Kitchen Tips

When cutting apples into slices or chunks, sprinkle them with lemon juice or lemonlime soda to keep them from turning brown. They can also be soaked in apple juice to keep them from turning brown. Apples can be peeled before or after they are sliced but it is easier to peel them before slicing.
To ripen bananas quickly, place an apple with the bananas in a brown paper bag for approximately two days. Ripe bananas can be saved for baking purposes by mashing, placing them in a plastic bag, and freezing until you are ready to use them. You can also place the whole banana in a bag and freeze it in its skin.
When selecting, choose carrots that are firm and not oversized. They should be bright orange to deep orange in color. Avoid any that have soft spots or other blemishes. When storing carrots, remove the tops because they will draw water from the carrots and cause them to wilt. If carrots wilt, cut one end off and stand them up in a glass of cold water to crisp them up again. Peeled carrots are sweeter because they have the slightly bitter tasting skins removed.
When selecting, choose cauliflower heads that are firm and compact. They should have green leaves surrounding the head. Avoid heads that seem loose or have yellowing leaves. Also avoid cauliflower heads that have florets that are starting to brown or have other blemishes. Once the florets are cut off the cauliflower, the stems can be chopped into pieces and then added to a fresh salad to provide a crunchy texture.
When selecting, choose garlic that is plump and firm with paperlike skins that are tight and intact. Avoid any that are soft or that have begun to shrivel. Place garlic cloves in the microwave for 15 seconds and the skins should peel off easily. Keep peeled and mince garlic fresh by placing it in a small jar and pouring just enough olive oil over it to cover the garlic and then place it in the refrigerator. It will keep its fresh flavor for about a week.
Don't throw out sprouting garlic. Instead, plant the cloves fairly close together in a pot or in the garden (if your climate is suitable at the time). The new shoots that appear will have a mild garlic flavor and can be used in the same manner as regular chives.