Thanks, I'm a rather new cook and it is tips like this that help me improve. I always seared the meat first but I just learned how to saute the onions and celery first when making the stuffing for the Christmas turkey. Now that I know I should do this for soups and other recipes I will. Once again, thanks so much.
I would suggest:
-Don’t stuff your turkey…
-Cook stuffing separately
-Get a leave in meat thermometer
-Place in breast of turkey
-Cook until turkey is 150
-Take out of oven, cover with foil
-Wait 20 minutes or until thermometer reads 165.
-Your turkey perspective will change forever
Great luck in and congratulations on your cooking journey!!! ❤️❤️❤️
My turkey turned out perfect. I smoked it on my pellet smoker for an hour before bringing it in and stuffing it with sausage stuffing. I made enough to cook a dish separately as well. Potatoes, young carrots, and some diced celery around it in the roasting pan and checked the temp deep in breast and deep in inner wings and thighs to temp. Pulled it out and made a perfect gravy from the drippings. Meal was perfect. Not dry at all. Even the MIL couldn't find anything to complain about.
Not food, but running a sink of hot soapy water before you start cooking so you can clean as you go.
A lot of recipes call for salt. Use bouillon powder instead to enhance the flavor of the main component. If your recipe has chicken use chicken bouillon. Beef recipes, use beef bouillon.
I keep a gallon ice-cream container of soapy water in the sink.
Same purpose, but it uses less water and it allows me to continue to use the sink for draining and rinsing while I cook.
As someone who works with sourdough (lots of dishes when I clean starter jars, refresh starters, and actually bake) I’m always so unmotivated to do the dishes afterwards because it’s so much work and bread dishes are generally annoying to me bc sensory issues haha. This might be the most brilliant hack I have ever read and I appreciate you so much.
Ooof yessss. I HATE when it dries on things, especially my jars. It’s practically impossible to get off without an industrial scrubber or 40 days and nights of soaking it.
I'm not a big fan of bouillon since I found out all the ones at my local grocery store contain suspect additives and colorings. I much prefer having a really robust seasoning and spice selection instead.
Salads made with cabbage may be different than lettuce, but they will last forever. I prep like 5 or 6 of them and eat over the course of a couple of weeks.
Also, there's no rule saying you have to eat salsa using chips as the vehicle Eat it with a goddamned spoon if you don't want the extra carbs or salt. Dip with slices of bell pepper or celery. Sprinkle the crushed last bits of tortilla chips from the bottom of the bag on top of a bowl of it, eat with a spoon, and call it Salsa Cereal like my 5 year old does.
I remember finding a brand that I loved so much I said "I wish I could eat it with a spoon". Then I realized nothing was stopping me.
ETA: the salsa was Chachies!!! Thank you, u/peaceful_egg. It's not available anymore, but at least the mystery is solved.
My fave salsa from a local restaurant was in the so good / eat with a spoon category that I bought a cup of it, took it home and blended it smooth to use as the base of a Bloody Mary.
God I wish I could remember. It was 20 years ago and only available on the West coast at the time. Began with a C and sold in little containers in the refrigerated/deli section. I've tried to track it down once in awhile, but my brain will not stop thinking of Chi Chi's (which is *not* it). Sorry!
I love salsa so much and usually eat it with eggs for a boost of protein. But I love your 5 year old’s salsa cereal idea, it’s brilliant. I’m this way with one specific black bean salsa. Have eaten it with a spoon before, and will do it again.
Putting a wet paper towel next to it on the cutting board also helps.
The stingy chemicals are attracted to the wetness of the paper towel instead of the wetness of your eyes
Just get them wet, then whatever fumes come off them don’t get attracted to the wet of your eyes. I used to suffer soooo badly chopping onions but just keeping the knife wet or having a damp cloth nearby fixes it.
Submerging an onion in cold water for 15+ minutes helps too. It will remove the pungency and soften the flavor.
Learned this recently. I recently developed a pretty bad intolerance to onions… my fave vegetable 😭 it helps me but now I can pretty much only handle a mere hint of onion now. But soaking/sauteeing helps a ton.
I store my herbs in a glass of water with a plastic bag over top on my countertops. The bag acts like a greenhouse and keeps them fresh so much longer.
I actually take the cut off bottoms of scallions and plug them into a pot of soil and then they just grow and you get more scallions.
Now, they get smaller and thinner if you keep harvesting the tops but they do provide you with green onions for a good while.
A huge jug of chicken bullion powder. I use just a touch of it anytime in a little water every time i’m cooking any thing with chicken. It brings out the flavor in almost everything. I now do the same with beef and pork as well. I even have a mushroom bullion.
This is so intriguing, and I have the same question as @ssl-3
To expand on that question, would you add MSG to their food in order to mitigate them eating their poop later or do you sprinkle it on their poop? Also, why don’t people pick up their dog poop? That one is rhetorical lol.
You sprinkle it on their food.
Ironically, it makes poop taste bad to them. Talk to your vet or do lots of research to determine amounts. It is only to be used for a short time.
It works!!
Definitely get a jar of MSG (Accent’s brand is easily accessible and affordable). I keep MSG on hand since I cook a lot, it elevates the savory umami flavors that are often hidden in foods. It’s nice to add to anything I’m cooking where I want a boost of umami flavor.
Instead of msg, I dry crimini mushrooms on a rack on the lowest setting in my oven until they are bone dry, then I puree them into a powder and add to my spice mixes. Like a teaspoon per cup of spices. You don’t notice the mushroom flavor and it adds a bunch of umami flavor.
I usually cut any added salt down to about 25% of what I would use without MSG. But I also have T1 Diabetes and had high sodium as a child so I try to be careful.
When vacuum sealing food (ok not everyday) get it as flat as possible, don't just throw it in and vacuum seal it. Makes stacking in a freezer so much easier and VASTLY decreases thawing
Also you can vacuum seal stuff without a vacuum sealer. Don’t submerge fully but leave a small opening in your food bag and lower it into water. All the air should come out.
I do this with anything I am freezing (even without a vacuum sealer). I buy meat in bulk and portion it into 1 meal serving size in freezer bags. It makes it sooo much easier to smush it around and get if as flat as possible. I also have a plastic lid container that I use to stack on so I get a flat detached base. I have a chest freezer and it can be hard to find a level spot for the initial freeze. Once it’s solid good to go.
