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If you believe the famous words of Hippocrates, "we are what we eat" (and we have absolutely no reason not to believe the founder of ancient medicine), then culinary lifehacks are the most important for humanity, because they directly affect us.

Many thousands of years ago, a person first tried the heat treatment of food, and since then the entire history of cooking has been nothing more than a chain of hacks and ideas of varying degrees of usefulness and sophistication. Today, handwritten collections of recipes are a thing of the past, but it is small kitchen tips that, by and large, give cooking a unique personality. So here's another collection of such tips from netizens around the world.

More info: Reddit

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#1

30 Pretty Simple Yet Game-Changing Kitchen ‘Hacks’, As Shared By Chefs In This Online Community Wash dishes as you go. Your dish needs to sautee for 5 minutes? That's time to wash a few dishes, throw away trash, or put away ingredients. Nobody wants to clean the kitchen after eating a filling meal, so just do it as you cook.

VVillyD , cottonbro studio Report

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#2

30 Pretty Simple Yet Game-Changing Kitchen ‘Hacks’, As Shared By Chefs In This Online Community When I'm doing prep I like to have a 'trash bowl' in easy reach on the counter. For peel, skin, bones etc.

Saves constantly shuttling to the bin

Yshnev , vagueonthehow Report

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#3

30 Pretty Simple Yet Game-Changing Kitchen ‘Hacks’, As Shared By Chefs In This Online Community A falling knife has no handle. Don't try to catch it - just get out of the way.

palad , Marco Verch Professional Photographer Report

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Soton_Sherpa
Soton_Sherpa
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And everything in the kitchen is hot. Follow the same advice.

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BJ Hage
BJ Hage
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

we always put a pot holder on a hot pan we are done with so ppl know it might be still hot

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Allison B
Allison B
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I learned this one the hard way. I had just been given a nice chef's knife from my dad and was cooking a dropped it. My instinctive reaction was to try and stop it from hitting the floor. I ended up with a gash between my thumb and index finger. Would not recommend it! Hurt a lot.

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Josef Puhr
Josef Puhr
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Could it be that the kitchen is the most dangerous place in a house ?

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Muhammad Farabi
Muhammad Farabi
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Ouch. Reminds me of the time when my mum got her toe stabbed by a falling knife once. Never do I want to store knives in the upper shelf again.

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Tim Nicebutdim
Tim Nicebutdim
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I had my ribs broken and whilst sitting in A&E (ER in the US) a taxi pulled up and a guy got out walking with a bucket on his foot. Later on I heard 2 nurses talking about it, apparently he'd been carving a roast, dropped the carving knife and impaled his foot to the floor, everyone was too drunk to drive him to hospital so called him a cab and put a bucket on his foot so he didn't bleed in the cab. Quite how everyone was that drunk at a family dinner at 1pm is anyone's guess.

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Amina Wijntje
Amina Wijntje
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My boyfriend once had to make a trip to the hospital for making that mistake. He hit an artery!!!

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Yvonne Sadler
Yvonne Sadler
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

dropped a knife on my foot once. After that, I always got out of the way

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Glenn Milliken
Glenn Milliken
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is my biggest problem my reflexes are too fast and too strong I'm always reaching for the handle. And it's not like you can stop a reflex

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Ariel Andersen
Ariel Andersen
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Also applies to (medical) needles. Definitely could go right through your hand, do not even try it.

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Katrina M. Alecson
Katrina M. Alecson
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If you absolutely have to for some reason though (though you should never have to) clap it with both hands

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Benita Valdez
Benita Valdez
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Also applies to cheese graters. You don't think about how sharp they until you graze a knuckle or try to catch a falling one

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Flare
Flare
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The same thing goes for shaving razors. I learned that the hard way.......

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Nikki Sevven
Nikki Sevven
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I once sliced the side of my torso open with a safety razor. Had my foot propped on the end of the tub to shave that leg, reached behind me to rinse the razor, and apparently forgot that my body was in the way. Thankfully, the gene was watered down before being passed to me; my mother has cut herself on a dog biscuit, a banana peel, and other generally non-sharp items. I usually confine mine to actual blades.

