Dear Reena: What is the best way to keep fried foods crispy for a long time?
— Maddie
Dear Maddie: After frying foods, place them on a cooling rack. This method prevents food from resting on a surface and becoming soggy because the oil has a chance to drip out, and as air circulates under the food, it remains crisp. If your goal is to transport fried food, cool the food on a rack. Place in brown paper bags and reheat on a baking sheet lined with a wire rack before serving.
Extra tip: This method also works for homemade waffles, to prevent them from becoming soggy.
Dear Reena: We recently renovated our kitchen and installed a wall oven and a stovetop. The stovetop is really good, but the cleaning of it is awful. I have used the cream and scratch-less scrubby that came with it, a blade and a knife that came with another cream — in fact, I’ve tried four different creams for stovetops, a vinegar and water mixture, and on and on. It is a lot of work to keep that stovetop clean and shiny, but I always have a film (though the vinegar helps with that) and everything shows on it. If you don’t clean spills and splatters immediately, they seem to bake on and are even more work. I’ve tried cleaning it when hot (which is dangerous) and when cold — no real difference.
I have talked to some of my friends and they are all having the same problem with all different models and makes of stovetops and stoves. Do you have any ideas? In one of your recent articles, there was a woman who was using oven cleaner. That is too toxic for me. Surely there is something available and some way to make this an easier task.
— Sandra
Dear Sandra: I too have spoken with many people (including my mother) who agree that smooth-top stoves are a lot of work to clean. You are doing everything right and you are using the most popular cleaning methods for smooth-top stoves. You also made a very wise comment when you said that immediate cleaning action results in less work later on. The only other solution to try: sprinkle baking soda onto the room-temperature stove. Next, lay a tea towel soaked in dish soap and water over the mess. Let it sit for 10 minutes, then scrub with an abrasive but scratch-resistant pad. If you use a plain old smooth dish cloth, the food is too difficult to remove. Scrub the food and baking soda off and rinse with water.
Dear Reena, I can’t seem to solve the problem of gravies and sauces separating after being frozen. I have tried cornstarch as the thickener instead of flour with no luck. Any suggestions?
— Marrick
Dear Marrick: Gravy may be frozen for several months. To prevent "skin" from forming on the top, lay a piece of wax paper or plastic wrap directly on the surface of the gravy before covering the container. If you know you will be freezing gravy, try to use as little fat and milk as possible so that it does not separate when thawed. You can reduce the chances of separation greatly if you run the gravy through a blender or food processor before freezing.
Friendly Manitoba Feedback:
● Dear Reena: I saw your recipe for meatloaf in the newspaper and thought I would tell you my suggestions. I use about a half-kilogram lean ground beef in a bowl with crackers, two eggs, salt and pepper, four to five tablespoons of puréed Willie’s Chili Sauce and a dash or two of Montreal steak spice. Mix and layer in a loaf pan with mozzarella cheese slices between layers; on top, I put a thick layer of puréed chili sauce. My family loves this.
— Sam
Note: Every user assumes all risks of injury or damage resulting from the implementation of any suggestions in this column. Test all products on an inconspicuous area first.
Have a great suggestion or tip? Please send an email at: reena.ca. Reena Nerbas is a popular motivational presenter for large and small groups; check out her website: reena.ca.