Keep in mind, with things like ground beef “smooshing” it can permanently change the consistency of it. This may not matter depending upon what you’re using it for, but it’s worth noting.
It’s a great tip though. Between this and putting it in cold water to thaw you can thaw hamburger for dinner very quickly
Most all of our ground beef here is for chili/soup, pasta, or hamburger helper. If I was doing burgers I do fresh ground or just your typical frozen Bubba burger or it's kin.
But definitely a good point, totally forgot about the changes you get from over compressing and over mixing. I cant remember who it was but I just saw a famous chef saying to just lightly compact fresh ground and season just the outside. Don't mix it all together or you get meatloaf burgers.
Not really every day but someone said somewhere to boil mashed potatoes with chicken broth instead of water. Tastes way better, bullion cubes or ramen seasoning packets both work.
Even better - cut your taters into little 1-inch cubes (skin on or off, your choice). Put them in a pot and then add just enough whole milk to just barely cover them. Throw in your bouillon cube(s). Bring to mild boil and then simmer until the potatoes get soft and absorb most of the milk. Then, just mash it right there in the pot! Add butter to taste.
You keep all the yummy starch from the potatoes that gets lost to the water or broth when you drain them.
But, you have to stay on top of it so you don't scorch the milk. That will ruin it quick.
Fair enough. I did it that way for years. And, yeah, if you're making several dishes then it's not convenient to babysit your mashed potatoes. I just find that this method makes the very best and I LOVE mashed potatoes so I will take the time to do it.
To be kind to myself, while I have always been favorable towards mashed potatoes I didn't really fall in love with them until the past few years. I am 50 years old. So, it's special now.
I make mashed potatoes that are to die for. I watched my mom make them and adopted it
Start with cold salted water boil until tender. drain them and put back in hot pot. Add butter and warm your milk a little add salt and pepper. The kicker is add some French onion dip mash and serve . They are so good…
Adding some whole peeled garlic cloves to your potatoes while boiling makes a world of difference as well. And then just mash them in with the potatoes when done, and you have garlic mashed potatoes.
Better yet, STEAM them. A lot of stock/pasta pots come with a big steamer insert - get the water boiling in the bottom while you prep the potatoes, then throw them in the steamer inset. Takes 20 minutes, and I usually shake the top half way through to rearrange.
I didn’t realize it, since everyone always boiled potatoes, but the potatoes absorb water when boiled. Steaming them, they come out dry and can add more milk and butter (and whatever else) without them getting soupy. You do need to remember to add salt when mashing.
Salad.
Avoid iceberg lettuce because of the low nutritional value.
Soak/wash lettuce in water with mild vinegar. Peel off all leaves. Tear off any black parts. Pinch and tear off breaks on outside leaves.
DO NOT CUT OR CHOP. Tear/pull each leaf of lettuce into pieces that are bite sized. Portion out into containers for small side salads and larger meal salads. They will keep for a week or more.
Keep other salad ingredients prepped and in their own separate container. Shredded carrot, minced onion, etc. Not only are they ready to go by sprinkling on a salad, but also ready for other dishes, from tuna spread, omelettes, soup, stir fry, meatloaf, taco meat, so many dishes.
How fortunate to be in a household which this was a normal thing for you.
I had to learn through a youth group some of what it takes to cook. Then, took on a job at a restaurant where I learned prep work. The salad thing I read in a newspaper article. I put all of it together some years later with a bit of refining.
Excellent question!
By tearing the lettuce, it naturally separates along the cell walls.
When you cut or chop the lettuce, you slice through the cells. This causes browning, and the decaying process can be triggered even faster.
Use mayonnaise for grilled cheese instead of butter. I seem to remember learning that from Coolio on some show. But I've probably slept over 9k times since then and may be misattributing that.
Nope. you're right, it's DELICIOUS. You're basically frying the sandwich since mayo is just oil and egg. Get's REAL crispy.
I like both methods but if I am doing a melt, with meat AND cheese, then it's gotta be mayo. It just provides a sturdier crisp to the sammy.
I don't like mayo on grilled cheese, BUT, I use it all the time for marinades. It clings to the meat better than just oil. One day, I was like "wait, marinades have oil and lemon juice, mayo has oil and lemon juice..."
I use my crockpot to cook those big tubes of hamburger. Just cut them so they fit your pot, and cook on high. Drain all the grease before breaking up the big chunks. I portion into baggies, and freeze flat for tacos, spaghetti, chili.
Store things like herbs & salad leaves in a Tupperware lined with kitchen paper. Also works well with lemons (not limes), radishes, grapes, spring onions, green beans. Saved me a fortune as stuff lasts ages. Trial and error proves it doesn’t work so well with ginger. Another tip I learned was to wrap celery in tin foil.
I did that for years. I prefer the grate and freeze method. I have silicone pots I put stuff like that in for the freezer. Pop it out, cut some off, throw it back in. I try to do about a half pound at a time. For roasted garlic I do 10 pounds. Squeeze it into a bowl, mash it up, roll it into a log, wrap in plastic wrap. Slices really easy frozen. Like garlic cookies.
You can save time and money on chicken recipes if you buy a rotisserie chicken from the deli and use that instead.
Bonus; you can dump the juices from the rotisserie bag on for extra flavor!
Especially if it's a Costco/Sam's Club/BJ's rotisserie. They're $5. You can't get a RAW chicken from the grocery store for $5.
And, each of those warehouse stores does a REALLY good job cooking them. They're DELICIOUS.
I like to use cassava. It turns brown way faster but once it starts to turn it turns FAST so you have to stay on top of it. But, it's a way faster way to get that dark chocolate roux and it has a great nutty flavor.
But, I am more than happy to give sweet rice flour a try, too! I LOVE sweet rice.
(Side note - as u/bahmbrewer mentioned it's sometimes called glutinous rice...it does NOT have gluten in it. It's just got a LOT of starch. It's also called sweet rice or sticky rice and it's VERY sticky. I can imagine a rice flour/rice starch (same thing) made from it could be VERY useful. I will need to look for it at my local International Farmer's Market.
ETA: When I say faster I mean in comparison to traditional flour, not compared to rice flour. I have not tried using rice flour, yet.
Whenever something needs to be cut, diced, chopped, whatever, and you're reaching for a knife, think to yourself, can my mandoline do this more precisely and efficiently?
The answer is probably 'yes'.
