Kitchen helpers — plain and simple

Over the life of this column — almost 30 years — I’ve expressed distaste for overpackaging, ridiculous products and food advertising primarily because they waste energy and money. No supermarket venture goes by that I don’t find examples, the most recent being cake mixes that bake up in an army camouflage pattern, also tie-dye.

Camo reminds me of soldiers deployed in Afghanistan and tie-dye, the druggy 70s.

But many other products endure as unsung kitchen helpers. I will celebrate some today.

•White uncoated paper plates: They cost less that two cents apiece, when purchased by the hundred. I keep a short stack — three or four — in the microwave to catch overflow and cover dishes. Sift flour onto one, lift and bend into a chute, for transferring to mixing bowl. Keep the little ones busy crayoning plate-masks while you’re baking

•Shower caps: I buy these in packs of 10 at the dollar store. Fantastic bowl covers. Surround a head of iceberg lettuce, a cut cantaloupe or a plate of cookies with one. Reusable, too.

•Cardboard oatmeal cylinders: Resealing a box of long pasta, especially fine angel hair, is a nuisance. Drop the box and you’ll be sweeping up bits for a week. Instead, store leftovers in these cylinders, preferably the 42 oz; or break pasta for the smaller one. But first, you must eat the oatmeal, a good thing.

•Maple syrup: Call me old-fashioned, but precious maple syrup doesn’t belong in plastic jugs. I save glass salad dressing bottles (Maple Grove Farm still uses them), remove labels, wash thoroughly. Set the plastic jug in simmering water, or pop in the microwave to thin syrup. Pour into bottle(s). These narrow-neck bottles make warming syrup easy (in microwave or simmering water) besides looking nice on the table.

•Unlikely products: I keep a jar of instant coffee to mix with liquid in any chocolate cake recipe. A few granules of instant coffee dissolve easily into vanilla yogurt – the best flavor, yet not available commercially. Instant mashed potatoes, preferably unflavored, thicken a thin soup or gravy but be careful: a teaspoon absorbs a lot of liquid. And a sprinkle of best-quality chicken boullion powder in cooking water brightens any vegetable.

•Towels: All my aprons are made of thin, inexpensive bath towels (smaller than the thicker ones) and wide shoelaces for neck and waist ties. An apron takes minutes to assemble, costs under five dollars and you can wipe your hands on it. I also keep several of these thin towels for wrapping and refrigerating washed lettuce leaves. More likely to make a salad when the lettuce is clean, dry and ready.

•Microplane grater: I can’t believe this tool isn’t an equipment staple in every kitchen. Resembles an elongated spatula with a fine, sharp grating surface. Some cooks use it for grating hard cheese, like Parmesan. I save mine for grating just the zest, no pith, off lemons and oranges. Available at kitchen stores and elsewhere, usually under $10.

•Strong cloth/canvas shopping bags with sturdy handles: Honestly, after all the ruckus about plastic grocery bags, hard to imagine that every shopper doesn’t keep several reusable ones in the car. I buy mine at Salvation Army-type outlets, put them through a wash before using. But I still save a few brown paper shopping bags for draining fried foods. Somehow, they work better than paper towels.

•Ammonia: Take ads for super-cleaning dish detergent with a grain of suspicion. Chances are, household ammonia is the grease-cutter. I add several tablespoons of ammonia to a bottle of any detergent. Another caveat: the “concentrated” brands, usually more expensive, advise using half as much. But do you?

•Polystyrene (Styrofoam) packaging “peanuts:” Empty peanuts from packing boxes into a giant heavyweight plastic bag. Come summer, these nuisances turn any heavy cardboard box into a cooler. Surround cold foods with them, seal box flaps.

•Ice cube trays: For years, I’ve frozen herbs. Now, the little packets are available in stores — for a price. Instead, before the first frost, strip leaves off all garden herbs. Chop separately in food processor, with a little oil or water. Pour into mini-ice cube trays and freeze. When frozen hard, pop out into labeled zipper bags, return to freezer. This works well with basil, tarragon, thyme, oregano, sage. Add cubes to soups, sauces, stuffings, coatings or thaw for salad dressing.

Hope that helps.

Contact Debbie Salomon at debsalomon@nc.rr.com