Tips and Tricks
 

I thought it would be a great idea to start a thread where we can all share our tips/tricks when it comes to cooking. It'll surely benefit us all! ;)

I'll start by mentioning two things (maybe this'll help you understand what kind of tips/tricks I want you to share)

1. No one likes to cut onions because the juice irritates the eyes. I've discovered that if you cut the onions standing below a range hood going at a medium speed then it's not a problem at all..

2. There's nothing worse than accidently putting too much salt into the meal you're preparing. Just put in a peeled potato and let it simmer for 20-30 minutes and it will absorb all the salt!

your turn :D

Squeezing a lemon over apples will keep them from browning as quickly.

There's my cliche tip.

Submerging in water works well too :D

Also, rolling the lemon on the table will loosen the membrane and make it juicier for when you squeeze in on your lemons.

That's a great tip. Before my kitchen at work was renovated, there was a spot with great air circulation that made chopping onions painless. The new kitchen has no such sweet spot. You can also throw the onions into the freezer for a few minutes before you cut them.

If you're slicing meat (like for a stir-fry), do so when the meat is still partially frozen, this makes it much easier to get really thin slices.

excellent tips Rockzilla - gotta remember those!

Remember to let your meat sit for a few minutes before slicing, so you don't lose any of the juices. Also, for thick cuts of meat, try searing each side of it. This too will help to retain the juices during cooking.

Also, if you've been working with garlic with bare hands, try rubbing your hands on a piece of stainless steel under the faucet for a few seconds (like a spoon). It should get rid of the smell.

Thank you so much for that tip Warwagon!!! You have no idea how many years that particular problem has annoyed me! :lol:

[*]a slice of apple in hardened brown sugar, softens it up again.
[*]Spraying plastic containers with nonstick cooking spray before putting in a tomato-based sauce will help prevent stains to the container.
[*]To know whether an egg is fresh or not, immerse it in a pan of cool, salted water. If it sinks, it is fresh. If it rises to the surface, throw it away
[*]Add 1/4 tsp. of baking powder per quart of potatoes while mashing them and they will be fluffy, smooth, and more tasty

Olive oil is a godsend for BBQing.


1) Mist veggies when grilling to avoid burning them.
2) Coat any meat to keep it from burning on the outside.
3) Coat fish when BBQing. This negates the use of tin foil. Coat the fish on both sides and wait until it stops sticking to the grill to flip. This takes a little practice to get your timing down. However, you end up with wonderful tasting fish (especially with charcoal).

--edit--
what is flig? changed it to flip. My spelling is uber crappy :)

a little vinegar on copper pots keep them shiney

But do you know why cutting an onion stings your eyes? When you cut into the membrane of an onion, it releases sulphuric particles into the air. If the particles reach a moist surface (like your eyes), you have sulphuric acid. No wonder it stings.

Anyway, one of my favorite tips, add a pinch of kosher salt into your sweet baked goods (cookies, brownies and the like). It won't dissolve completly in the batter so you will get a subtle salt taste in every few bites. It helps counter the sticky sweetness of some confections.

For you (canned) tuna lovers, this trick also works for THAT smell...
(wonder what it is about that stainless?)...also does it work for
other smells? BAD BREATH, stick a spoon in your mouth?

A flat onion is sweeter than a round one.

Poke a hole with a pin in the round end of an egg to stop it from cracking while boiling.

Some salt in your frying pan will keep the grease from splattering.

Heat your pan before you add oil to prevent sticking.

Bashing a coconut over your mother-in-laws head is an easy way to open it.;) yes I mean the coconut..

Kiss the cook.:icare:

Don't thank me, thank Martha Stewart? She may be a corrupt bitch, but at least my hands don't stink.

As long as we're talking onion so much, another way to reduce tears is to leave the root end of the onion on while slicing. Most of the acid is at this end of the onion, so this keeps it from getting into the air.
Works!

thank you so much for that particular tip! I've always hated when the grease is splattering all over the place, grrrr! :p

Some more BBQ tips, since I love to grill so much :D

Keep that grill clean! No matter what. I like to clean it anytime I take somthing off the grill. Invest in a nice grill brush, one with replaceable heads. Charcoal Companion sells some nice ones.