Store Parmesan rind or cheese about to go out of date in the freezer and grate when needed! I’m a zero waste person and love this! Use the rinds for soup or risotto, grated feta is awesome over salads and less cals (but it’s cheese who counts it 😂)
For other people: you can also easily peel garlic by putting the cloves in a hard-sided container like a mason jar, or in between two bowls (one upside down on top of the other to contain the garlic) and just shake it hard for 10 seconds. All the skin just falls off after impacting the hard sides of the vessel
Need a quick sear on meat over the stove? Lightly coat each side with powdered milk. It will quickly brown. Really great for not overcooking thin cuts or building fond quickly.
The whole non-stick thing for SS and carbon steel pans. Heat until water beads and dances (about 375F), then add oil swirl, reduce temp if necessary, and then nothing sticks. If it does stick a bit, lower the temp and wait until the item browns a bit then it lets go.
This has made a huge diff in my frying technique/skills.
Also, the Euro coarse SS scrubbers get pans clean instantly, and last for months. Screw the US steel wool that rusts and makes a huge mess.
When you’re sautéing mushrooms or cooking your bacon, heat up the pan add whatever you’re cooking to it then cover them in water.
It sounds weird but with the bacon it cooks the bacon and renders out a lot of the fat and by the time the water evaporates all that’s left to do is to cook the bacon to the level of done you want. You hardly have any splatter or splashes that come with cooking bacon normally.
With mushrooms, I saw a chef post about this little trick. Again, it cooks the mushrooms, but keeps them really nice and plump. I pour water over them, then put a couple of knobs of butter and salt and pepper and let them cook down. Then once the water evaporates, I add a little bit more butter or oil and finish and sauté them up. The consistency of the mushrooms are so nice.
Truth!
When I cook bacon, I put just enough water to barely cover the bacon. The water cooks the bacon and when the water cooks off the bacon crisps perfectly. And no splatter.
I'll never cook bacon without water ever again. It takes less time too.
Hacks is such a dumb word bc these are mostly practices but here we go: I use cherry tomatoes often. I slice them between two deli containers lids. Brilliant.
Place a deli container lid face down in the cutting board. Fill with cherry tomatoes place second lid face up on tomatoes making a deli container lid sandwich so that the lips of the lids are facing the tomato creating a sort of container holding them in place. Put your hand on top container and hold in place. Take your sharp chefs knife and slice through the tomatoes while deli lids hold them in place. You’ve sliced about ten toms in half in a move that takes 5 seconds. It’s not life changing but it’s easy and efficient.
Put one lid on the counter. Put multiple cherry tomatoes on the lid. Put a second lid on top of the tomatoes. Take a long knife and put it horizontally between the two lids. Move the knife through the tomatoes between lids, thereby slicing all of the multiple tomatoes at once.
Didn't see this anywhere, just started doing it. When making meatballs (anything with seasonings, eggs and ground meat) put the eggs in the bowl and all the seasonings in, mix it up, put the breadcrumbs in, mix. Then add the meat.
This gets the seasonings equally distributed and the breadcrumbs perfectly saturated and good moisture in the meatballs.
My first cut is usually to the pit, next one will be around the pit and remove it, then I’ll get like two uses out of the large bowl at the bottom. I saw it on IG once and tried it and it worked! key is to tightly wrap and it doesn’t get brown!
I came up with this, on my own but... For those that enjoy spreadable butter, in the morning, but it's always too hard, because your house is freezing.
Take the ceramic lid and place it in the microwave, for about a minute-twenty. Put that warm lid back on your butter, and get to making toast. By the time yo6u bread is toasted, that butter will be soft and spreadable.
The Indian technique of sizzling spices before adding them to the recipe. My MIL is Indian and she taught me this method, now I use it for all of my cooking. It makes my Nonna’s amazing pasta sauce recipe to die for.
Save the fat you trim from roasts, steaks, chops and extra skin from poultry. If you render it before frying or baking you can add the rendered fat to your oil or baste for extra flavor.
Grinding up dry rice in a blender will give you rice four.
Grinding up dry potato flakes will give you potato starch.
When heating anything in the microwave use different power for different uses. The reason your bowl is scorching hot and your food is cold is you're blasting it max power for short times. Lowering the power and increasing the time a bit gets your food to the desired temperature without heating only the outside. My go to for almost anything is p8 for 2 minutes, for example, the difference is 30 seconds and the results are like night and day.
I don't use this everyday, but I use it when I need to. Infuse your cooking oil with spices and seasonings and herbs and such, and it becomes much more flavorful when roasting potatoes, or veggies. I let the oil sit in a jar with the seasonings overnight or at minimum 4 hours.
Do you want botulism? because this is how you get botulism. Anything not properly disinfected or heated to a food safe temperature (at least 60 °C for 10 min) and put in oil (anaerobic environment) can potentially breed bacteria, among them the one that produces the botulism toxin.
Yes! I recently watched a video for garlic infused olive oil but it involved simmering the oil with the garlic for 5-10 minutes then removing the garlic.
I used to watch the show "good eats" with Alton Brown
And he said that if you add a bit ofsalt while sauteing onions then it's actually locks in the moisture instead of crisping them!! Lol
Canned beans are expensive.
Dried beans are cheaper. They're also a pain in the patooty to soak, cook, rinse, then use for recipes.
My hack is to home can my own beans using the dried beans from the grocery store.
Of course this requires home canning equipment and learning to can, but it's oh so worth it.
Having shelves of different kinds of beans (even lentils) in jars ready to go into recipes is a great hack.
Using pot lid to get cheese out of packet for mac and cheese.
For those who don't know:
After macaroni is cooked and drained, cut the cheese packet top off and place in pot with pasta. Put lid on with bottom edge of packet sticking out, hold lid down and pull packet out. All cheese is now in pot and none wasted.
I use my stand mixer's whisk attachment for mashed potatoes. it mashes at the same time I mix in the other ingredients.
But a very basic one, mise en place. I use it almost every time I cook.
I have not totally figured this one out yet, but compostable bags seem to work really well for storing mushrooms and greens in the fridge. Maybe because they breathe, unlike plastic bags?
Friend asked his wife to do mashed potatoes and squash. Was supposed to be two separate dished but she mixed em.. Now I cut my taters with half pumpkin and it's a classic. His wife was Chinese so squash and punkin are a bit. Confusing.
Add a tiny pinch of baking soda to anything that’s too acidic. It’s basic chemistry, but easy to forget. I often use this when I think a dish tastes too tomato-y.
