Your favorite tip/trick/ingredient?

[MareMare]

Lately I've been loving Better than Bouillon. I have it in Vegetable, Beef, and Chicken. It's a kind of bouillon paste, much easier to use than bouillon cubes which are sometimes hard to unwrap and dissolve, and these are lower in salt. I've also stopped buying stock because they are so tasty. Saves money and time!

What is your newest fave ingredient/tool/whatever for cooking?

[TroubleT]

We buy meats in "family" size containers. When we get them home, we immediately split the package up in to more appropriate meal sizes for us and freeze them in a marinade. Then, when we get up in the morning, we can grab a frozen pack of marinated meat, put it in the fridge and poof, dinner is well underway for that evening!

Also, I'm a firm believer now in herb gardens. I grow and dry a lot of my culinary herbs. My kids also love to go out on the deck just to pick a mint leaf to chew on.

[MareMare]

Ooh yum, what kind of marinades do you use?

[TroubleT]

Let's see...

-teryiyaki and pineapple juice w/ loads of ginger (great on chicken!)
-red wine, oregano, garlic (fresh), pepper, and marjoram (best of red meats)
-italian dressing ....LOVE this on brisket! We smoke it and then slap some BBQ on it for a quick char....YUM!

DH also does a tequila lime marinade from of those TOP SECRET cookbooks that is tasty too.

[Selnith]

i LOVE steak seasoning, when i can get it (am in England) i'll have it with everything
aside from that, honey, it fixes a multitude of sins while cooking and honey roast veg are just the bees knees

[CraftyChef]

Take a teaspoon of flour, cup your hand, put the flour into your cupped hand, and now you know what a teaspoon looks like. Do the same with the tablespoon, and a half teaspoon. Then, take your measuring spoons along with all the other stuff in your kitchen you don't use to the thrift store for a happier, less cluttered life!

[Haloofsoil]

My favourite ingredient is a tough one... I'd probably say tinned chopped tomatoes; they're rediculously cheap, they last forever and you can pretty much do anything/put anything with them.

My favourite trick that I've picked up recently is frying cabbage with a little sugar and salt; it takes the edge off the cabbage so it doesn't taste as strong.

[Linnybelle]

My mom taught me to measure most things by eye, and for liquid tablespoons, she taught me the second counting rule.  So for however many tablespoons you need, you just count out that many seconds while pouring in a steady stream.  It confuses my fiancee a lot, but I never measure small amounts of liquid any other way.

[Snowhite]

Haloofsoil, I agree.. my favorite ingredient is canned diced tomatoes... especially since the last fresh tomato I purchased cost $2.87!!  I buy the kind with italian seasoning and mexican style for some kick.  I use it for pasta salad, to chunk up canned sauces, drained for tacos or salads, pizza/calzones, soups, dips, dress up leftovers.. they usually are on sale 3/$1 so I always stock up.

[AimeeRose]

My favorite things are, unfortunately (sp?) more expensive than I am willing to buy right now in this economic tight spot.  But for sake of argument they are:

1. Vanilla "Paste"- this has a thick syrup consistancy.  Fabulous deep vanilla flavor and has the little seeds in it.  I used it for all manner of baked goods, ice cream and more!

2. Smoked sea salt (flake type)- Yummy on fish, eggs and Mac'n' Cheese! Use as a garnish on these dishes, not as the main flavoring agent.