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Kookamunga
Kookamunga
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I never got this one - who attempts to catch a falling knife? Other then jugglers? nope-649da...5d1d2e.jpg nope-649da7a5d1d2e.jpg

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Greg Boyd (Gritchu)
Greg Boyd (Gritchu)
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1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Bull. Just because it falls doesn't mean it has no handle. Jugglers would be so screwed otherwise. :⁠-⁠P

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Suzanne Cotton
Suzanne Cotton
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Duh. Are these “hacks” for people who shouldn’t live alone? Is it a “hack” to say a knife is sharp so be careful? Actually a “hack” would be to remind people that dull knives cause more serious accidents than sharp ones.

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Pursuing Peonies
Pursuing Peonies
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Today's generations (gen x and on, honestly) didn't necessarily get taught this stuff. Definitely not in school like older generations did. And for far too many men, they weren't taught housework at all. That idea of a bachelor pad being an absolute mess isn't because men can't take care of themselves and their things or that women are better at it, it's literally that they weren't taught and either refuse to learn (because they were taught and/or believe that housework is a woman's job) or forget that they're capable of learning.

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The original thread appeared on Reddit a few years ago, and has since garnered over 5.3K upvotes and around 3.7K of all kinds of comments. On the other hand, in such threads, the most important thing is not the number of comments, but their quality, because, you see, a hundred banal and obvious culinary tips will never replace two or three really unexpected and therefore more wholesome ones.

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#4

30 Pretty Simple Yet Game-Changing Kitchen ‘Hacks’, As Shared By Chefs In This Online Community Learn cooking techniques instead of recipes.

GeraldSparks , Yaroslav Shuraev Report

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#5

30 Pretty Simple Yet Game-Changing Kitchen ‘Hacks’, As Shared By Chefs In This Online Community 1. Any meat you are cooking, whether it is a steak or a chicken breast or some delicate shrimp, can almost ALWAYS benefit from being taken out of the fridge a few hours in advance and allowed to come to room temperature before cooking. No, it will NOT spoil in a few hours.

2. Do not add oil to your pasta water to keep it from sticking together. Just stir it. Adding oil causes the sauce you add later to slide off instead of sticking.

3. Ever wonder why the chicken you make in your stir-fry/sesame chicken/curry dish isn't as soft and tender as it is in the restaurant? They use a technique called "velveting" - which is basically poaching the chicken in water and oil after marinading it in ~~milk~~ egg whites, wine and cornstarch. It's easy to do! Google can tell you how.

4. For delicate seafood (shrimp, lobster, scallops), I can almost guarantee you are overcooking it. Remove them from the heat when they still have a hint of translucency to them - NOT after they've turned white. They will finish cooking from the latent heat and will be tender, not rubbery.

5. On the subject of rubbery seafood - soak squid overnight in buttermilk before making calamari and your appetizer will melt in your mouth every time.

6. Trying to suspend fruit, nuts or something else in a cake or dough? Be sure to coat them in flour before adding them to the batter to prevent them from sinking to the bottom.

7. Add a pinch of cinnamon. Seriously. I don't care what you're making. Chili? Seafood chowder? Meatloaf? Fettuccine Alfredo? Add a pinch of cinnamon. You're welcome.

EDIT: Fixed velveting technique to include egg whites, not milk. Also, if you aren't comfortable leaving meat or seafood out for a few hours, then don't. I maintain, however, that you will be just fine. But hey, all I have going for me is a B.S. in biology with a concentration in disease pathology and an M.S. in Applied Nutrition. Grain of salt, I guess.

Gabranthael , Engin Akyurt Report

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Nikki Sevven
Nikki Sevven
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The seafood chowder and fettuccine alfredo want a touch of freshly grated nutmeg, not cinnamon.

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#6

30 Pretty Simple Yet Game-Changing Kitchen ‘Hacks’, As Shared By Chefs In This Online Community My uncle, who is a chef, once told me that if you keep having to add salt, try adding some citric acid instead. Honestly, it changed my life.

0jeezrick , Miguel Á. Padriñán Report

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Zophra
Zophra
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Anyone know when should I add lemon juice vs, vinegar when I need acid in a dish? Is there a general rule of thumb when to use which?

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Some home cooks are rather dismissive of such collections of kitchen tips, believing that a real chef should come up with their 'signature style behind the stove' on their own. On the other hand, it is the little things that shape a person, and sometimes even become a game changer. Still don't believe it? Then here's a question for you - how important is the way how you salt your food?