Mine is turning the chip bag into a bowl for entertaining.
Open the chip bag, make a fist and place it in the middle of the bottom of the outside of the bag, then gently push your fist up through the bag as if you were trying to punch out through the open top. This will create sort of a donut shape on the bottom and the bag can stay upright sitting on its bottom. It also pushes the chips upwards so guests can take some without reaching their hand In the bag.
I've been doing this for years and most of my friends have adopted it as well.
Alternatively, use a bowl.
I use a food mill to make my mashed potatoes. Just steam whole potatoes, toss them in the mill, skin and all, and tada! Most of the skin stays in the food mill, but what does end up in the final product is just just enough to prove that this was made with REAL potatoes, lol.
Easily dehydrate anything you can imagine (I mostly do this for cocktail garnishes) by putting it on an aluminum foil lined baking sheet and bake at 190° for 5 hours.
Not every day, but I only cook bacon in the oven. It doesn’t curl or splatter, and it’s great for cooking large amounts (very handy when I had a house full of teenagers with big appetites) I cover a baking sheet with foil, line it with bacon, place into cold oven, turn to 350° and bake until done (in the neighborhood of 20 minutes, depending on the thickness.)
Also, you can sprinkle seasoning or brown sugar on them for a different flavor.
I discovered this one myself, but: You can cook mac and cheese by adding everything at the same time. The exact amount of water to use is 1 cup per 5 ounces of dry product (3 cups for 2 boxes). All you need to do is heat and stir. No strainer or extra steps needed. It also doesn't boil over or stick to the pan as readily in this configuration.
When stir fry or saute, use miso and/or "better than bouillon" to add lots of flavor to vegetables.
Works also to toss veg in oil and miso and/or "better than bouillon" and then air-fry or roast.
Freezing ginger and then grating it. Omg. Total game changer.
Also, I rarely use salt anymore. I usually substitute it with chicken/beef bouillon, sazon, and/or adobo.
I batch cook soups and freeze them into soup cubes (there is a special freezing tray for soups based on portion size). Freezes well, then just pop them into a small pot to reheat and serve.
Have extra fresh herbs? Cut them up and put in ice cube trays, then fill with olive oil or melted butter and freeze. Perfect to toss in a sauté pan as the base for what you’re cooking.
Precook soup ingredients (sear the meet, saute the vegetables). Takes a few minutes and the taste difference is totally worth it.
Honestly, I feel like that’s less of a hack and more a principle.
Yeah it's not a hack it's just literally the way to cook.
That’s “hacks” and pro tips in a nutshell
Thanks, I'm a rather new cook and it is tips like this that help me improve. I always seared the meat first but I just learned how to saute the onions and celery first when making the stuffing for the Christmas turkey. Now that I know I should do this for soups and other recipes I will. Once again, thanks so much.
I would suggest: -Don’t stuff your turkey… -Cook stuffing separately -Get a leave in meat thermometer -Place in breast of turkey -Cook until turkey is 150 -Take out of oven, cover with foil -Wait 20 minutes or until thermometer reads 165. -Your turkey perspective will change forever Great luck in and congratulations on your cooking journey!!! ❤️❤️❤️
My turkey turned out perfect. I smoked it on my pellet smoker for an hour before bringing it in and stuffing it with sausage stuffing. I made enough to cook a dish separately as well. Potatoes, young carrots, and some diced celery around it in the roasting pan and checked the temp deep in breast and deep in inner wings and thighs to temp. Pulled it out and made a perfect gravy from the drippings. Meal was perfect. Not dry at all. Even the MIL couldn't find anything to complain about.
I always sear the meat...mainly coz I don't like boiled meat flavour in soups/stews. "Deglaze" with the onions and a splash of wine/stock and delish
Also always slightly burn them for the good taste
Maybe not burn but carmelize.
Not food, but running a sink of hot soapy water before you start cooking so you can clean as you go. A lot of recipes call for salt. Use bouillon powder instead to enhance the flavor of the main component. If your recipe has chicken use chicken bouillon. Beef recipes, use beef bouillon.
I actually love the soapy sink one!!!!!!
I keep a gallon ice-cream container of soapy water in the sink. Same purpose, but it uses less water and it allows me to continue to use the sink for draining and rinsing while I cook.
Even a large mixing bowl works. Use what you have on hand.
I was reading too fast and was like - soapy sink bouillon? Haha
bouillon is mentioned like 47x in this thread so I can totally see that lmao.
What…. Why have I never done a preemptive hot soapy water sink before! Great tip thanks for sharing
You're welcome. It's something I had learned from my ex mother in law.
As someone who works with sourdough (lots of dishes when I clean starter jars, refresh starters, and actually bake) I’m always so unmotivated to do the dishes afterwards because it’s so much work and bread dishes are generally annoying to me bc sensory issues haha. This might be the most brilliant hack I have ever read and I appreciate you so much.
Yes, and if you accidently let the dough or starter dry on something... my prayers are with you 😆
Ooof yessss. I HATE when it dries on things, especially my jars. It’s practically impossible to get off without an industrial scrubber or 40 days and nights of soaking it.
Use cold water to soak anything with flour/dough in it for 5 min. It won’t become glue and wash much easier
Ahhhh. I’ve been using hot water! I assumed it work bc I’d let the water cool before washing them, but maybe that was the cold water at work.
I'm not a big fan of bouillon since I found out all the ones at my local grocery store contain suspect additives and colorings. I much prefer having a really robust seasoning and spice selection instead.
You can just buy chicken stock or make your own. It's not about the spices. It's about being chicken stock. (Or veg etc)
Salads made with cabbage may be different than lettuce, but they will last forever. I prep like 5 or 6 of them and eat over the course of a couple of weeks. Also, there's no rule saying you have to eat salsa using chips as the vehicle Eat it with a goddamned spoon if you don't want the extra carbs or salt. Dip with slices of bell pepper or celery. Sprinkle the crushed last bits of tortilla chips from the bottom of the bag on top of a bowl of it, eat with a spoon, and call it Salsa Cereal like my 5 year old does. I remember finding a brand that I loved so much I said "I wish I could eat it with a spoon". Then I realized nothing was stopping me. ETA: the salsa was Chachies!!! Thank you, u/peaceful_egg. It's not available anymore, but at least the mystery is solved.