Oil it down. As Poly said olive oil is perfect for this. Before you put anything on the grill lubricate it with some olive oil. This will keep things from sticking and give a nice surface to grill on. A peice of fat will work here also.

For a nice cross hatch look on the meat cook it for 2 mins on one side, flip, 2 mins the other side, flip again but rotate the cut 45. Do this to the other side once again an you got some quality lookin meat!

Especially when cooking without an apron and shirt!!!

here's my tip:

never let your meat loaf.

Here's a simple one for anyone who has trouble with food sticking to your pan.

Hot pan + cold oil = food won't stick.

Give it a try! Heat the pan first as you would normally only wait until the pan is hot before adding your oil. The addition of cold oil plus your food that you will be preparing will result in food that won't stick to the pan. :thumbsup:

to peal peaches (and some other hard to peal fruits) poach them by putting each in boiling water for 10 seconds and then dropping into ice water. The skins come right off.

That trick works great for peeling tomatoes too...

Hey....I already said that ^^^^:p;)

to dice an onion, instead of slicing a 'grid' before hand, just make 5-7 cuts radialy (_\|/_ Kind of).

Wooden skewers are the unsung heros of any kitchen, buy some and marvel at all the ways you find yourself using them.

Soak all poultry/fish in a salt water brine for juicier food.

Place frozen fish/poultry in a bowl under running tapwater for fast thawing without a microwave.

A piece of bread also works well for softening brown sugar.

When trying to cut warm desserts, use a plastic knife, and the dessert (ie brownies) won't stick and come off when you remove the knife.

I've always heard that running a steam of cold water while cutting onions will help with the sting of cutting those damn tasty things.

Also, not only kiss the cook, make out with him/her damn it! Cooks need love too!

I like cutting onions. I don't know why, but it's just fun to do battle with them.

also, any moist object placed in a (mostly) sealed container with borwn sugar will soften it. No need to waste good bread or apples, throw in a moist paper towel or whatnot. The water evaporating from the wet thing will diffuse into the dry thing.

yay! another great tip!

I've never been able to cut cakes into neat little pieces but I can now! *runs down to the store to get plastic knives* :D

Which reminds me. I've been meaning to get an apron with "Blow The Chef" printed on it.

Probably a very common tip but when cooking cake or brownies when you take it out of the oven stick in a toothpick. If it comes out clean its done, if there is cake on it, its not done yet.

I used this just last night while baking my cake haha... guess you learn some things innately from being around a mom while growing up.

Marinate meat in ziploc bags in the fridge. Squeeze out the air and the meat is completely covered in marinade. Takes up less fridge space, and is easier to clean up, too.

Here's an easy one that everyone probably knows already, but It's pretty much all I can offer :D

To prevent water from boiling over, add some salt to it

if you're boiling pasta that requires garlic, put the cloves ***unpeeled*** in water with the pasta - when the pasta is done and drained, fish out the cloves and just gently squeeze the garlic out of the skin...

left over steak you want to stir fry - slice it at an angle and add it as the last for just a few minutes - it will come out hot and still tender...

if you're gonna saute a great deal of burger for say pasta sauce or shepherd's pie - place the cooked burger in a large bowl and make a well in the center - the excess fat will puddle in the middle where you add bar sized ice cubes - the fat will coagulate and then easily removed - neat trick - beats draining in the sink...

speaking of draining fat(s) in the sink - if you're on a septic system - it's the worst thing you can do...

having lobster or cracked crab - rinse your hands in fresh squoze lemon juice...

fresh veggies keep their snap and color if sprinkled with a pinch of salt before cooking...

using extra virgin olive oil in a skillet - add a table spoon of ***butter*** to the pan to reduce smoking...

potato salad that reqire eggs - add the eggs when you boil the potatoes - save cleaning another pot...

to peel a garlic clove, set it on a paper towel, put the flat a chef's knife over it, and strike the knife with your palm. Comes right off.

