favor- “ette” friday: one of my favorite kitchen tips

I can’t believe I haven’t shared this with you yet.

What do you do when you come across a recipe for a sauce/stew/soup that includes this: “Simmer till reduced by half”?

Now maybe I’m a little neurotic/anal/clueless, but I used to stress over this. How do you know when it’s half? It’s not like there are markers on your stockpot or saucepan (ooh! invention!).

And then, years ago, I came across this great tip. All you need is a wooden spoon (which you probably have out anyway), and some kitchen twine.

how to know when liquid is reduced by half

Immerse the handle end into your pot till it hits the bottom. Tie a bit of twine around the edge between the wet and dry sections. Now you can periodically dip the handle back in and see when the liquid is down by half.

how to know when liquid is reduced by half

how to know when liquid is reduced by half

Simple, right? A wooden chopstick works just as well too.

I would LOVE to know what your favorite little-yet-big kitchen tips are; I’ll share them here!

Happy Friday!

Wondering what favor-“ette” means? Click here!

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8 Comments

  1. Mary Schnog on February 17, 2012 at 8:30 am

    great idea!

    • sheri silver on February 17, 2012 at 2:52 pm

      Glad you liked it! 🙂

  2. Hotly Spiced on February 17, 2012 at 6:38 pm

    That really is a great tip. If I read a recipe and it says ‘reduce by half’ I immediately become tense. It’s just so hard to know what half looks like and it reminds me of being pregnant and having an ultra-sound and being asked by the technician to go and empty half my bladder. Now Sheri…do you have a tip for that???

    • sheri silver on February 18, 2012 at 3:03 pm

      I guess a wooden spoon and kitchen twine wouldn’t do……………

  3. Jennifer on February 17, 2012 at 7:40 pm

    Love your site!

    come check out my site I think it would be a good fit for your “favor- “ette” friday segment!

    Enjoy the weekend,
    Jenn

    • sheri silver on February 18, 2012 at 3:03 pm

      Thank you Jenn – will do! 🙂

  4. Leslie on February 18, 2012 at 11:54 am

    I’m not very precise about these things! I always guess. All my kitchen tips have to do with how I can be lazier and less precise and get away with it–probably not what you are looking for. 🙂

    • sheri silver on February 18, 2012 at 3:01 pm

      Hmm – actually, EXACTLY what I’m often looking for! 🙂

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Hi! I'm Sheri!

Welcome to my little corner of the web where you’ll find easy, delicious recipes, the best kitchen hacks and simple tips for turning your home into a clean haven that is free of toxins. So glad you’re here!