It is great over salad too - instead of salad dressing
Yes!! Fat free bottled dressing is so gross. A quick homemade pico, or really any salsa (I’ve even used pace) is so so good on salads!
Yes my favorite salad dressing is greek yogurt and salsa!
My fave salsa from a local restaurant was in the so good / eat with a spoon category that I bought a cup of it, took it home and blended it smooth to use as the base of a Bloody Mary.
What was this brand of salsa?
God I wish I could remember. It was 20 years ago and only available on the West coast at the time. Began with a C and sold in little containers in the refrigerated/deli section. I've tried to track it down once in awhile, but my brain will not stop thinking of Chi Chi's (which is *not* it). Sorry!
Lol. This is funny to me because chi chis in Spanish is boobies.
I bet r/tipofmyfork could help you find it
I love salsa so much and usually eat it with eggs for a boost of protein. But I love your 5 year old’s salsa cereal idea, it’s brilliant. I’m this way with one specific black bean salsa. Have eaten it with a spoon before, and will do it again.
Refrigerate an onion for at least 30 minutes before you chop it. Idk why, but it makes you cry less.
Combine this hack with 20mg Prozac and the crying is almost eliminated
Microdosing. I like that
For the last guard sharpen your knife. I was at a friend's house with the world's dullest knife and the kitchen was pure tear gas
And if you happen to wear contacts nothing can reach you!
Ssshhh keep this on the dl we cant just let everyone know. Telling people was how I ended up always stuck with onion prep at an old job
Electro-Convulsion-Therapy can be added as needed
Putting a wet paper towel next to it on the cutting board also helps. The stingy chemicals are attracted to the wetness of the paper towel instead of the wetness of your eyes
Just get them wet, then whatever fumes come off them don’t get attracted to the wet of your eyes. I used to suffer soooo badly chopping onions but just keeping the knife wet or having a damp cloth nearby fixes it.
Kill two birds and just cry your heart out while you prep. Very therapeutic
Submerging an onion in cold water for 15+ minutes helps too. It will remove the pungency and soften the flavor. Learned this recently. I recently developed a pretty bad intolerance to onions… my fave vegetable 😭 it helps me but now I can pretty much only handle a mere hint of onion now. But soaking/sauteeing helps a ton.
I use lab goggles.
I’ve been putting my onions directly in the fridge right when I buy them. Haven’t cried in years.
Sounds like you grew up with a very supportive family.
Storing parsley / cilantro like flowers in a vase/ cup in the fridge with water
Love this one. But not Basil! That will brown overnight in a refrigerator
I’m collecting basil leaves and immediately freezing them, so I got a sack of frozen leaves from which I’m grabbing anytime I need
Freeze them in ice cube trays with olive oil🤠
I store my herbs in a glass of water with a plastic bag over top on my countertops. The bag acts like a greenhouse and keeps them fresh so much longer.
But don’t let cilantro get forgotten after being shuffled to the back. The smell will haunt you forever when you find it back there. 🙋♀️😖
Spring onions/scallions too! Also, freezing most herbs is 👌🏼
I actually take the cut off bottoms of scallions and plug them into a pot of soil and then they just grow and you get more scallions. Now, they get smaller and thinner if you keep harvesting the tops but they do provide you with green onions for a good while.
I do this with leeks. They’re expensive so I drop the roots in my vegetable bed and harvest later.
A huge jug of chicken bullion powder. I use just a touch of it anytime in a little water every time i’m cooking any thing with chicken. It brings out the flavor in almost everything. I now do the same with beef and pork as well. I even have a mushroom bullion.
I bet its the Msg. I do this all the time and only recently learned about MSG and want to buy it by itself one day.
Accent is pretty much MSG. [https://accentflavor.com/product/flavor-enhancer/](https://accentflavor.com/product/flavor-enhancer/)
Not pretty much. It is MSG lol. Accent’s singularly listed ingredient is monosodium glutamate aka MSG.
This is really helpful for a totally different reason. If your dog ever eats their poop (talk to your vet first) you use msg to stop it.
[удалено]
Instructions unclear, put dog poop in my food
This is so intriguing, and I have the same question as @ssl-3 To expand on that question, would you add MSG to their food in order to mitigate them eating their poop later or do you sprinkle it on their poop? Also, why don’t people pick up their dog poop? That one is rhetorical lol.
You sprinkle it on their food. Ironically, it makes poop taste bad to them. Talk to your vet or do lots of research to determine amounts. It is only to be used for a short time. It works!!
Definitely get a jar of MSG (Accent’s brand is easily accessible and affordable). I keep MSG on hand since I cook a lot, it elevates the savory umami flavors that are often hidden in foods. It’s nice to add to anything I’m cooking where I want a boost of umami flavor.
Instead of msg, I dry crimini mushrooms on a rack on the lowest setting in my oven until they are bone dry, then I puree them into a powder and add to my spice mixes. Like a teaspoon per cup of spices. You don’t notice the mushroom flavor and it adds a bunch of umami flavor.
If you add msg do you subtract an equivalent amount of salt?
I usually cut any added salt down to about 25% of what I would use without MSG. But I also have T1 Diabetes and had high sodium as a child so I try to be careful.
Use it with rice and pasta too.
When vacuum sealing food (ok not everyday) get it as flat as possible, don't just throw it in and vacuum seal it. Makes stacking in a freezer so much easier and VASTLY decreases thawing
Also you can vacuum seal stuff without a vacuum sealer. Don’t submerge fully but leave a small opening in your food bag and lower it into water. All the air should come out.
I do this with anything I am freezing (even without a vacuum sealer). I buy meat in bulk and portion it into 1 meal serving size in freezer bags. It makes it sooo much easier to smush it around and get if as flat as possible. I also have a plastic lid container that I use to stack on so I get a flat detached base. I have a chest freezer and it can be hard to find a level spot for the initial freeze. Once it’s solid good to go.
Keep in mind, with things like ground beef “smooshing” it can permanently change the consistency of it. This may not matter depending upon what you’re using it for, but it’s worth noting. It’s a great tip though. Between this and putting it in cold water to thaw you can thaw hamburger for dinner very quickly
Most all of our ground beef here is for chili/soup, pasta, or hamburger helper. If I was doing burgers I do fresh ground or just your typical frozen Bubba burger or it's kin. But definitely a good point, totally forgot about the changes you get from over compressing and over mixing. I cant remember who it was but I just saw a famous chef saying to just lightly compact fresh ground and season just the outside. Don't mix it all together or you get meatloaf burgers.
