- Biscuits on tissue
Keep crisp biscuits crisp by crumpling plain tissue paper (the kind used as gift-wrap) and placing it in the bottom of the biscuit jar. It will help to absorb any moisture that may seep in.
- The birthday cake’s in the bag
If you want to bake a sponge cake for a special occasion down the road — like your daughter’s 21st birthday or your parents’ golden wedding anniversary party — you can actually bake it several months ahead of time and freeze it. The trick is to triple-wrap the layers. Here’s how:
1. After taking three layer-cake tins out of the oven, let the layers cool completely.
2. Wrap each layer separately in plastic wrap and then in aluminium foil, making each package as airtight as possible.
3. Place all three layers into a large freezer bag and seal it, squeezing out the air as you do.
When the day of the party arrives, defrost the layers before removing the plastic wrap. Then assemble the cake and ice it, secure in the knowledge that your creation will taste as fresh as if it were baked yesterday.
- Instant cake dome
If you don’t have a fancy cake plate with a glass dome, you can keep your cake fresh and the icing intact by covering it with a large bowl turned upside down.
- Well-bread cake
Once you cut into a scrumptious three-layer cake, the exposed part of what’s left goes stale quickly. Here’s a way to keep it moist for longer. Place a slice of bread over the cut surface of the cake and hold it in place with a couple of toothpicks. As the bread dries out, the cake will stay moist and taste better for longer.
- A trick for keeping pies fresh
Perhaps you’ve eaten two slices of a luscious peach pie and start to wrap the remainder with plastic wrap. Stop. If you cover the pie first with an upside down paper plate or aluminium foil pie plate and then wrap it in plastic, you’ll give the pie a little more breathing room and it will stay fresh for a week or more.
- Storing a meringue-topped pie
When storing the remains of a meringue pie in the fridge, how do you cover it without ruining the meringue? Rub a large piece of plastic wrap with a little butter, making sure that it is greased completely. Fit it over the pie plate, butter side down. The next time you want a slice of pie, the wrap will peel off without sticking.
- A crisp bread freshener
To keep sliced bread fresh for longer, just place a small, fresh stalk of celery in the bag with the bread. Celery has high water content but stays dry on the outside, so what better moisturizer could you use?
- An apple every two days
The moisture from an apple will keep soft biscuits or cookies soft. Just place the biscuits in an airtight tin and put an apple slice (skin side down) on top before closing it. Replace the apple slice every two days to keep the treats inside at their very best.
Credit : Reader’s Digest
Picture Credit : Google