. Kookwater kan ook oor ‘n ongeskilde ryp avokado gegooi word en vir ‘n minuut gelaat word. Dompel dit in koue water – die avo behoort nou maklik af te skil en sal sy kleur vir ten minste ses uur behou.
Bron: afrikaanseforum