Has anyone seen the commercials for that new product that's foil on one side and parchment paper on the other? I want to try it out! My biggest problem with parchment paper is trying to get it to stay in place, so if it had foil you could shape it to make it stay!

I definitely agree that parchment is great!

Lady, I'll have to try a plastic knife next time with brownies!  I def know what you're talking about with metal knives :)

On the parchment/foil topic, I've never heard of that!  Products usually start in the US, and then sometimes comes to Canada.  If I hear it's good I might have to try to find some the next time I'm south of the border.

Ooh found it! Reynolds Wrap Pan Lining Paper.

http://www.reynoldspkg.com/reynoldskitchens/en/plp/default.asp

They suggest using it for things like lasagna.

Some really great tips here!

Let me get this right, you don't get tomato paste in a tube?  seriously?  We get TONS over here and it's amazing!

Not great kitchen advice as such but something that will kill the smell of fresh paint in a day is by leaving a bowl of milk out...

It's true adamsapple - I looked for ages for tubes of tomato puree when we moved here, and it's just in cans (and called paste not puree just to confuse me even more!)
And I can't find pork stock cubes ANYWHERE - but that's a whole other dilemma!!

Canook- I've never thought about it... but I've never seen pork stock here at all! Weird.

I have a request for information. Is there a way to scrub the hell out of your baking pans so they won't look like.. well, like your SO cooks stuff like hotdogs, chicken tenders, and fries on it then just leaves it on the stovetop for a day or so? I've suggested foil but he insists it's normal for a pan to start going to crap; may be true, but we just got then for the wedding 7 months ago. They should not be rusting.

And the tube thing is amazing! I get so annoyed with having to throw out the can!

Carolina, Bar Keepers Friend is awesome. It won't always get rid of all the stains but it's pretty amazing and if a regular cloth with it isn't doing the trick use steel wool.

another trick, I guess, is to peel garlic using the back/side of your knife. If you lay the largest surface area of your knife on a clove and then smash down on it with your hand it breaks the clove open and it peels really easily.

If your hands are stinky from chopping garlic (or whatever) rub them on your stainless steel sink before you wash them and that should do the trick. They sell a stainless steel item in the shape of soap for this but just use your sink. It's cheaper!

I use lemons and limes a lot when I cook and never seem to be able to get all the juice out on my own so before I slice into it I roll it around on the counter while pressing on it with my weight to make it softer/juicier. I get waaaaay more juice out that way.

When I fry things (I try not to eat too many fried foods) I put my wooden spoon in the oil and if bubbles show up around the edge of the spoon then I know it's ready. The food sucks up less oil if you make sure it is hot enough before putting anything in it.

I also agree with the parchment paper. I go through a roll every 2-3 months and would use more if I was home more often to cook. It's like a kitchen miracle!

hth! :)

Carolina - my mom swears by 1/2 a lemon and sea salt, kind of like exfoliating the tin?? Never tried it because I'm lazy (and use foil like some clever lady suggested to her FI!!)

If anyone suffers from garlic-breath the day after, apparently it is only the little green bit in a clove that makes the smell linger - I don't know if that's true, but I always take it out before I crush it and never stink!!

I just found this out from some coworkers--did you know you can buy pre-minced garlic? It comes in a little jar--I found it in the produce section near the actual garlic. I have been buying these heads of garlic just for one or two cloves and I could never use it all up before it went bad! With the jarred stuff, it tells you on the jar how much is equivalent to a clove (I think about 1 tsp= 1 clove), so if you just need a little bit of minced garlic it's a great way to reduce waste! (Of course, if you need to do something other than mince the garlic, you should probably buy the whole thing.)