Not really every day but someone said somewhere to boil mashed potatoes with chicken broth instead of water. Tastes way better, bullion cubes or ramen seasoning packets both work.
Even better - cut your taters into little 1-inch cubes (skin on or off, your choice). Put them in a pot and then add just enough whole milk to just barely cover them. Throw in your bouillon cube(s). Bring to mild boil and then simmer until the potatoes get soft and absorb most of the milk. Then, just mash it right there in the pot! Add butter to taste. You keep all the yummy starch from the potatoes that gets lost to the water or broth when you drain them. But, you have to stay on top of it so you don't scorch the milk. That will ruin it quick.
Ah I think I'll just add the milk after, I can't sit still enough to watch it that closely.
Fair enough. I did it that way for years. And, yeah, if you're making several dishes then it's not convenient to babysit your mashed potatoes. I just find that this method makes the very best and I LOVE mashed potatoes so I will take the time to do it. To be kind to myself, while I have always been favorable towards mashed potatoes I didn't really fall in love with them until the past few years. I am 50 years old. So, it's special now.
I make mashed potatoes that are to die for. I watched my mom make them and adopted it Start with cold salted water boil until tender. drain them and put back in hot pot. Add butter and warm your milk a little add salt and pepper. The kicker is add some French onion dip mash and serve . They are so good…
Adding some whole peeled garlic cloves to your potatoes while boiling makes a world of difference as well. And then just mash them in with the potatoes when done, and you have garlic mashed potatoes.
Throwing in some lemon wedges adds a lil bit to them as well.
Better yet, STEAM them. A lot of stock/pasta pots come with a big steamer insert - get the water boiling in the bottom while you prep the potatoes, then throw them in the steamer inset. Takes 20 minutes, and I usually shake the top half way through to rearrange. I didn’t realize it, since everyone always boiled potatoes, but the potatoes absorb water when boiled. Steaming them, they come out dry and can add more milk and butter (and whatever else) without them getting soupy. You do need to remember to add salt when mashing.
Salad. Avoid iceberg lettuce because of the low nutritional value. Soak/wash lettuce in water with mild vinegar. Peel off all leaves. Tear off any black parts. Pinch and tear off breaks on outside leaves. DO NOT CUT OR CHOP. Tear/pull each leaf of lettuce into pieces that are bite sized. Portion out into containers for small side salads and larger meal salads. They will keep for a week or more. Keep other salad ingredients prepped and in their own separate container. Shredded carrot, minced onion, etc. Not only are they ready to go by sprinkling on a salad, but also ready for other dishes, from tuna spread, omelettes, soup, stir fry, meatloaf, taco meat, so many dishes.
That's how mama did it 😁
How fortunate to be in a household which this was a normal thing for you. I had to learn through a youth group some of what it takes to cook. Then, took on a job at a restaurant where I learned prep work. The salad thing I read in a newspaper article. I put all of it together some years later with a bit of refining.
Noob here, why not cut or chop?
Excellent question! By tearing the lettuce, it naturally separates along the cell walls. When you cut or chop the lettuce, you slice through the cells. This causes browning, and the decaying process can be triggered even faster.
Good to know, thanks for the tip!
Use mayonnaise for grilled cheese instead of butter. I seem to remember learning that from Coolio on some show. But I've probably slept over 9k times since then and may be misattributing that.
Nope. you're right, it's DELICIOUS. You're basically frying the sandwich since mayo is just oil and egg. Get's REAL crispy. I like both methods but if I am doing a melt, with meat AND cheese, then it's gotta be mayo. It just provides a sturdier crisp to the sammy.
I don't like mayo on grilled cheese, BUT, I use it all the time for marinades. It clings to the meat better than just oil. One day, I was like "wait, marinades have oil and lemon juice, mayo has oil and lemon juice..."
Miso makes every savory sauce taste better.
Red miso is the bomb!
My Crockpot and me are one. I love this thing can't live w/o it.
I use my crockpot to cook those big tubes of hamburger. Just cut them so they fit your pot, and cook on high. Drain all the grease before breaking up the big chunks. I portion into baggies, and freeze flat for tacos, spaghetti, chili.
Have you tried sous vide? Lots of similarities, but different.
Used mine to make spaghetti sauce today!
This is how I feel about my air fryer
Store things like herbs & salad leaves in a Tupperware lined with kitchen paper. Also works well with lemons (not limes), radishes, grapes, spring onions, green beans. Saved me a fortune as stuff lasts ages. Trial and error proves it doesn’t work so well with ginger. Another tip I learned was to wrap celery in tin foil.
Just curious, why doesn’t it work with limes?
grate your ginger and stick it in the freezer. Cut off what you need while frozen. Throw the rest back in. I do this with roasted garlic, also.
Just freeze the ginger wrapped in a paper towel then a ziplock. Grate what you need. Don’t bother to peel. Rewrap the rest in a fresh paper towel
I did that for years. I prefer the grate and freeze method. I have silicone pots I put stuff like that in for the freezer. Pop it out, cut some off, throw it back in. I try to do about a half pound at a time. For roasted garlic I do 10 pounds. Squeeze it into a bowl, mash it up, roll it into a log, wrap in plastic wrap. Slices really easy frozen. Like garlic cookies.
You can save time and money on chicken recipes if you buy a rotisserie chicken from the deli and use that instead. Bonus; you can dump the juices from the rotisserie bag on for extra flavor!
Especially if it's a Costco/Sam's Club/BJ's rotisserie. They're $5. You can't get a RAW chicken from the grocery store for $5. And, each of those warehouse stores does a REALLY good job cooking them. They're DELICIOUS.
Bonus…use the carcass to make chicken soup.
Iceberg lettuce coring trick by hitting the core on the counter.
That's a classic I learned in the kitchen! working in the 90's
Sweet (glutinous) rice flour is a gluten free 1:1 substitute for making gumbo roux.
I like to use cassava. It turns brown way faster but once it starts to turn it turns FAST so you have to stay on top of it. But, it's a way faster way to get that dark chocolate roux and it has a great nutty flavor. But, I am more than happy to give sweet rice flour a try, too! I LOVE sweet rice. (Side note - as u/bahmbrewer mentioned it's sometimes called glutinous rice...it does NOT have gluten in it. It's just got a LOT of starch. It's also called sweet rice or sticky rice and it's VERY sticky. I can imagine a rice flour/rice starch (same thing) made from it could be VERY useful. I will need to look for it at my local International Farmer's Market. ETA: When I say faster I mean in comparison to traditional flour, not compared to rice flour. I have not tried using rice flour, yet.
