kitchen

I hate using brushes for basting on the grill. Cleanup is a mess and the brushes invariably end up with singed bristles. For a quick and easy substitute, try a handful of shredded corn husks, tied in a bundle with another piece of husk. A couple of nice large romaine lettuce leaves work pretty well, too.

We love fresh mozzarella sliced in salads, but it tends to shred rather than slice. Try using an egg slicer to make quick, uniform rounds.

I learned this from Chef Carol Dearth of the Sizzleworks Cooking School, when she was in our studio making Wasabi Mashed Potatoes for our Northwest Favorites show in May 2009.

A knife just doesn't cut it with those rounds of soft goat cheese. Try a length of dental floss (the plain, Teflon-y kind is best). Arrange it under the log of goat cheese, cross the ends over the top in an "x" and pull, making a neat slice.

We unearthed this mystery utensil during a recent KCTS kitchen cleanout, and don’t have the faintest idea what it is. Any guesses? On the neck it says "Regd 911032 Made in England."

The UFO is about 7 inches long, wood-grain plastic handle.

Can anybody help?

When using canned whole tomatoes for sauce or soup, they break down more easily if they're chopped a bit before they go into the pan. Transfer the contents of the can to a bowl and use a pastry blender to break them up, or cut them right in the can with a pair of kitchen shears.

I got this one from America's Test Kitchen. Grill brushes are best at removing food stuck on the grill grate, but they can wear out quickly. In a pinch, create a makeshift "brush" by using a crumpled wad of aluminum foil held in a pair of long tongs to scrape off a hot grill grate. More »

This tip came in handy when I was chopping fennel and cumin seeds and they went flying everywhere (must get a mortar and pestle!). Place your measured seeds in a pile on a cutting board and pour just enough water or oil over them to moisten. The seeds will stay put when chopped with a sharp knife.

When pounding chicken breasts between sheets of plastic or wax paper, things can get out of control. Using a thin flexible cutting mat instead makes a real difference—greater stability and easier to get an even thickness.

Everyone knows that cutting up onions releases a pungent chemical that makes you cry. I was reading an online tip from America's Test Kitchen that says they found just two ways to stop the tears: create a physical barrier by wearing goggles or light a candle near your chopping block.