Tuesday's Tips

Your cake is baking in the oven... the timer rings and it's time to check if the cake is done. Now, do people really use a toothpick to poke the center of their cake?! No way would I be reaching my arm way into the dark, hot recesses of the oven with a tiny toothpick! Or do people slide the rack out, poke the center of the cake, slide it back in and set the timer for another five minutes? I think that method would cool the cake (and oven) down far too much, especially if you needed to keep it in longer. Instead, why not do what my ingenious mother did and has used for years? All you need is a long, thin steel knitting needle. About an inch away from the end bend the knitting needle with a pair of pliers to form a 90 degree angle. Voila! A permanent solution to your problem. It's washable and reusable. No more singed eyebrows for you!