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Home -> Cooking & Recipes -> General Tips
GENERAL TIPS
General Tips
  • After stewing a chicken for diced meat for casseroles, etc., let cool in broth before cutting into chunks. It will have twice the flavor.

  • To slice meat into thin strips (as for chinese dishes), partially freeze and it will slice easily.

  • A roast with the bone in will cook faster than a boneless roast. The bone carries heat to the inside of the roast quicker.

  • Never cook a roast cold. Let stand for at least an hour at room temperature. Brush with oil before and during roasting, The oil will seal in the juices.

  • For a juicier hamburger, add cold water to the beef before grilling (1/2 cup to 1 pound of meat).

  • To freeze meatballs, place them on a cookie sheet until frozen. Place in plastic bags and they will stay separated so you may remove as many as you want.

  • To keep cauliflower white while cooking, add a little milk to the water.

  • When boiling corn, add sugar to the water instead of salt. Salt will toughen the corn.

  • To ripen tomatoes, put them in a brown paper bag in a dark pantry and they will ripen overnight.

  • Do not use soda to keep vegetables green. It destroys Vitamin C.

  • When cooking cabbage, place a small tin cup or can half full of vinegar on the stove near the cabbage. It will absorb all odor from it.

  • Potatoes soaked in salt water for 20 minutes before baking will bake more rapidly.

  • Let raw potatoes stand in cold water for at least half an hour before frying to improve the crispness of French fried potatoes.

  • Buy mushrooms before they "open". When stems and caps are attached snugly, mushrooms are truly fresh.

  • Do not use metal bowls when mixing salads. Use wooden, glass or china.

  • A few drops of lemon juice in the water will whiten boiled potatoes.

  • Lettuce keeps better if you store in refrigerator without washing first so that the leaves are dry. Wash the day you are going to use.

  • To keep celery crisp, stand it up in a pitcher of cold, salted water and refrigerate.

  • Use greased muffin tins as molds when baking stuffed green peppers.

  • Don't despair if you've over-salted the gravy. Stir in some instant mashed potatoes and you'll repair the damage. Just add a little more liquid to offset the thickening.


To Enjoy A Genuine Virginia Country Ham, Make Sure It Comes Direct From The Smokehouse

All hickory-smoked hams, bacon, sausage and barbecue offered on this site come to you directly from Edwards family smokehouses in Surry, Virginia.

Smoked according to the recipe created by PopPop (Great Granddad, S. Wallace Edwards) back in 1926, Edwards products deliver a unique flavor profile that’s widely recognized as superior by gourmet food authorities & chefs alike. (See "In The News" section on this site.)

So, don’t subject your family to pale, factory-processed substitutes. Serve them genuine, direct-from-the-smokehouse quality from Virginia Traditions and the Edwards family. Then, your loved ones will enjoy the best authentic smoked meats available anywhere.


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Virginia Traditions • P.O. Box 25 • Surry, VA 23883
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