If you say that it is important not how, but how much salt and when to add it, you will not be entirely right. In the end, a unique manner of salting meat brought worldwide popularity to one of the most famous chefs of our time - Nusret Gökçe, nicknamed 'Salt Bae'. Yes, that very YouTube guy who has since opened a chain of meat restaurants here, there and everywhere. So the little things matter too...

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#7

30 Pretty Simple Yet Game-Changing Kitchen ‘Hacks’, As Shared By Chefs In This Online Community A blunt knife is more dangerous than a sharp knife.

Lympwing2 , jonathan Report

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Zophra
Zophra
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

In retrospect, a mandolin slicer used without the safety holder is also crazy dangerous. And bloody, And stupid. And no, we can't eat those cut carrots with the red sauce.

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#8

30 Pretty Simple Yet Game-Changing Kitchen ‘Hacks’, As Shared By Chefs In This Online Community Learned this from Gordon Ramsay. Always keep a towel hanging out of your pocket. Getting dirty is inevitable, so having quick access is really useful.

CoconutWill , Ivy Dawned Report

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#9

30 Pretty Simple Yet Game-Changing Kitchen ‘Hacks’, As Shared By Chefs In This Online Community Crack your eggs on a flat surface instead of a rim of a pan or bowl. 99% of the time, you just get two clean halves instead of tiny chipped eggshells. Also, just use the eggshell to fish any shell bits out if you mess up.

lordoftime , Felicity Tai Report

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Zophra
Zophra
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Call me gifted, but I do crack on the edge and still don't get tiny chipped eggshells.

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"Sometimes kitchen hacks come to us not from other chefs, but from a completely unexpected side - for example, from food manufacturers," says Roman Sardarian, a chef from Ukraine, with whom Bored Panda got in touch for a comment. "For example, here's a little secret that I personally use often when cooking pasta, even at home. For example, Barilla, an Italian manufacturer, came up with a true great idea a few years ago to help everyone who cooks pasta."

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"After all, what is the most important thing when you cook pasta? Of course, proper timing. And so, the company's marketers have posted a special playlist on Spotify, where the songs last exactly as long as necessary in order to boil the type you need to perfect condition. Just turn on the desired track and when it finishes - voila, everything is ready! In my opinion, it's nothing but brilliant. I myself often use this 'musical timer' - even when I cook pasta from other manufacturers. Perhaps this secret will come in handy for someone..." Roman says.
#10

30 Pretty Simple Yet Game-Changing Kitchen ‘Hacks’, As Shared By Chefs In This Online Community Let the pan get hot before sauteeing

anon , Daria Obymaha Report

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#11

30 Pretty Simple Yet Game-Changing Kitchen ‘Hacks’, As Shared By Chefs In This Online Community Here's one of my favorite tips I learned.


Learn to cook one meal great, so that you can do it without looking at a recipe and can pull it off flawlessly every time.

That's your go to meal.


Mine is pan seared salmon home made rice pilaf and a baby spinach salad with just olive oil, salt, pepper, fresh lemon juice and feta cheese mixed in.

If you're a single guy and can cook a girl dinner, you're light years ahead of most guys since many can't even boil water now a days.

gjones9038 , julie aagaard Report

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Kookamunga
Kookamunga
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

....but once you've mastered one, move onto another dish to perfect. And another. And another. Hey, now you can cook!

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#12

30 Pretty Simple Yet Game-Changing Kitchen ‘Hacks’, As Shared By Chefs In This Online Community Bacon fat should never be wasted.

cjoyful , Nicolas Postiglioni Report

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In fact, the beauty of the modern internet is that a home cook from one corner of our planet can find something useful for them from a chef literally from another hemisphere - and make their dishes taste better. Way better. After all, isn't that the main idea of any human interaction - to get better? Well, maybe not everyone on Earth thinks so, but anyway, be sure to scroll this list to the very end, maybe save some interesting ideas for yourself and add your own secrets in the comments as well - in case you consider them worth sharing with other respectful cooks.
#13

30 Pretty Simple Yet Game-Changing Kitchen ‘Hacks’, As Shared By Chefs In This Online Community Butter

Too_high_to_username , Markus Spiske Report

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DarkViolet
DarkViolet
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You can definitely see and taste the difference between butter and margarine.

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#14

30 Pretty Simple Yet Game-Changing Kitchen ‘Hacks’, As Shared By Chefs In This Online Community There is a concept called Mise en Place. Essentially it means get everything ready before you start. Instead of scrambling to measure out four different seasonings or get olive oil out of your pantry while something is burning on the stove, get everything out and measured beforehand.

