Author Topic: Food revival tip-- wow!  (Read 4869 times)

Poundwise

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Food revival tip-- wow!
« on: November 14, 2017, 04:39:06 PM »
I didn't know this was possible!

https://www.bonappetit.com/test-kitchen/cooking-tips/article/how-to-revive-stale-bread

Any more tips for fixing lost food?
« Last Edit: November 14, 2017, 04:41:18 PM by Poundwise »

ElleFiji

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Re: Food revival tip-- wow!
« Reply #1 on: November 14, 2017, 04:45:56 PM »
1 - go to a thrift store and open an old home ec textbook
2 - find the section about reviving food
3 - post all the advice in nicely photographed online articles
4 - post tips here.


This kind of advice used to be very common in basic cookbooks and home ec textbooks! I bet that if you found one of those you'd see lots of great advice. It's also a good way to learn to cook

Frankies Girl

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Re: Food revival tip-- wow!
« Reply #2 on: November 14, 2017, 04:48:06 PM »
Cold water can revive wilted veggies. I cut sad looking celery or lettuce up, throw it into a colander and put some cold water in the sink and soak it for a few minutes, then shake off and usually it's good to go.

I save stale bread for making bread pudding, dressing and croutons, and garlic bread.

AnnaGrowsAMustache

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Re: Food revival tip-- wow!
« Reply #3 on: November 14, 2017, 05:14:01 PM »
If you've baked something a little too long and it's dry, put it in the freezer overnight. It'll be much moister when it defrosts.

Poundwise

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Re: Food revival tip-- wow!
« Reply #4 on: November 14, 2017, 05:33:43 PM »
I save stale bread for making bread pudding, dressing and croutons, and garlic bread.

Me too, which is why I had some old baguette ends lying around. But I just tried the trick of running them under a faucet and popping them in the oven for ten minutes. It worked!

Thanks for the other tips, too.

Laura33

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Re: Food revival tip-- wow!
« Reply #5 on: November 14, 2017, 06:51:08 PM »
Cold water can revive wilted veggies. I cut sad looking celery or lettuce up, throw it into a colander and put some cold water in the sink and soak it for a few minutes, then shake off and usually it's good to go.

Completely true!  I even did an experiment proving it in junior high.  ;-). As a matter of fact, I have a couple of previously soft potatoes sliced and reviving in water in the fridge right now for dinner tomorrow night.

My favorite way to “revive” stale bread is to cut it like an inch thick, soak it overnight in an egg/milk mixture with a little vanilla and sugar and just a dash of salt, and then cook it very slowly on a griddle in butter.  :-)

A/k/a French toast, of course.  But this version puffs up like a personal bread pudding, except you get to call it breakfast instead of dessert.  So, you know, win-win.

Another Reader

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Re: Food revival tip-- wow!
« Reply #6 on: November 14, 2017, 06:58:28 PM »
Cold water can revive wilted veggies. I cut sad looking celery or lettuce up, throw it into a colander and put some cold water in the sink and soak it for a few minutes, then shake off and usually it's good to go.

Completely true!  I even did an experiment proving it in junior high.  ;-). As a matter of fact, I have a couple of previously soft potatoes sliced and reviving in water in the fridge right now for dinner tomorrow night.

My favorite way to “revive” stale bread is to cut it like an inch thick, soak it overnight in an egg/milk mixture with a little vanilla and sugar and just a dash of salt, and then cook it very slowly on a griddle in butter.  :-)

A/k/a French toast, of course.  But this version puffs up like a personal bread pudding, except you get to call it breakfast instead of dessert.  So, you know, win-win.

Recipe, please?

seattlecyclone

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Re: Food revival tip-- wow!
« Reply #7 on: November 14, 2017, 08:08:11 PM »
Cold water can revive wilted veggies. I cut sad looking celery or lettuce up, throw it into a colander and put some cold water in the sink and soak it for a few minutes, then shake off and usually it's good to go.

Completely true!  I even did an experiment proving it in junior high.  ;-). As a matter of fact, I have a couple of previously soft potatoes sliced and reviving in water in the fridge right now for dinner tomorrow night.