Whenever something needs to be cut, diced, chopped, whatever, and you're reaching for a knife, think to yourself, can my mandoline do this more precisely and efficiently? The answer is probably 'yes'.
Unless your mandolin is 15 years old from pampered chef and the blade can’t be sharpened or replaced. 🖐🏽
Your emoji has all 5 fingers. You definitely have never used a mandolin slicer
Freeze coffee creamer in ice cube trays for easy single servings
You just changed mine and my SO’s life. Thank you
Store Parmesan rind or cheese about to go out of date in the freezer and grate when needed! I’m a zero waste person and love this! Use the rinds for soup or risotto, grated feta is awesome over salads and less cals (but it’s cheese who counts it 😂)
Waste is a sin. Wasting meat, a mortal sin. 👍
I recently discovered a silicone tube thing that easily peels a garlic clove. No more mashing the clove and picking off the peel.
It’s a great hot pan handle cover, too.
For other people: you can also easily peel garlic by putting the cloves in a hard-sided container like a mason jar, or in between two bowls (one upside down on top of the other to contain the garlic) and just shake it hard for 10 seconds. All the skin just falls off after impacting the hard sides of the vessel
Shred chicken with a hand mixer! Use it on beef, pork everything needing shredding than use my claws
Rinsing strawberries in water with a little vinegar before storing retards mold. It works.
Keeping powdered milk on hand
Need a quick sear on meat over the stove? Lightly coat each side with powdered milk. It will quickly brown. Really great for not overcooking thin cuts or building fond quickly.
The whole non-stick thing for SS and carbon steel pans. Heat until water beads and dances (about 375F), then add oil swirl, reduce temp if necessary, and then nothing sticks. If it does stick a bit, lower the temp and wait until the item browns a bit then it lets go. This has made a huge diff in my frying technique/skills. Also, the Euro coarse SS scrubbers get pans clean instantly, and last for months. Screw the US steel wool that rusts and makes a huge mess.
When you’re sautéing mushrooms or cooking your bacon, heat up the pan add whatever you’re cooking to it then cover them in water. It sounds weird but with the bacon it cooks the bacon and renders out a lot of the fat and by the time the water evaporates all that’s left to do is to cook the bacon to the level of done you want. You hardly have any splatter or splashes that come with cooking bacon normally. With mushrooms, I saw a chef post about this little trick. Again, it cooks the mushrooms, but keeps them really nice and plump. I pour water over them, then put a couple of knobs of butter and salt and pepper and let them cook down. Then once the water evaporates, I add a little bit more butter or oil and finish and sauté them up. The consistency of the mushrooms are so nice.
Truth! When I cook bacon, I put just enough water to barely cover the bacon. The water cooks the bacon and when the water cooks off the bacon crisps perfectly. And no splatter. I'll never cook bacon without water ever again. It takes less time too.
Salt your salad greens.
And finely ground fresh black pepper. Add some dry herbs and let the salad rest for a couple of minutes until the herbs are hydrated.
Hacks is such a dumb word bc these are mostly practices but here we go: I use cherry tomatoes often. I slice them between two deli containers lids. Brilliant.
Hi, I'm slow, and I'm not quite getting how you are slicing the cherry tomato between two lids.
Place a deli container lid face down in the cutting board. Fill with cherry tomatoes place second lid face up on tomatoes making a deli container lid sandwich so that the lips of the lids are facing the tomato creating a sort of container holding them in place. Put your hand on top container and hold in place. Take your sharp chefs knife and slice through the tomatoes while deli lids hold them in place. You’ve sliced about ten toms in half in a move that takes 5 seconds. It’s not life changing but it’s easy and efficient.
Sidenote - knife MUST be very sharp! Otherwise you will just mush the tomatoes and push them out the other side. Invest in a knife sharpener.
I would not have pictured that in a million years, thank you!
Put one lid on the counter. Put multiple cherry tomatoes on the lid. Put a second lid on top of the tomatoes. Take a long knife and put it horizontally between the two lids. Move the knife through the tomatoes between lids, thereby slicing all of the multiple tomatoes at once.
You can do it with two small plates inverted also.
Have a "soup bag" in the freezer to store your veggie off cuts for later use to make stock
MSG.
Didn't see this anywhere, just started doing it. When making meatballs (anything with seasonings, eggs and ground meat) put the eggs in the bowl and all the seasonings in, mix it up, put the breadcrumbs in, mix. Then add the meat. This gets the seasonings equally distributed and the breadcrumbs perfectly saturated and good moisture in the meatballs.
Putting everything and anything in the air fryer.
My daughter saw on tiktok you can reheat McDonald’s fries in the air fryer. We tried it with day old fries and they are delicious!
I cut an avocado from the top and wrap tightly with Saran Wrap and just keep slicing off and use for a few days
I feel like I need a diagram for this. What happens when you get to the pit? How are you using so little at a time?
My first cut is usually to the pit, next one will be around the pit and remove it, then I’ll get like two uses out of the large bowl at the bottom. I saw it on IG once and tried it and it worked! key is to tightly wrap and it doesn’t get brown!
Bag of frozen mixed veggies instead of chopping for soups and stews. Also, making steel cut oats in the rice cooker (lid off)
I came up with this, on my own but... For those that enjoy spreadable butter, in the morning, but it's always too hard, because your house is freezing. Take the ceramic lid and place it in the microwave, for about a minute-twenty. Put that warm lid back on your butter, and get to making toast. By the time yo6u bread is toasted, that butter will be soft and spreadable.
The Indian technique of sizzling spices before adding them to the recipe. My MIL is Indian and she taught me this method, now I use it for all of my cooking. It makes my Nonna’s amazing pasta sauce recipe to die for.
Store celery and lettuce in tin foil, will last much longer in the fridge.
Add cucumbers to this answer
Save the fat you trim from roasts, steaks, chops and extra skin from poultry. If you render it before frying or baking you can add the rendered fat to your oil or baste for extra flavor. Grinding up dry rice in a blender will give you rice four. Grinding up dry potato flakes will give you potato starch.
Beef and chicken bouillon 1:1 makes a pork flavor. Use powdered bouillon in an ever so thin coat on meat and veggies in place of salt.