To get avocado out easy, cut it in half, pop out the pit, then slice a grid pattern through the meat of the avocado. Now turn the skin inside out and the cubes pop off.

th
That's the easiest way to cut up a mango too... thought Ihave yet to figure out how to get than danged pit out.. but the grid pattern makes it much less of a chore.

add oil to boiling water will keep it from boiling over

that doesn't seem to work for me :confused:

great tip - thanks! :cool:

left over bread = croutons

aftger it gets hard,
but before it gets moldy...

cube left over bread
toss in olive oil and dried herbs
(i like oregano and basil,
but i imagine you could use anything green)
toast in the oven at 375-400F until brown & crisp
maybe 5 - 10 minutes.

cooks illustrated has tips and tricks
at the front of their mag every month.
some are lame, some are good.
check it out.

don't put potato peels down the garbage disposal, your pipes get clogged with mashed potatoes. i learned this (and quite a bit about plumbing) the hard way.

Instead of going through a zillion napkins while eating BBQ anything (ribs, chicken, whatever) dip your hands in a bowl of cold water with lemon, then blot dry on a towel. Rinse and degrease your hands all in one step!

Another way to peel onions without the sting is to fill the sink with water and peel them submerged.

salt in water just raise'e the boiling point of the water the best way to keep a pot from boiling over is to butter the rim. take a stick of butter and run it around the inside of the rim of the pot (the top inch or so). when the foam raise's it reachs the buttered portion and can't grip the sides of the pot.
works wonders

banana peels either...

I would disagree with this tip when making pasta because I find the pasta will have a fine oily film on it afterwards that will prevent the sauce from sticking and clinging to it.

A little variation on what's been mentioned...

Tired of stale cookies/bars/desserts? Add a slice of bread to the container these particular items are kept in. Stays fresher, longer.

Put a paper towel / napkin in with salad (zipper bag or tupperware) to absorb excess moisture and keep the greens from getting slimy.

excellent tip RippedSock1 - I had forgotten all about that one!

SparklingDot: does that really work? Coz..I'm tired of my pasta salat end up getting slimey they day after :|

Here's a tip for cast iron pots/pans/dutch ovens, never wash them with soap. The first few times you use them, cook something greasy (bacon, hamburger or something similar). This will help "season" them.

When done cooking, fill it with water and let it boil. Then scrape whatever is leftover with a PLASTIC scraper. Dry it, add some oil to a paper towel and "paint" the inside of the pan/pot with the oil and put away.

Nancy, I've never had problems with slimy pasta salad, but i suppose it might work. you might try keeping half of the sauce separate and adding just enough to flavor the salad.

Don't refrigerate tomatoes, they lose their flavor that way. Always take bananas out of the bag when you get home or they will ripen much faster than you might want.

When making rice cripsy treats, add a little vanilla for a richer flavor. Also coat the spatula and dish with cooking spray so they won't stick.

Have a piece of steak left over from dinner, that looks like it might make a tasty lunch? Heat a skillet (iron is best), place several large lettuce leaves in the bottom, plop the steak on top of them, and put a couple more on top. You can cover pan or not, but steaks comes out in a few minutes, hot, but not "well done". If you like steak well done, you should be allowed to have them anyway!

A handfull of Froot Loops also is nice in Rice Crispie treats.

Wadded up tin-foil is great for cleaning a warm bbq grill... :)

if cooking pasta ahead of time oil on the pasta keeps it from becoming a ball of pasta depends on the preparation

And for chicken, after washing it off, can be put in the freezer with marinade in bag. When it is defrosting in fridge, it keeps on marinading. Works best with chicken and pork.

Buy quality cookware (esp. knives), learn about food particularily different cuts of meat, fish and poultry and how to prepare,cook and serve them. Knowing the difference between good and mediocre products will make the difference in how they are readied for consumption. A great piece of meat can be spendid if done right but a lesser cut can be as fulfilling if one knows what to do with it.