My favorite way to “revive” stale bread is to cut it like an inch thick, soak it overnight in an egg/milk mixture with a little vanilla and sugar and just a dash of salt, and then cook it very slowly on a griddle in butter.  :-)

A/k/a French toast, of course.  But this version puffs up like a personal bread pudding, except you get to call it breakfast instead of dessert.  So, you know, win-win.

I remember learning about the reason for this in high school biology class. One thing different about plants vs. animals is that plants have semi-rigid cell walls. When the cells are full of water the walls keep the cells and the plant pretty rigid, but when they start to dry out a bit they get softer. Soaking in water for a bit can help "pump up" the cells a bit and make the vegetable harder again.

Frankies Girl

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Re: Food revival tip-- wow!
« Reply #8 on: November 14, 2017, 08:35:52 PM »
I just remembered one that isn't technically a revival, but a how to tell if your eggs are still good long past the carton date (and they stay good for some time actually):

a measuring glass or bowl made of actual glass or clear plastic (you need to be able to see through it)

fill with water enough so when you place the egg into it, it can float without touching the bottom

gently place egg in water

If it lays on its side at the bottom: fresh
If it stays on the bottom, but with the top tipped up: still good, but not fresh
If it floats (no touching bottom at all): toss it out - it's gone off/bad

I've used eggs weeks past their sell by date safely using this technique. It has to do with the air pocket inbetween the shell and membrane inside the egg, and the fact that as the eggs age, the air pocket gets larger.

Plugging Along

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Re: Food revival tip-- wow!
« Reply #9 on: November 14, 2017, 09:25:03 PM »
If the bread is a little stale you can also put a damp warm cloth over it and microwave for 15-20seconds.

HipGnosis

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Re: Food revival tip-- wow!
« Reply #10 on: November 15, 2017, 10:18:53 AM »
I just remembered one that isn't technically a revival, but a how to tell if your eggs are still good long past the carton date (and they stay good for some time actually):

a measuring glass or bowl made of actual glass or clear plastic (you need to be able to see through it)

fill with water enough so when you place the egg into it, it can float without touching the bottom

gently place egg in water

If it lays on its side at the bottom: fresh
If it stays on the bottom, but with the top tipped up: still good, but not fresh
If it floats (no touching bottom at all): toss it out - it's gone off/bad

I've used eggs weeks past their sell by date safely using this technique. It has to do with the air pocket inbetween the shell and membrane inside the egg, and the fact that as the eggs age, the air pocket gets larger.
I have relatives that had an egg farm.  So I know more than the average bear about eggs.
Your eggs will last longer if you put the carton upside down when you get them home.  Eggs go bad because the shell dries out where the egg inside is not touching it.  Putting them upside down changes where the egg isn't touching the shell.
You should buy eggs for easter the week (or 2) before easter as fresh eggs don't peel as easy when hard boiled.
You can spin a hard boiled egg like a top.  A raw egg in the shell will not spin.

Laura33

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Re: Food revival tip-- wow!
« Reply #11 on: November 15, 2017, 07:59:51 PM »
Cold water can revive wilted veggies. I cut sad looking celery or lettuce up, throw it into a colander and put some cold water in the sink and soak it for a few minutes, then shake off and usually it's good to go.

Completely true!  I even did an experiment proving it in junior high.  ;-). As a matter of fact, I have a couple of previously soft potatoes sliced and reviving in water in the fridge right now for dinner tomorrow night.

My favorite way to “revive” stale bread is to cut it like an inch thick, soak it overnight in an egg/milk mixture with a little vanilla and sugar and just a dash of salt, and then cook it very slowly on a griddle in butter.  :-)

A/k/a French toast, of course.  But this version puffs up like a personal bread pudding, except you get to call it breakfast instead of dessert.  So, you know, win-win.

Recipe, please?