Also, get a kitchen scale and start following baking recipes that are written by weight. A recipe with weights usually mean its from a serious baker and not some mommy/daddy blogger. Weights are better because my cup of flour will be different than yours but 100 g is always 100 g

Edit: by “my cup being different from your cup” I am not referring to the physical cup. I am referring to the resulting quantity of the ingredient. Is it packed tightly or loosely? Is it heaping slightly or is it under filled. Scoop a cup of sugar and tap it a few times. It’ll settle a little bit and you’ll be able to fit more in the cup.

theWet_Bandits , Maarten van den Heuvel Report

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DennyS (denzoren)
DennyS (denzoren)
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is why I like to have lots of little bowls so I can prepare everything separately and have it ready.

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#15

30 Pretty Simple Yet Game-Changing Kitchen ‘Hacks’, As Shared By Chefs In This Online Community Taste and season your food as you cook.

Ooer , Dapur Melodi Report

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#16

30 Pretty Simple Yet Game-Changing Kitchen ‘Hacks’, As Shared By Chefs In This Online Community Drink twice as much wine as the recipe calls for. Then finish the bottle.

SaturniusN , cottonbro studio Report

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Jeremy James
Jeremy James
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That's how most of my recipes begin! Start with two bottles of red wine, drinking as you go...

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#17

Remember the KISS rule... Keep it simple stupid.

Biggest mistake people always make is they over complicate recipes.

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#18

Always make more than you think you'll need. If you didn't get enough to eat it's harder to make more than it is to save leftovers.

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#19

30 Pretty Simple Yet Game-Changing Kitchen ‘Hacks’, As Shared By Chefs In This Online Community Cook with someone you love. I've spent some of the best afternoons of my life in the kitchen with my wife.

HCEarwick , cottonbro studio Report

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Hphizzle
Hphizzle
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1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is one of those extremes. Either it’s something that brings you closer to your partner or causes you to get beyond irritated with your partner. No in between.

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#20

30 Pretty Simple Yet Game-Changing Kitchen ‘Hacks’, As Shared By Chefs In This Online Community Put music on.

Lympwing2 , cottonbro studio Report

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Kookamunga
Kookamunga
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Food songs: Red Red Wine - Savoy Truffle - She Don't Use Jelly - Brown Sugar - Black Coffee in Bed. Any other suggestions?

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#21

30 Pretty Simple Yet Game-Changing Kitchen ‘Hacks’, As Shared By Chefs In This Online Community If you've burned yourself, immediately submerge the burn in lukewarm to warm water for a couple minutes (or until the pain becomes a dull throb).

It sounds insane (and feels terrible for those couple of minutes), but once you've done this the burn won't react painfully to temperature anymore. Saved my a*s the night I had boiling stew poured all over my arm and hand.

My600lbLife , Ketut Subiyant Report

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Ace
Ace
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Cool running water is better, in fact, or even ice if you're careful with it. Cooling the affected area as quickly as possible is what you're trying to achieve.

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#22

30 Pretty Simple Yet Game-Changing Kitchen ‘Hacks’, As Shared By Chefs In This Online Community I lived with a top tier chef for about a year. The single most important thing I learned from him was to keep asking yourself *why*. Why have you got the heat that level? Why are you putting in that particular spice at this stage? Why are you adding these things together? What is actually going to happen? There were a lot of times when he'd walk into the kitchen and I'd be doing something simple and he'd just say "why are you cutting the vegetables like that?" or "why are you adding the feta to the salad now, what is that going to do to the vegetables?"

It sounds simple, but all I was doing beforehand was going by an "I reckon these things would taste good" kind of angle without critically thinking about the logic of each action. With the vegetable example, I hadn't really thought about the difference in how quickly garlic would cook if I was adding it as a mince paste vs if I was adding it in chunks - too often I'd burn the garlic without even knowing it. I hadn't thought about how feta is really salty and salt draws out moisture almost instantly and can cause lettuce to wilt and go soggy. That kind of thing really really matters.

So basically the tip I learned was to keep questioning everything you're doing and break it down logically, like you would if you were building a shelf.

anon , Fernanda Lima Report

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Kookamunga
Kookamunga
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Why am I living with this guy? He pesters me every time I'm in the kitchen.

