Cooking

1. Store onions in a paper bag in the refrigerator and they will stay fresh and sprout-free for weeks.
   
   
2. Over-ripe bananas don’t have to be tossed in the trash. If you remove the peels first, you can use them in banana breads, muffins, and milk shakes.
   
   
3. To peel garlic in a hurry, cut off the ends of individual cloves and microwave for 10-15 seconds.
   
   
4. If your cake is stubbornly stuck to the pan, dip the pan in hot water to soften hardened fat or sugar that may be causing it to stick.
   
   
5. To get more juice out of lemons, limes, oranges and other citrus, microwave them on high for 30 seconds. Roll them on the counter to burst the juice cells inside. Slice and juice.
   
   
6. To make your own dried herbs that are sure to be bursting with flavor, pick fresh herbs from your garden (or buy them). Microwave herbs on low for one-minute intervals. When the leaves are almost dry, leave them at room temperature in a warm dry place for 1-2 days. Store them in an airtight container in a cool, dark place.
   
   
7. Dry mustard will remove onion odors from your hands.
   
   
8. Plain baking soda or salt will extinguish grease fires.
   
   
9. Rice in the saltshaker will keep salt from collecting moisture and hardening into clumps.
   
   
10. To reduce tomato paste staining, coat your plastic containers with nonstick cooking spray before use.
    
    
11. When cooking with wine, leave the pan uncovered so that the alcohol can burn off leaving a stronger wine flavor.