Okay, I'm a nerd, but I used to have a really severe tearing reaction to onions. I knew it was the sulfur compounds irritating the eyes, so I decided to get my old lab goggles from freshman chem. I put them on, they kept the fumes out, and I was dorky but not crying. :D

I had two, but looks like shakran beat me to one of them.

The other is using that little bit of leftover red wine that you keep for cooking to remove the seared beef/chicken/what-have-you from your searing pan or pot. Just leave it in there overnight and it should come off easier in the morning.

If you have a problem peeling oranges (or grapefruits if you do) ie to juicy, small pieces at a time,...use a teaspoon gently under the skin to peel it off. Works everytime.

With all the new TFP'ers coming all the time perhaps it's time to revive this thread so they can benefit from these tips and tricks as well :)

If you add too much pepper, add a bit of sugar. The sugar counteracts the pepper. (Don't ask me why...I just know it works!)

^^great tip! I've never tried adding to much pepper to a dish but now I know how to deal with it if I ever do :)

Another trick to cut onions is to put water on it after you peel the skin off.

My grandma uses this trick. I've always wondered how the bread invariably dries into a crusty brick in order to keep the cookies nice and soft, and never the other way around. I'm not complaining, though.

for onoins hold a wooden match in your teeth (unlit please)

When you buy non organic carrots, celery, or parsley, fill up a bowl with water and let the vegetables sit in the water for a day. Change the water and repeat. This will help remove any residual pesticides resulting in better flavor. Also, be sure to peel the carrots before soaking them.

For chopping onions, track down a product called The Alligator. Since I got mine, chopping onions has become a complete no brainer. This is the best gadget I've found in recent months.

For making coffee, if you're seriously into coffee flavor, track down a Chemex coffee maker on EBAY. Because you heat your water separately, you can control the water temperature hitting the coffee grounds, 165-180 F, for better flavor. Also, the Chemex filters are fantastic.

..and then what's suppose to happen? :hmm:

hey it works for me and many other people i have told to try it while cutting onions not sure how or why it works but it does for most people.
either that or cut a few hundred pounds of onions and try to build up a tollerence

Another way to season a pan is to add some oil to cover the bottom and heat it up until it starts smoking. This will fill in all the tiny scratches and coat the surface with a non-stick layer. However if you use detergent it'll remove all the oil so just clean with hot water as GoT says.

Another tip.... if you want to crush garlic but don't have a pestel and morter or a crusher you can do this: sprinkly some salt on the clove and use the flat of a knife to crush it - it turns into a mush, maybe because the salt crystals cut it all up? Don't add salt later on to the dish.

If you use raw spices like cumin, mustard seeds and coriander or mixes like marsalas then you should cook them first. Indians call this method 'tarka' - in hot oil put in the spices a fry for a few seconds until they pop. Add onions and fry until soft. This is the basis for many Indian dishes.

Can't think of anything else atm....

David

Tinned meat (I've used fried dace) is much tender if you stir-fry it.

If you're using pre-cooked noodles, don't forget to cut it into smaller pieces, or it becomes a huge ball of mess that nobody can move.

I think someone said that chewing gum prevents you from crying when chopping onions.

Salt(vegetable)/Soy sauce(meat) + oil + garlic + whatever you want + stirfry = possibly the easiest thing to make.

when boiling potatoes, leave a wooden spoon across the top of the pot to prevent boiling over. i have no idea why but it works.

pull everything out and measure it before you start. it really takes less time and easier to clean.

wash while you wait. time to lean means you have time to clean.

put a wet towel underneath the cutting board to stop sliding.

always cook for the minimum time, check, then cook longer.

for moister brownies and cakes, add another egg.

after hard boiling eggs put them in a pan with cold water to cover and shake side to side. breaks shells for easy peeling.

warning - before reading this, please understand that I'm delirious with adrenaline, cannabis, and alcohol after a decent 8 hour shift on the line. my tips and tricks may be convoluted, and my sentences senseless, but I'm trying, goddamnit.

