Have you ever cooked pasta and the pot boiled? Ever wondered what you could do to moisten your cake?

Well, here are some cooking tips you may not have known to try.

-To prevent pasta from boiling over, place a wooden spoon across the top of the boiler. This will separate the steam and keep your water from boiling over.

-Want to add moisture to your cake batter, add 1/2 cup of sour cream. You won&8217;t taste it and it adds excellent moisture to your cakes.

-For an easier way to get brownies out of the pan, line pan with foil so that it laps loosely over sides. Press down and crease bottom corners. Let cool and use foil handles to lift brownies out of pan.

-Instead of using a bowl to mix dry ingredients, use a parchment paper and sift ingredients together.

-To get pan cooked steaks and pork chops golden brown without overcooking, pat meat dry before seasoning then cook with desired amount of oil.

-When saut/ing vegetables, make sure the oil is hot before adding ingredients.

This holds in all flavors.

-Preheat your crockpot before putting in cold foods to prevent it from cracking.

-Pre-bake your pie crusts for 10 minutes, add filling, and continue to cook until done. This will prevent your crust from becoming soggy.

-To remove skin from chicken, use a paper towel and pull it off. It instantly clings and adds for easy removal.

-Clean your grill by spraying it with vinegar, letting set for 5 minutes and wiping with a clean, wet towel. No scrubbing and no chemicals.

-Pre-cook ground beef in large batches and freeze in portion sizes in zipper locked bags. It&8217;s ready when you need it for spaghetti, tacos and chili.

-Use a plastic knife when cutting lettuce; metal will turn lettuce brown.

-If you have onion breath, eat a piece of chocolate.

-Some of these ideas were gathered from the community web exchange from WSFA.

Others are personal tips.

If you have questions, please contact Angela Treadaway, Regional Extension Agent in Food Safety, Preservation, and Preparation from the Alabama Cooperative Extension System in Shelby County at 410-3696