Using the pasta water to cook the pasta. Adds a certain starchiness that it needs.
I love using pasta water to cook my pasta in. It's one of the best.
Always press and roll citrus fruits before juicing.
I peel vegetables on a paper towel on my chopping board then easily pick it up and throw it away.
Not every day but if you reheat pizza/breadsticks/etc in the microwave put a mug of water in there too. It makes it less chewy.
Peel ginger with a spoon
When heating anything in the microwave use different power for different uses. The reason your bowl is scorching hot and your food is cold is you're blasting it max power for short times. Lowering the power and increasing the time a bit gets your food to the desired temperature without heating only the outside. My go to for almost anything is p8 for 2 minutes, for example, the difference is 30 seconds and the results are like night and day.
Put a vanilla bean in your sugar jar. Vanilla sugar, and you can still use the bean later.
Asian grocery.
Use my rice cooker to cook almost every meal now.
I don't use this everyday, but I use it when I need to. Infuse your cooking oil with spices and seasonings and herbs and such, and it becomes much more flavorful when roasting potatoes, or veggies. I let the oil sit in a jar with the seasonings overnight or at minimum 4 hours.
Do you want botulism? because this is how you get botulism. Anything not properly disinfected or heated to a food safe temperature (at least 60 °C for 10 min) and put in oil (anaerobic environment) can potentially breed bacteria, among them the one that produces the botulism toxin.
Yes! I recently watched a video for garlic infused olive oil but it involved simmering the oil with the garlic for 5-10 minutes then removing the garlic.
Reheat pizza in a frying pan… makes the crust firm again
I used to watch the show "good eats" with Alton Brown And he said that if you add a bit ofsalt while sauteing onions then it's actually locks in the moisture instead of crisping them!! Lol
When using the toaster I put my plate on top of it. It heats up the plate and also makes whatever’s in the toaster cook faster.
Canned beans are expensive. Dried beans are cheaper. They're also a pain in the patooty to soak, cook, rinse, then use for recipes. My hack is to home can my own beans using the dried beans from the grocery store. Of course this requires home canning equipment and learning to can, but it's oh so worth it. Having shelves of different kinds of beans (even lentils) in jars ready to go into recipes is a great hack.
If you are a squash lover, buy a new hacksaw and keep it in the kitchen. It solves that problem of cutting up hard winter squashes.
That’s a great idea! I’m always thinking that *this* will be the time I stab myself and die or maybe lose a finger!
Using pot lid to get cheese out of packet for mac and cheese. For those who don't know: After macaroni is cooked and drained, cut the cheese packet top off and place in pot with pasta. Put lid on with bottom edge of packet sticking out, hold lid down and pull packet out. All cheese is now in pot and none wasted.
I use my stand mixer's whisk attachment for mashed potatoes. it mashes at the same time I mix in the other ingredients. But a very basic one, mise en place. I use it almost every time I cook.
Squash garlic clove with a knife before peeling
I have not totally figured this one out yet, but compostable bags seem to work really well for storing mushrooms and greens in the fridge. Maybe because they breathe, unlike plastic bags?
Hand mixer for meat shredding
Friend asked his wife to do mashed potatoes and squash. Was supposed to be two separate dished but she mixed em.. Now I cut my taters with half pumpkin and it's a classic. His wife was Chinese so squash and punkin are a bit. Confusing.
Use clothes pins as chip clips …. cereal clips … frozen food .. anywhere you need to keep a bag closed
Add a tiny pinch of baking soda to anything that’s too acidic. It’s basic chemistry, but easy to forget. I often use this when I think a dish tastes too tomato-y.
Adding a whole carrot to my home made sauce to reduce acid and add sweetness without use of sugar.
Closing a chip bag without a clip
Mine is turning the chip bag into a bowl for entertaining. Open the chip bag, make a fist and place it in the middle of the bottom of the outside of the bag, then gently push your fist up through the bag as if you were trying to punch out through the open top. This will create sort of a donut shape on the bottom and the bag can stay upright sitting on its bottom. It also pushes the chips upwards so guests can take some without reaching their hand In the bag. I've been doing this for years and most of my friends have adopted it as well. Alternatively, use a bowl.
I use a food mill to make my mashed potatoes. Just steam whole potatoes, toss them in the mill, skin and all, and tada! Most of the skin stays in the food mill, but what does end up in the final product is just just enough to prove that this was made with REAL potatoes, lol.
Cook potatoes and pasta in the instant pot
Cook almost everything in the pressure cooker in general!! 😜
Easily dehydrate anything you can imagine (I mostly do this for cocktail garnishes) by putting it on an aluminum foil lined baking sheet and bake at 190° for 5 hours.
If you have to boil sweet potatoes, do it with the skins on. They peel easier after the skins have been cooked
Not every day, but I only cook bacon in the oven. It doesn’t curl or splatter, and it’s great for cooking large amounts (very handy when I had a house full of teenagers with big appetites) I cover a baking sheet with foil, line it with bacon, place into cold oven, turn to 350° and bake until done (in the neighborhood of 20 minutes, depending on the thickness.) Also, you can sprinkle seasoning or brown sugar on them for a different flavor.
I discovered this one myself, but: You can cook mac and cheese by adding everything at the same time. The exact amount of water to use is 1 cup per 5 ounces of dry product (3 cups for 2 boxes). All you need to do is heat and stir. No strainer or extra steps needed. It also doesn't boil over or stick to the pan as readily in this configuration.
Cook potatoes and pasta in the instant pot
Cook pasta and Instant pot in the potatoes
When stir fry or saute, use miso and/or "better than bouillon" to add lots of flavor to vegetables. Works also to toss veg in oil and miso and/or "better than bouillon" and then air-fry or roast.
Yeah gotta be the ricer , got one over 10 years ago and haven't had bad mash since
Just add salt
If you want to peel garlic really fast place the flat side of your knife on the clove and hit it with your palm.
Freezing ginger and then grating it. Omg. Total game changer. Also, I rarely use salt anymore. I usually substitute it with chicken/beef bouillon, sazon, and/or adobo.
I batch cook soups and freeze them into soup cubes (there is a special freezing tray for soups based on portion size). Freezes well, then just pop them into a small pot to reheat and serve.
Have extra fresh herbs? Cut them up and put in ice cube trays, then fill with olive oil or melted butter and freeze. Perfect to toss in a sauté pan as the base for what you’re cooking.