when prepping everything in large amounts, do everything in single steps. for example - let's say you required a large quantity of garlic, like 4 or 5 heads. Instead of peeling off individual cloves and peeling them with the aid of your paring knife, do each step all at once. step 1: seperate the cloves from the root, discarding as much peel as possible. step 2: lay your garlic out on a cutting board, and with a chef's knife, cut the root from each garlic, holding the edge on the board and pulling the clove up and back from the blade. by doing this, you eliminate the unusable root portion of the clove and get a good start on peeling the clove itself. step 3: go back through the cloves, peeling the rest of the skin.

don't be fooled by chef tony. don't buy shit from wal-mart. you need, in your entire cooking life, a maximum of 4 knives. 1. Chef's knife, whichever size feels more comfortable. 2. Paring knife, for all those pretty tomato roses, all that aspic and presentation related stuff that you do to impress your guests. 3. Offset serrated knife. With this tool in hand, you can never complain - bread, fruit, veggies, meat, tree bark, and human craniums are all easily cut through by these useful, useful bastards. 4. a slicer. this is completely optional, but looks tight and is fun to use. As far as I can tell, the members of this forum are reasonably internet saavy people - research before you purchase.

don't ruin pasta. if you have children, don't bring them up on overcooked mush. cook your noodles in salted water until biting them gives resistance, but has just lost the stiff starchiness in the center of the noodle. strain your pasta but do not rinse with cold water. this is the reason why you don't cook the noodles completely in the water. carry over heat will bring your noodles to the perfect condition for saucing as you lay your noodles out on a sheet pan with parchment paper (or foil), tossing lightly with olive oil. keep the sheet pan near your bubbling sauce, checking the temperature until the pasta is just below the steam coming from your sauce (of course, this is variable on your perception, so be careful).

embrace lard. it is one of God's greatest gifts. use it to fry your breakfast egg with a bit of diced onion, garlic, jalapeno, and tomato. marinate pork with your favorite recipe and instead of grilling/sauteeing, make it confit - place the marinated meat into a pot and melt lard until the meat is covered - bring this to a slow simmer and cook it for two hours, and when you fish out that piece of meat, you will perceive heaven.

I've got more. I could fill this thread to 10 pages. But right now I've gotta watch futurama.

I've made duck confit with the rendered fat of previous ducks. Damn good stuff and worth the effort.:thumbsup:

When I was a kid, I thought that sugar and salt evened each other out. I remember once adding some sugar to water, finding it too sweet, adding salt to compensate; it tasted bad so more sugar, then salt etc... That was pretty bad by the end :lol:

when cooking add one spice at a time and wait a few minutes before adding the next spice to get maximum flavor.

my recipe tip:

Bacon Grease - 1tbs can do wonders for flavor, especially to pasta. When I make carbonara, I always add a tablespoon or two of bacon grease, and it makes a world of difference.

dried mushrooms rehydrated in brandy and cream taste like heaven. just figured that one out tonight.

Exactly! But no matter what I do Loverboy doesn't seem to get that. You should see the mess he's capable of making while cooking :rolleyes:

Adding a bit of honey to baked good will help them stay moist, it has a chemical that draws in water.

Regularly sharpen your knives either on a steel or arkansas stone. My parents had a knife that was very dull, basically just pushed its way through things, I spent a few hours sharpening it and now it is their sharpest knife.

I'm not much of a cook, but I've discovered this little tidbit...

Don't store bananas and bread in the same area. The bread will absorb the banana flavor and ruin it.

Here's a great camping tip...I always take a bunch of those disposable foil cake pans or roasting pans with me. That way you can make as big a mess and you want cooking your scrambled eggs (or creamed corn or whatever) and there's no messy pot to clean up afterwards - just throw it away. (Normally I'm very conscious about throwing stuff out but this is an exception.....I hate to scrub out pots and pans when I'm camping!!!)

If you are using dried herbs, you also get a lot more flavor if you rub them in your hands first before putting them in the pot -- there's some technical reason for it it's like the heat from your hands releases some of the spices oils... particularly good for dried basil and oregano.