The Cooking Mom's Secrets and Tips

If the lemon or lime is hard, put it in warm water for 5-10 minutes to make it easier to squeeze.

To keep your bananas from going too ripe too fast keep them in a plastic bag.

Leftover turkey should be refrigerated and eaten or frozen within 4 days. Be safe rather than sorry!

Don’t carve your turkey right away. Cover it loosely with foil and let it rest 15 minutes before slicing. It will be nice and juicy!

Use an instant-read meat thermometer when roasting turkey. Take out of the oven when the thickest part of the thigh reaches 180 degrees F and the breast reaches 165 degrees F.

When the turkey is a little more than half way done, loosely cover the breast and top of drumsticks with a piece of foil to prevent overcooking.

Brush the turkey with melted butter or vegetable oil and season well before roasting to get golden brown skin.

Try brining your bird! Soak the turkey in salted water (1 cup kosher salt per gallon of water) and refrigerate overnight to help keep it moist during the cooking process. You can add sugar and spices to the brine for more flavor too.

To thaw a frozen turkey leave in packaging and put in a shallow pan in the refrigerator. Allow 24 hours thawing time for every 4 to 5 pounds. A thawed bird can keep up to 4 days in the fridge.

When trying to figure out what size turkey to buy figure 1 pound of uncooked turkey per person. That gives you enough for everyone with some leftover.

Tired of sticky measuring spoons & cups? Before measuring honey, syrup, or molasses spray the measuring spoon or cup with a coating of nonstick cooking spray. The sticky ingredients slides right out with no mess on the spoon or cup.

Wet the measuring cup. It will make removing the sticky ingredients like shortening or peanut butter easier.