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#23

30 Pretty Simple Yet Game-Changing Kitchen ‘Hacks’, As Shared By Chefs In This Online Community when making ribs make sure that the skin on the back has been REMOVED.

Toast your burger buns

heat up syrup in the microwave

let your meat settle for a little bit before eating it, the juices come back together.

jokemon , RDNE Stock project Report

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Nikki Sevven
Nikki Sevven
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That photo is NOT how you toast burger buns. You want to open the bun, butter both cut sides, then griddle or grill them cut side down. The outside part should remain soft.

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#24

Use a thermometer.

Side note: taught my mom to use a thermometer and last night she was flipping out bc even after an hour, the pork chops wouldn’t cook! So make sure it’s on F and not C if you use a digital thermometer.

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Ripley
Ripley
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I would be inclined to say "make sure your thermometer is set to C and not F. Unless you're in North America".

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#25

30 Pretty Simple Yet Game-Changing Kitchen ‘Hacks’, As Shared By Chefs In This Online Community never confuse hot mexican chilli powder and cinnamon

anon , Marta Branco Report

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Kookamunga
Kookamunga
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Why, this burrito is so....Christmasy! And these cookies are so....caliente!.

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#26

30 Pretty Simple Yet Game-Changing Kitchen ‘Hacks’, As Shared By Chefs In This Online Community Lots of good tips in the comments, as usual with this question.

I'll add this: place a damp towel between your cutting board and counter top to prevent the board from slipping. If you'd prefer not to use anything with water, get some of that non-slip shelf liner stuff and cut it to size.

Iamnotthefirst , Tara Winstead Report

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Niall Mac Iomera
Niall Mac Iomera
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I use those cheap plastic cutting boards and I've never had one slip.

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#27

30 Pretty Simple Yet Game-Changing Kitchen ‘Hacks’, As Shared By Chefs In This Online Community Take your time to cut your vegetables into similar shape/sizes - it will help them cook at a similar speed. But also understand that a small dice potato and a small dice onion will not cook at the same speed. A good rule of thumb is the harder or denser the vegetable, the longer it will take to cook

Cook bacon in your oven....seriously.

Salt your food. 9 times out of 10 your food sucks because you didn't season it correctly. People can be a little shocked at how much salt is required for good food. Goto a restaurant with an open kitchen and watch the cooks season their food.

Acid is also super critical for balanced food. If you have seasoned well and it still tastes flat, add some lemon juice or vinegar

Salt and acid are just as important in pastry - and often overlooked, which is why desserts are usually pretty MEH (or at least not as impactful as savory food).

Any recipe that does not have salt written in it assumes you know to add salt.

Finishing salt and/or acid is just as important.

If the meat you are searing is stuck to your pan - either you put it on when the pan was too cold or its not done searing. It will lift off easily when then happens.

A good way to know your pan is hot enough - add oil, crank the heat, once the oil looks like its rippling a bit and you see the first wisp of smoke - add your protein (presentation side down). Once you start seeing the correct color just creeping up the side of the meat - its probably seared. To be clear - this isnt any color change, but rather once you see that nice golden brown color.

Many times cooks will sear their proteins (presentation side down) and as soon as they see that color creeping up / are confident the sear is good - they take the pan off the heat and throw the whole thing (no rubber handles!) into the oven (350 or higher) to finish cooking through.

Fat holds flavor well. In baking - add your aromatics to your butter (your extracts, zests, flavoring) and it will come through more clearly.

Your bread sucks because you're under proofing it. Ignore the timeline in your recipe and don't bake it until it is actually ready!

Read through your recipe and mentally cook the dish. It will help you recognize the process and let you break free from following the recipe so closely. Eg - the recipe says sear your fish 2 min on high - you do that and realize....maybe my filet is thicker, maybe my pan is colder (or hotter) - but its not done searing....ignore the recipe and listen to what you know. Even in baking, recipes are guidelines to proper techniques.

your sharp knife is not sharp. buy a honing steel (cheap on amazon) and use it EVERY time you use your knife. Buy a sharpening stone (cheap on amazon) and practice sharpening your knife (youtube is your friend). Practice sharpening with your crappy knife - then buy a good starter knife (Victorinox, MAC Superior) and treat it well. So much fatigue comes from using dull knives.