Ummmmmm, sure, I’ll pretend I have a recipe. . . .  beat some eggs (2? 3? Depends on the quantity of bread), add a few cups of milk (2?).  Add a few T of sugar or brown sugar, a few shakes of salt, and like a T of vanilla (cinnamon is also good if you like it).  Slice bread at least 1” thick.  Pour egg mixture over eggs; if you use a ziplock bag, squeeze the air out and flip once; if you use a shallow-ish pan, lay plastic wrap on top of bread slices to keep them moist and flip several times so you get an even soak.  Soak overnight.  Remove from pan (gently!!  The slices will likely want to fall apart) and drain for at least 15 mins (I use the racks that came with my roaster pan).  Put a griddle on low heat and coat with a little butter.  Once it’s hot, add the slices.  Cook for at least 10 mins on each side — you want it to be golden brown and to cook slowly enough that it cooks through (the middle will puff up as this happens).  Serve with whatever deliciousness you like with French toast.  Or, you know, give up the pretense that this is breakfast and pour on some whiskey sauce.  :-)

Daisy

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Re: Food revival tip-- wow!
« Reply #12 on: November 15, 2017, 08:31:25 PM »
This is less of a food revival tip, and more a food-death-prevention tip, but I place many of my fresh herbs in a cup of water, wrapped in a bag, in the fridge. Cilantro, for instance, used to go bad in 2 days, but it now lasts 2 weeks. I just change the water once or twice during that time.

This may be a well-known trick, but I thought it was pretty neat when I found out about it some time ago.

I do this as well. I'm not sure where I saw it (probably some cooking show), but my herbs can last for weeks this way. I keep some of those tall plastic containers (kind of like the size of a yogurt container), place the herbs stem down, add a couple of inches of water. The herbs last a long time.

I've shown others and they are amazed as well.

AnnaGrowsAMustache

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Re: Food revival tip-- wow!
« Reply #13 on: November 16, 2017, 02:37:20 AM »
This is less of a food revival tip, and more a food-death-prevention tip, but I place many of my fresh herbs in a cup of water, wrapped in a bag, in the fridge. Cilantro, for instance, used to go bad in 2 days, but it now lasts 2 weeks. I just change the water once or twice during that time.

This may be a well-known trick, but I thought it was pretty neat when I found out about it some time ago.

I do this as well. I'm not sure where I saw it (probably some cooking show), but my herbs can last for weeks this way. I keep some of those tall plastic containers (kind of like the size of a yogurt container), place the herbs stem down, add a couple of inches of water. The herbs last a long time.

I've shown others and they are amazed as well.

They'll last even longer if you add a few drops of bleach to the water. Same thing applies to flowers.

Louisville

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Re: Food revival tip-- wow!
« Reply #14 on: November 16, 2017, 09:35:53 AM »
This is less of a food revival tip, and more a food-death-prevention tip, but I place many of my fresh herbs in a cup of water, wrapped in a bag, in the fridge. Cilantro, for instance, used to go bad in 2 days, but it now lasts 2 weeks. I just change the water once or twice during that time.

This may be a well-known trick, but I thought it was pretty neat when I found out about it some time ago.

I do this as well. I'm not sure where I saw it (probably some cooking show), but my herbs can last for weeks this way. I keep some of those tall plastic containers (kind of like the size of a yogurt container), place the herbs stem down, add a couple of inches of water. The herbs last a long time.

I've shown others and they are amazed as well.
Same works for fresh greens like lettuce and kale.

Crease

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Re: Food revival tip-- wow!
« Reply #15 on: November 16, 2017, 09:42:31 AM »
I eat a lot of salads. I've switched from romaine and mixed greens to spinach and kale so that--aside from the health benefits--I can just cook them up once they start to turn.

Poundwise

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Re: Food revival tip-- wow!
« Reply #16 on: November 16, 2017, 11:09:14 AM »
You can also sautee romaine lettuce!

AnnaGrowsAMustache

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Re: Food revival tip-- wow!
« Reply #17 on: November 16, 2017, 02:12:53 PM »
I eat a lot of salads. I've switched from romaine and mixed greens to spinach and kale so that--aside from the health benefits--I can just cook them up once they start to turn.

I do this exact same thing, for the same reasons. Spinach and kale are also good in smoothies so a far more versatile and able to be used up option.

MMMaybe

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Re: Food revival tip-- wow!
« Reply #18 on: November 17, 2017, 04:13:03 AM »
If I can't get through lettuce or bok choy in time, I will chop it and freeze it. It obviously will be horrible and mushy raw when defrosted but it works great cooked in stir fries.

 

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