Almost everyone agrees that cooking is a type of art. This is why we must rely not just on our culinary skills but also on a set of regulations. Furthermore, the cuisine has its own set of secrets that chefs pass down from generation to generation.
- Love chili peppers, but want less of the kick? Just remove the seeds and veins and rinse them in cold water. The spiciness will dissapear, but the taste will stay the same.
- You can get crispy crust potatoes without the frying oil by simply powdering them with flour and baking them.
- Counting calories? You can replace heavy cream with 3/4 whipped egg whites when making dessert.
- If you’re not sure whether to put vegetables in boiling or cold water, keep this tip in mind: veggies that grow under the ground require cold water, and those that grow above the ground require hot water.
- When whipping egg whites, flip the bowl upside down to check the consistency: if it is ready, the substance should stay in the bowl.
- Cutting an onion can be simple if you first split it in two, trim off the tip and the root, make some horizontal cuts, and follow with some lengthway cuts. The amount of cuts depends on the desired size of the cubes. And finally, cut the onion crosswise.
- Use beets baked in foil for salads: unlike boiled beets, baked beets contain more vitamins and retain more taste and color.
- Always dress your salad only after adding salt. Otherwise, oil won’t let the salt dissolve completely.
- One trick that won’t let your pasta stick together is to use as much water as possible. Take at least 34 fl oz (1 liter) of water for 4 oz (100 gr) of “dry” pasta and you’ll get perfect results.
- The secret of the perfect dough for sweet pastries is simple: the flour’s weight should equal the sugar’s weight, and the eggs’ weight should equal the butter’s weight.
- To cook soft and smooth mashed potatoes, add some milk and some baking soda on the tip of a knife and whip 2-3 minutes.
- You can get juicier citrus fruits by placing them under hot water or heating them in a microwave and tightly rolling them in your hand.
- Use a wooden stick to check whether or not frying oil is hot enough. If you see bubbles around the stick, it means it’s time to start cooking.
- For unsticky rice, roast it in a frying pan with a bit of vegetable oil and then add water to boil. If you want to add a light garlic odor, add one clove of garlic and remove it once the rice is cooked.
- If you’re planning on serving pasta with sauce, don’t add oil to the water, as it won’t let the sauce saturate the paste with its taste.
- If you want to cut a tomato without letting its juices pour out, slice strictly along the pith of the tomato’s surface: there are veins inside that separate the seeds from the tomato’s wall.
- Everyone knows to sprinkle the surface with flour before rolling pie dough. However, if you’re making a sweet dish, you can replace the flour with cocoa powder: it will create a delicate arome and won’t affect the taste.
- To make meatballs tastier, heat up chopped onions using vegetable oil and then grind them together with the meat. Not only will it enhance the taste, but it will eliminate any chance of finding raw onions in cooked meatballs.
- Every chef has his or her own secret to preparing the ideal steak. But one thing they all agree on – the frying pan should be very hot and smoking.
- Add brown sugar to your tomato sauce to make the overall flavor even richer. Whether it’s white or brown sugar, adding just a tablespoon of it to tomato sauce will make the flavor really pop.
- To make oven-baked chicken taste fried, add a bit of mayo to the usual egg–and–bread crumbs coating. The mayo will crisp up the individual bread crumbs while giving your chicken that rich mouthfeel you’d typically get from fried foods.
- When juicing limes or lemons, cut the bottom off first so that all the juice runs through the fruit instead of getting trapped in the rind
- Cracking eggs? Use an eggshell to scoop up any stray broken pieces. Don’t waste your time trying to dig it out with your fingers. Use part of the eggshell to easily fish out any broken bits.
- For a safer and less stressful cooking experience, sharpen your knives. This one might sound obvious, but it’s easy to forget: Remember to regularly sharpen your knives. It’s frustrating, tedious, and downright dangerous to cut vegetables and meat with dull knives.
- Use a bench scraper to easily transfer food from your cutting board to your pan. Instead of trying to precariously scoop up your chopped-up veggies onto your pan using your hands or knife, use a bench scraper to neatly and quickly move your ingredients.
- If you’re cooking a recipe that calls for sautéing both onions and garlic, do the onions first. Onions take longer to soften up, while garlic burns pretty easily. So it only makes sense to cook the former first — then drop the garlic in as the onions are finishing.
