Trying to plan the perfect spread to impress your holiday guests, but are short on time or resources? These 5 hacks will help you in the kitchen and make your holidays even “grater!”
Grate or Shred Your Own Cheese
We love the ease of pre-shredded cheese, but when it comes to holiday entertaining, buying a block of cheese can give you more bang for your buck. Grating your own cheese allows you to vary your presentation and upgrade the appearance of your dish. For example, grate parmesan on roasted veggies, shave it over fresh salads or shred it on top of soups! As a bonus, a block of cheese, when stored properly, can have a longer shelf life than pre-shredded cheese reducing the risk for food waste.
Oil Your Cheese Grater
Now that we have convinced you to grate your own cheese — save yourself some time and spray cooking oil on your cheese grater first. The oil will prevent sticking and the cheese will slide right off, making clean up a breeze!
Freeze Fresh Mozzarella for 30 Minutes Before Grating
If you’ve ever tried to shred fresh mozzarella cheese, then you know it’s nearly impossible to do without it falling apart. Keep frustration at bay and freeze the fresh cheese for about 30 minutes before shredding. This easy trick will keep your cheese from crumbling and your dish looking flawless.
Grate Frozen Butter for Pie Crusts
The key to creating the perfect pie crust is using cold butter. Most recipes call for a pastry cutter to incorporate cold butter, but this method can take too much time and leave you with warm butter. A much easier way is to freeze a stick of butter and grate it into fluffy shreds to incorporate it into the flour. With this technique, your pie crusts will be so tender and flaky, your guests will want to know your secret!
Grate the Bottom of Burned Cookies
Let’s face it, we’ve all been there. You forgot to set the timer or got too busy doing other things while baking cookies and as a result, your cookies got a little browner than you’d like! Don’t fret — if the tops are still salvageable, use your cheese grater to scrape off the dark bottoms of the cookies. Then serve them with a tall glass of cold milk, which not only tastes great but will also add moisture to the cookies, making any crispy crumbs disappear. No one will ever know!
Out of an ingredient? Check out this handy guide for dairy substitutions.
Awesome helpful hints!