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Sauce or marinade?
Use sauces differently than you do marinades. Sauces will add flavor on top of the food. They should complement the food and sometimes add moisture. They should not detract from the dish. Marinades soak into the food and remaining marinades are typically discarded. Marinades add flavor and sometimes tenderize.
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Cut the fat in your sauces.
You can de-fat a sauce that is too oily by funneling the sauce into an empty wine bottle. Once the fat rises to the top, pour it off.
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Handle your spoon.
You can use the handle of your sauce pot as a convenient spoon holder. Wedge or insert the end of the spoon handle into the pot’s handle or the hole in the handle for easy access.
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Doctor your sauce.
Store-bought barbecue sauces are found in abundance and often at a price much less then it costs to create with individual ingredients. Take your favorite affordable brand and “doctor” it by adding your own fresh ingredients to create a custom flavor. Hoisin, chili sauce, and Worcestershire are great flavors to add in and make it your own.
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Hydrated onions.
Make a quick burger topping without the fresh ingredients by rehydrating dried minced onion. The onions can add texture to sauces or add them directly onto burgers for that familiar fast-food flavor found on a Big Mac (sauce) and White Castle burger.
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No cling trick.
Use a non-stick oil spray to help keep syrup and thick pastes from clinging to the sides of your measuring cup. An initial spray will allow for better measuring and easier cleanup.
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Fresh squeezed leverage.
Use your tongs as a juicer. Use your long-handled BBQ tongs to squeeze lemons or limes and get more juice than if just squeezing by hand.