List of most used tools/my roll:
*chefs knife
*serrated bread knife
*paring knife
*microplane
*honing steel
*Y peeler
*fish spatula
*high heat rubber spatula
*4" offset spatula
*sturdy tongs
*large cooking spoon/basting spoon
*good thermometer

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#28

Sometimes use lemon salt (aka citric acid) instead of salt, and use a little more butter than the food needs

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Nikki Sevven
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Lemon salt and citric acid are two different things, though. Lemon salt is actually lemons that have been grated and dried, then mixed with sea salt. Citric acid is produced via fermentation of sugars with a particular type of mold. (Citric acid is sometimes called "sour salt" but it's not the same as lemon salt.)

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#29

30 Pretty Simple Yet Game-Changing Kitchen ‘Hacks’, As Shared By Chefs In This Online Community Dry your meat.

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#30

The earlier you salt. The more natural flavor it'll extract.

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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Depends. Salt brings out moisture in food. Adding salt to vegetables allows them to "sweat" and break down and cook faster. Adding salt too early to meats will cause moisture to rise to the surface and prevent browning. This is why knowing HOW to cook is important.

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#31

30 Pretty Simple Yet Game-Changing Kitchen ‘Hacks’, As Shared By Chefs In This Online Community Paprika makes everything at least 10% fancier.

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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Too generic. Do you mean the fresh paprika pepper? A roasted fresh paprika? The dried spice? Which type of the dried spice: hot, sweet, smoked?

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#32

You'd be surprised how few beginners fail to pre-heat the oven.

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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

As in I know I’m supposed to but I forget?!?!?!, and then I wonder where my cookies are flat…

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#33

Contol your heat.

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#34

30 Pretty Simple Yet Game-Changing Kitchen ‘Hacks’, As Shared By Chefs In This Online Community Meringues are dead simple to make (assuming you have an electric mixer or Arnold Schwarzenegger arms). 1/4 cup sugar for every egg white, add some vanilla, beat the s**t out of it until stiff/glossy, then bake at 300 degrees for a long-a*s time. Impresses the s**t out of people and is hard to actually f**k up

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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Funnily enough, my late father, who didn't cook a day in his life, could do the best meringue ever! I'd do the pie, he'd do the meringue.

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#35

When cutting, cut from the base (just above the handle, the broad part) and move the knife down forward towards the tip of the knife. Don't cut tip-first.

We all know "just the tip" is never good enough.

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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

No. It depends on what you're cutting. I'm not slicing onions with the same motion as carving a roast or cutting a slice of bread.

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#36

30 Pretty Simple Yet Game-Changing Kitchen ‘Hacks’, As Shared By Chefs In This Online Community Start everything with garlic and olive oil

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#37

30 Pretty Simple Yet Game-Changing Kitchen ‘Hacks’, As Shared By Chefs In This Online Community Not a chef, but I microwave hot pockets with a medium/low power setting to avoid lava scalding my mouth.

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#38

Use an acid to pop it and never skimp on quality of salt

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1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Salt is salt. By and large there;'s no taste or nutritional difference between the cheapest and the ten time more expensive speciality products.

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#39

30 Pretty Simple Yet Game-Changing Kitchen ‘Hacks’, As Shared By Chefs In This Online Community You don't microwave a salad.

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#40

High temperature for searing / broiling, everything else you cook at low temperature. Better control, greater margin for error.

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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

i have a lot of trouble with temp when it comes to electric ranges; with gas it's easier you can see the flames. But I was taught specifically for an electric oven 'go lower than you think you need'.

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#41

Roast peppers and then blend them and add to soup

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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

a) What kind of peppers? b) Taste of many soups will be ruined by addition of peppers (e.g. bell, paprika.) It'll be basically a pepper soup.

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#42

Give it time.

There is a *universe* of difference between something you spent an hour in the kitchen with and one of those Rachel Ray 20 minute abominations.

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#43

If you leave milk out, it will go sour. Put it in the refrigerator or, failing that, a cool wet sack.

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1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Tell me more about this refrigerator of which you speak.

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#44

30 Pretty Simple Yet Game-Changing Kitchen ‘Hacks’, As Shared By Chefs In This Online Community Keep some superglue handy when you need to seal a wound in a hurry.

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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

No, if you have an open bleeding cut you need to apply pressure to stop the bleeding before applying an absorbent dressing. Superglue is likely to do more harm than good,

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