10 Cooking and Baking Tips

Hi everyone!  No recipe tonight (and maybe tomorrow, sorry!).  I didn't get a chance to bake much over the weekend (I was super busy all Saturday and Sunday), which is when I usually stock up on recipes... SO, of course, I started worrying, but I'm not going to.  Instead, I will improvise ;)
Here are 10 cooking and baking tips I have come along during my time cooking/baking:
1.  Take your butter (lots of butter) out of your freezer or refrigerator at least an hour before starting to bake with it (room temperature is usually the best for butter in most baking recipes).
2.  Do the same with eggs (room temperature is best for eggs in most baking recipes).
3.  When adding flour to the mixer, we all have been there when the flour flies all over the room if you mix it in too fast.  In this case, and every case, where you want to quickly add flour in the mixer (5-minute baking), cover the opening at the top of the mixer with a kitchen towel to block the flour from flying.  Or, use your arms and the front of your apron to block the flour (you can always wash your apron, thankfully!).  Or, lightly pulse the flour into the mixture, as to not make the kitchen white. :)
4.  Check, check, and double check the oven while baking cookies!  Cookies are made to be quickly flashed in hot heat for only a short time to bake them, so don't worry too much about destroying the cookies if you open the oven.  In most cases, burnt cookies are not what you're looking for.
5.  As for my oven, since it is a convection oven, I put it 25 degrees colder than called for...  Make sure you know how your oven works and its tendencies.
6.  I can fit a max of 3 sheet of cookies in my oven at once.  Usually, I only put in two.  The best way to get the best cookies is to set the timer for the minimum time stated in the recipe (usually, if at 350 degrees, about 8-9 minutes), and switch and flip the cookie sheets.
7.  When using food dye, don't put in too many drops at one time: you can always add to intensify the color, but you cannot take out!  Put one drop in, then mix, and repeat.
8.  When rolling out dough on the counter top, if it is a bread-based dough, like for pies, biscuits, and bread, it is a very good idea to use a bit of flour on the counter top, so the dough doesn't stick.  If you are rolling out and cutting cookies, you usually do not need to use flour, unless the dough is overly-sticky.  When doing pinwheel cookies, use two pieces of wax paper and roll the dough between them, as to make placing it on top of the other piece of dough way easier.
9.  When stir-frying chicken, most stir-fry recipes call for oil.  Oil usually is very good for you, but I am automatically inclined to go the least-calorie route, so I use water.  Oil gives the dish more flavor, but for a healthy base, water is just fine.  Adding the lemon juice adds a bit of needed zing.
10.  Do not over-bake chicken (or any meat for that matter).  Chicken should just hit 160-165 degrees, and then it is done.  Over-baking will cause the chicken to lose it's water and it will become dry.  Trust the thermometer--it will not lie!

Thank you, everyone for the support I have gotten so far with this blog!  Keep checking back for more fun surprises! :)