48 Sunday,March 29, 2020 DAILY NEWSNYDailyNews.com
There’s no denying that bacon is
one of the most iconic breakfast
foods, but it isn’t especially easy
to cook correctly. Frying bacon
on the stove can be a little dan-
gerous as the fat renders and
splatters, and it’s easy to end up
with an unevenly cooked final
product. But how can you cook
bacon the right way?
The answer involves a sur-
prising ingredient: water.
The fine folks at America’s
Test Kitchen figured out that
adding just a little water to your
frying pan yields deliciously
crisp, evenly cooked bacon with
none of the hazards tradition-
ally associated with making this
favorite food.
First, place your bacon in the
pan and add just enough water
to cover the bottom of the pan
before turning the stove to high
heat. When the water has
boiled, lower the heat to me-
dium, and once the water has
evaporated, reduce the heat to
low. Continue to cook the bacon
until it’s at your desired crispi-
ness.
Because this method reduces
the splatter of pork fat, it allows
you to multitask more easily. So
go forth and make those per-
fectly scrambled eggs at the
same time and have a delicious
breakfast.
Carolyn MenyesWater is key
to making
crispy bacon
If you’re a police officer, fire-
fighter, paramedic, doctor,
nurse, medical researcher or
hospital or medical staff mem-
ber, there’s some good news
for you: Starbucks has an-
nounced that you can come by
for a free coffee.
In a press release, the coffee
chainannounced that all cus-
tomers who identify as front
line responders to COVID-19
can receive a tall hot or iced
coffeeat no charge until May 3.
St a r b u c k s ’ c o m p a n y -
owned locations have shifted
to drive-thru only for the time
being.
The chain has also an-
nounced that The Starbucks
Foundation, its philanthropic
arm, will donate $500,000 to
U.S. front line responders. Half
will support delivery of 50,000
care packages to healthcare
workers, and half will support
delivery of personal protective
equipment and essential med-
ical items. Dan MyersCOVID fighters
get free coffee
There are some foods with
unexpectedly long shelf lives.
But for every can of beans or
jar of honey, there are the
foods that seem to spoil the
mo m e n t y o u b r i n g t h e m
home. Use these tips, tricks
and leftover ideas for extend-
ing the life and use of your
fresh produce, milk, meat and
more.Make sure your fridge is at
the right temperature
One of the most important
things you can do is make sure
your fridge is cool enough to
keep your meat, produce,
dairy and condiments chilled.
According to the Food and
Drug Administration, fridges
should be at 40 degrees Fahr-
enheit or below and freezers
should be at zero degrees or
below. Use a thermometer to
make sure your fridge is at the
right temperature. Doing so is
one of the top tips for avoiding
food poisoning.Save avocados
with lemon juice
If you happen to have half
an avocado left after using
some to top your burger or
chopping some avocado into
your perfectly scrambled eggs,
you can save the other half
from oxidizing. Squeeze a bit
of lemon juice on the exposed
portion of the avocado. The
citric acid acts as a natural pre-
servative. Wrap the avocado
tightly with plastic wrap and
store it upside down in your
fridge.Store greens
with paper towels
Lettuce can quickly go
from fresh and crisp to sad,
wilted and slimy if not stored
correctly. As soon as you get
home from the store, make
sure to transfer the lettuce to
asuitable storage container
—a plastic bag or plastic stor-
age container will work
wo n d e r f u l l y. Ad d a f e w
sheets of paper towels at the
top and bottom before zip-
ping up the bag or sealing the
lid. The paper towel should
effectively absorb any excess
moisture that would ordi-
narily result in lettuce going
bad before you can use it,
allowing you to turn that sea-
sonal produce into crispy,
satisfying salads.Revive old lettuce
with cold water
Ever wonder why lettuce
wilts? It’s because it loses wa-
ter. In order to bring that sad,
old lettuce back to life andmake it last a bit longer, revive
it by soaking the leaves in ice
water for 30 minutes. This is
just one of those kitchen hacks
we learned from our parents.Turn old vegetables
into stock
Soup is one of the best foods
to make ahead and freeze, and
one of the basic ingredients for
soup, stock, is easy to make at
home. If you notice your veg-
gies and herbs are starting to
turn, freeze them in a plastic
bag and then repurpose them
for some homemade vegeta-
ble stock. Avoid using starchy
vegetables like potatoes and
turnips for stock, but know
carrots, onions, garlic, leeks,
thyme and parsley all make for
flavorful options.Store cookies with bread
You may be tempted to
keep your cookies in that
pretty decorative cookie jar,
but that won’t keep them
fresh. Keep your chewy cook-
ies from turning dry by storing
them in a zip-lock plastic bag
with half a slice of bread in-
side. If you’re insistent on that
cookie jar, you can place the
baggie in the jar.Store fresh herbs in damp
paper towels
Fresh herbs can make or
break a number of recipes. To
keep them fresher longer,
store cilantro, marjoram,
oregano, parsley, rosemary,
sage and thyme wrapped up
i n d a m p p a p e r t owe l s ,
which you then place in az i p - l o c k p l a st i c b a g. If
you’re just keeping your
herbs in the grocery bag
t h e y c a m e i n , t h e y a re
among the groceries you’re
storing wrong.Store milk at the
back of the fridge
Your fridge has different
zones: a cold zone in the back
of the top and middle shelves,
amoderate zone in the front
and a humid zone, which is
better known as the crisper
drawers. To keep milk fresh
for longer, avoid putting it in
the door and move it to a cold
zone in the back of your fridge.
If you want to continue to not
waste milk, consider these
recipes to finish off that gallon
of milk.GETTY IMAGESThese kitchen hacks
make food last longer
BY CAROLYN MENYES
AND DAISY NICHOLS
THE DAILY MEAL