Cracking Nuts the EASY Way
Thanksgiving doesn't just call up visions of golden-roasted turkey, this is also the season that nuts-in-the-shell appear in the big bins in the grocery store produce department. If you're more interested in the eating than the cracking, here's the way to do it:
Heat them before you crack them and they will come out of the shell almost whole. Pecans should be heated in hot water a few hours before cracking. Harder-shelled nuts, such as Brazil nuts and hazel nuts, may be heated in the oven (low heat for an hour or so). If left in the oven a little longer, they take on a delicious toasted flavor.
One last tip-if the shelled hazel nuts are put back in the oven for a few minutes, the little brown paper-thin jackets will peel right off. Smart, huh?
Stretching Those Lemons
When only a small amount of lemon juice is needed, press and roll the lemon to loosen the juice. Then pierce it with a knife point near one end, and squeeze out only the amount of juice needed. The lemon is then left intact for other purposes. Smart, huh?
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