Potatoes
Mashed old potatoes will be tasty and fluffy if you add whipped egg whites to it.
It is better to dilute the puree with hot milk - cold milk turns it gray.
Boiled potatoes in their jackets can be pierced with a fork in several places - they will not crack.
Boiled potatoes will taste better if you add 2-3 cloves of garlic, a bay leaf or a little dill to the water.
In highly salted water, jacket potatoes do not fall apart, and this has virtually no effect on their taste.
Potatoes for salad should be boiled in water with a small amount of vinegar - in this case they will not darken.
New potatoes can be easily peeled if they are briefly placed first in hot water and then in cold water.
Before cooking, peeled potatoes must be kept in cold water without cutting them, but not for very long, so that they do not darken.
Before frying, sliced potatoes should be rinsed well with water and lightly dried with a napkin or towel, so then the potato slices will not stick together.
Other Vegetables
Cucumbers can be kept fresh for quite a long time if you keep them submerged three-quarters of the way into water, tails down. Change the water daily.
To prevent mold from growing in a jar of pickles, you need to place a bag of mustard in it.
It is better to cook vegetables for salad (except beets and carrots) in salted water. It is better to undercook them than to overcook them. To make boiled vegetables easier to clean, you need to rinse them with cold water immediately after cooking.
To get rid of insects in cauliflower, you need to immerse it in salted and acidified water for 0.5 hours.
To prevent cauliflower from turning yellow during cooking, you need to add a slice of lemon or a little citric acid to the water.
If, when stewing sauerkraut or boiling cabbage soup, add 1-2 tablespoons of apple juice or dried fruit compote to the pan, the unpleasant smell of sauerkraut will disappear.
A pinch of sugar added to vegetables during the cooking process improves their taste.
A few drops of freshly squeezed lemon juice add freshness and juiciness to frozen vegetables and fruits.
The most juicy and aromatic carrots are those with long roots.
If you scald red cabbage with boiling water, it will become softer.
If white cabbage has a bitter taste (unripe), it should be immersed in boiling water for 2-3 minutes.
To remove excess bitterness from onions, after cutting they need to be placed in cold water for a while.
The cut half of an onion will not lose its taste if it is greased with margarine on the cut.
The opened onion will remain fresh if you place it cut side down on a plate sprinkled with salt.
It is enough to rub the salad bowl with garlic so that the whole dish acquires a pleasant garlic smell.
To remove worms and insects from green salad, after washing it should be immersed in salt water for 15-20 minutes and then rinsed.
If washed greens are wrapped tightly in foil and placed in the freezer, they will remain fresh for 2-3 months. Moreover, unlike dried or salted, it will not change its smell and taste at all.
Wilted greens can be refreshed by placing them in cold water slightly acidified with vinegar for an hour.
Parsley and celery need to be cut, not chopped - when chopped, they lose juice, aroma, and taste.
Greens and vegetables will retain their color if you add a pinch of baking soda to the water in which they are boiled.
Fruit
Apples peeled and cut for salad will not darken if you put them in lightly salted water for a few minutes.
To prevent baked apples from cracking, they need to be pricked in several places and a little water poured into the frying pan.
Sour apples cannot be kept in the oven for a long time - they turn into puree.
Lemons can be well preserved in a jar with a layer of salt at the bottom.
Nuts
Old walnuts can be restored to freshness by immersing them whole with skins in lightly salted water for 5-6 days.
Nuts can be easily shelled if you keep them in a hot oven for a few minutes.
Mustard
The taste of mustard will improve significantly if you add a little honey to it.
Mustard diluted with milk lasts longer and does not dry out.
Leftover dried mustard can be revived by adding a pinch of salt and a spoonful of vinegar.