When baking fresh cookies, try to use the upper third of the oven where the temperature is less extreme. If you must use the lower third, stack two pans or cookie sheets together to act as a buffer against the high bottom heat. For pretty salad croutons, cut soft bread with a small disc cutter. Brush with butter, arrange on cookie sheet, and bake in 350° F. oven for 20 minutes or until brown. Fire up the barbecue tonight and try some asparagus on the side. Just place fresh asparagus on skewers so they¹re easy to handle on the grill. Drizzle with olive oil, rub and add a touch of salt. You¹ll get a sweet, caramelized flavor that¹s a nice aside to your favorite main course. Barbecuing hamburgers tonight? To cook burger faster, poke a small hole in the center of each patty after you¹ve shaped them. The burgers will cook more-quickly and more-evenly, and the holes will disappear as the meat cooks on the grill. Try barbequed salmon fillets on homemade cedar planks. Just pick-up untreated cedar shingles at your local lumber store. Soak the shingles overnight, then warm briefly in the broiler to bring up the cedar flavor. Brush salmon fillets with a mixture of salt, black pepper, dry mustard, and butter. Place on the cedar shingles and broil 5 to 6 inches from the heat until the shingles scorch and the fish almost flakes about 8 to 10 minutes. Barbequing hamburgers tonight? To cook burger faster, poke a small hole in the center of each patty after you¹ve shaped them. The burgers will cook more-quickly and more-evenly, and the holes will disappear as the meat cooks on the grill. To clean your can opener, just grip it on a folded paper towel and turn the handle. The towel will clean both the blade and the gear. A solution of 1 tablespoon baking soda to 1 quart warm water will remove most off odors from plastic storage containers. Simply give them a thorough dip in the soda solution, rinse with fresh water, and dry. To prevent ice cream from dripping through the bottom of sugar cones, stuff a miniature marshmallow in the bottom before you add the ice cream. When you come in to do your shopping, plan your route through the store so that you pick up frozen foods last. That way, they're less likely to thaw before you get them home. Three remedies for garlic breath: Eat fresh parsley, chew on a coffee bean, eat a bowl of lime sherbet. Make your own permanent shopping list of all the groceries you buy regularly, leaving space for write-ins. Run off lots of copies and post one, with pencil attached, on the refrigerator or cupboard door so you and other family members can check needed items as they run low. When you head for the store with one completed list, tape up a new one. If a soup or stew is too sweet, add salt. If a main dish or vegetable is too sweet, add a teaspoon of cider vinegar. If a soup or stew is too salty, add raw cut potatoes. Discard them after they have cooked - they will have absorbed the salt. For fluffier, whiter rice, add one teaspoon of lemon juice per quart of water. Fire up the barbeque tonight and try some asparagus on the side. Just place fresh asparagus on skewers so they¹re easy to handle on the grill. Drizzle with olive oil, rub and add a touch of salt. You¹ll get a sweet, caramelized flavor that¹s a nice aside to your favorite main course. When banana¹s over-ripen, don¹t throw them out. Instead, store them away in the freezer. Then later this summer, you can use them to make yummy banana shakes or smoothies. To get the most out of a head of lettuce, tear the leaves by hand instead of cutting with a knife. Cutting lettuce is more likely to turn the edges brown faster, but if you have to use a knife, be sure it¹s stainless steel. A fresh lime is the perfect way to add a little zing to your Cinco de Mayo. To help get the juice of a lime to flow, just pop it in the microwave for a few seconds or press and roll it firmly on a countertop. Nectarines are a refreshing snack. It¹s best to store nectarines at room temperature until they¹re fully ripe. The, keep them in the refrigerator for no more than a couple of days. Nectarines stored longer in the refrigerator may lose their juicy flavor. You'll get added flavor as well as protection from discoloration if you sprinkle avocado with lime juice instead of lemon juice. When buying fresh peppers to roast, choose those that are a little wrinkled but still unblemished. Wrinkling indicates maturity (mellowness). Perk up soggy lettuce! Add lemon juice to a bowl of cold water and soak lettuce for an hour in the refrigerator. Store celery and lettuce in paper bags, not plastic. And leave the outside leaves and stalks alone until ready to use. Cooking fish? All you need to remember are three numbers: 6S..10S..400. That's six ounces, ten minutes, 400 degree oven. It works for almost any kind of fish on the market. Try barbequed salmon fillets on homemade cedar planks. Just pick-up untreated cedar shingles at your local lumber store. Soak the shingles overnight, then warm briefly in the broiler to bring up the cedar flavor. Brush salmon fillets with a mixture of salt, black pepper, dry mustard, and butter. Place on the cedar shingles and broil 5 to 6 inches from the heat until the shingles scorch and the fish almost flakes about 8 to 10 minutes. When cooking carrots, peas, beets or corn, add a small amount of sugar to the water to keep the flavour. To keep sweet corn yellow, add one teaspoon of lemon juice to the cooking water just about a minute before taking off the stove. Never salt the water you cook corn in. It will only toughen the corn. Always buy the wines you cook with as carefully as you buy the wines you drink. By the time the (open) bottle of wine gets dusty, the wine's no good anymore. If you're still unsure what wine works with your meal, choose a Chianti. It's a wine that goes with just about everything. Pinot Grigio works best during the hot months because it's a really refreshing wine. It's really light and crisp and goes with almost anything. It's terrific with seafood.