Beat eggs, then freeze
Dear Heloise: I had a lot of extra eggs, so I decided to freeze some. I just broke them into tiny containers and froze. But when I thawed them, the yolks were congealed. Why does this happen? Would they have been OK if I had beaten them before freezing? — B. in Ark.
Yes, they would have. Beating the eggs (the yolk and the white) together will keep them from congealing when freezing them. You want to mix them up just until blended (meaning don’t overbeat) and freeze ASAP.
If you are only freezing yolks, mix in 1/8 teaspoon salt or 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar, and it will keep the yolk from congealing.
You can freeze eggs for up to a year. When ready to use, thaw overnight in the refrigerator, or hold under running cold water. — Heloise
OVEN LINER
Dear Heloise: During my many, many years of baking (at home), I’ve, at times, wondered where is the proper place to put an “oven protector aluminum sheet”? Is it under the coil, or on the bottom rack? I understand the practice is not recommended by the manufacturer, but I’m just asking. — Edgar, sent via email
Edgar, good question, and you are astute about the manufacturers saying not to use an oven liner. Oven liners should be put on the bottom oven rack, NOT on the floor of the oven. Anything placed on the floor, especially aluminum foil, has the potential of melting and sticking to the bottom. wWhen I’m baking something that may bubble over, I put it on a cookie sheet lined with foil. Any mess, and I scrunch up the foil and into the trash it goes. — Heloise
CAKE TESTER
Dear Heloise: I make cakes in a fluted cake pan. A lot of toothpicks just are not big enough to test to see if they are done. So, I use bamboo skewers, which are perfect. — Missy G. in Mobile, Ala.
Missy, we must be thinking alike. I’ve been doing some baking, testing a hint. Here’s my take: You don’t have to use a toothpick. I tested using a table knife, bamboo skewer, wooden chopstick and a dinner fork. They all worked! — Heloise
TRACKING CARBS
Dear Heloise: I frequently use single-serving, pre-packaged puddings and fruits. The nutrition information is included on the cardboard sleeve of the multipack item, but the individual containers are not marked.
I use a marker and write the number of grams of carbs on each container as I stack them in the cabinet. I can tell how many carbs I am getting, and the containers store better in the pantry. — Pat from North Carolina
BURGER PATTIES
Dear Heloise: I make my own hamburger patties. I purchased a set of biscuit cutters, and the biggest one made the perfect-size burger. You can make them as thick or thin as you like. I did this on a plate, and the cleanup was minimal. — Debby B., sent via email