HOW TO PREPARE some special ingredients the quick, easy way!

Place it on waxed paper set in bowl over boiling water.

Place it in a small bowl set in a wire strainer over boiling water.

Remove melted chocolate from bowl or paper with rubber scraper.

PREPARING NUTS

Some foods look and taste their best if the nuts in them are in big chunks. In others, the nuts should be in smaller pieces. The recipes tell you just how.

Broken Nuts: It’s quick and easy to break nuts with fingers into about ⅓-inch chunks.	Cut-Up Nuts: Cut with scissors (works better than knife) into about ¼-inch pieces.	Coarsely Chopped Nuts: Chop with long, straight knife. Hold point against cutting board, chop crisply through spread out nuts—swinging handle around in quarter circle.
TOAST NUTS: to be sure they will taste fresh. Heat through in moderate oven.

Finely Chopped Nuts: Chop same as for Coarsely Chopped, but into finer pieces.	Blanched Nuts: Drop shelled nuts into boiling water. Let stand 2 to 5 minutes (until skins are loosened). Pour off hot water, add some cold. Pinch each nut between thumb and finger to push off skins, and lay nuts on plate or paper toweling to dry.	Sliced or Slivered Nuts: First blanch ... then cut with very sharp knife while nuts are moist and warm.

	Ground Nuts: Use fine knife of food grinder for finely ground ... coarse knife for coarsely ground. Nuts should be dry.