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Why cook hard if you can cook smart, ya know?

There is absolutely no reason to toil over pots and pans all because you crave mac and cheese. Yes, mac and cheese can also be hard to pull off for some.

But hey, thanks to the internet, you don’t have to worry about that any more because folks in this and this Reddit thread have it all figured out, so open up your mind and scroll down!

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#1

30 “Cheats” That Took These People’s Cooking Game To A Whole New Level Vanilla and garlic are measured with your heart, not a spoon

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

Also onions. And mushrooms. And pepper. Vinegar. Cooking wine/ sherry. Sesame oil. Sesame seeds. Most herbs (love it? Lay it on. Hate it? Sub it or skip it, the dish won't die unless it's something specific like 'Specifically made dish with a specific amount of specifically parsely - fresh, not dried!').

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    #2

    30 “Cheats” That Took These People’s Cooking Game To A Whole New Level If you can't put your finger on what's missing from a dish no matter how many seasonings you add, it's probably acid. Add the tiniest splash of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice. You will not regret it!

    Also, salt is the most important thing for seasoning food. Salt alone is better than 100 spices and no salt.

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

    Amen to this. I was told years ago to stop using salt and to use herbs and spices instead. I have gone back to using salt - my life is too short to put up with unseasoned, unsalted food. I want to enjoy what I eat!

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    #3

    30 “Cheats” That Took These People’s Cooking Game To A Whole New Level If a meat recipe calls for water don't use water, use the same amount of unsalted stock of the meat you're cooking. Chicken Curry, use chicken stock, Beef stew, beef stock. Adds a lot more flavour to these dishes

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

    Never use water in a crock pot either. Water leeches away flavor leaving blandness behind. Always use stock instead.

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    #4

    30 “Cheats” That Took These People’s Cooking Game To A Whole New Level Getting and using a stick blender. I thought they were gimmicks until I got one (nearly 20 years ago). I've reached for that thing at least 20 times for every time I even thought about getting the full-sized blender out.

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

    I love mine! I use it all of the time. It's one of my best investments!

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    #5

    30 “Cheats” That Took These People’s Cooking Game To A Whole New Level Butter. A lot of butter. It's the difference between the food you have at home, and the same dish you have at the restaurant that magically tastes way better. I've seen whole sticks of butter disappear into sauces at restaurants.

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

    I think it was Julia Child who said that when a French chef says 1 tbsp of butter in a recipe, they really mean 2 or 3. (Unless you're baking.)

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    Let’s preface everything that I say here today with OP’s simple, yet effective words (oh, yeah, Bored Panda got in touch with the person who asked the question that started it all in one of the above-mentioned Reddit threads): “it’s not as hard as you might think.”

    Yes, cooking is nothing difficult if you know how. And getting to know how is also not that hard. The internet is full of chefs, cooks, culinary connoisseurs, and other c-words (no, not that one) who can teach you a thing or two. If it’s a comedic approach you’re looking for, you have My Drunk Kitchen. If you want serious dishes, but want to remain funny about it, you have Uncle Roger. If you want angry cooking, bam, Gordon Ramsey. The list goes on and on.

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    #6

    30 “Cheats” That Took These People’s Cooking Game To A Whole New Level Spend a little time once a week doing prep work such as chopping onions, carrots, celery, whatever, then store these ingredients in separate containers in the fridge. Cook and chop up a couple of chicken breasts while you're at it. Mustering up the energy to cook is so much easier when the ingredients just need to be thrown together.

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    #7

    30 “Cheats” That Took These People’s Cooking Game To A Whole New Level If you are really new to cooking here are some red meat tips to remember: meat continues to cook when you remove it from the oven. Since most people like their beef a little pink remember to take it out before it hits the temp you want. Also, let it stand, don't cut it up right away, you will lose juices. Invest in decent quality sharp knives, you are far more likely to cut yourself using dull ones.

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

    It's not said here, but you should let pretty much any meat rest for 5 minutes (longer for very dense cuts of meat like roasts) after cooking is 'complete'. Chicken too. Not only will it 'coast' to the temp it should be at, but if you've got a perfect sear on the outside, cutting into it too soon will ruin the care you put into it, the juices will all leak out instead of osmosing into the meat, it will be dry, people will mock you on social media, and you will be a pariah.

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    #8

    30 “Cheats” That Took These People’s Cooking Game To A Whole New Level Big cutting board

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

    First: THIS. Second, the one in the picture is way too small. Whatever size you do wind up with, as a PSA: If your cutting board is any kind of wood, take the time (could take weeks, I could tell you a long boring story about restoring a cutting board) to season the board with mineral oil. DO NOT EVER PUT IT THROUGH THE DISHWASER (I will again reference my cutting board restoration ordeal). Hand wash it, put it wherever it will dry fastest, and in fact, try not to overdo it on the soap when you wash it. Also never let any part of it just be sitting in water for more than, like, 10 minutes.

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    #9

    30 “Cheats” That Took These People’s Cooking Game To A Whole New Level Cook your rice in broth instead of plain water. Total game changer.

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    #10

    30 “Cheats” That Took These People’s Cooking Game To A Whole New Level Sliced peppers and onions can go straight into the freezer fresh and come straight out and into the hot pan, no need for thawing.

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

    Basically, if you're interested in cooking, take a slow stroll through the frozen vegetables section. The benefits are twofold: You might find a good, cheap, long-lasting frozen option, OR you might become aware of the possibilities of what you can freeze. In Bec's example, I've frozen onion a lot. But I always use any fresh pepper I buy, and if I don't need enough in a recipe for a whole pepper, I'll buy frozen to begin with. I'm not a Michelin star chef for goodness sake, and haven't noticed a difference in dish quality.

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    Reddit user r/Degofreak turned to the r/Cooking community with curious intentions, asking folks to share their cooking hacks after having learned about the frozen ginger root trick. If you’re not aware, ginger root is hard and you might think it would be easy to grate it, but that’s not the case. You see, the stringy fiber kinda sorta makes the grater skip a beat when grating, and so it’s often more mashed than it is grated.

    What OP learned and suggested was to freeze it. Not only does it mean you make it last longer and have it on hand whenever, but frozen ginger is also easier to grate, with the result being “the most pillowy ginger shreds that melt into the food.” And so this led to OP’s question “what trick did you learn that changed everything?”

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    #11

    30 “Cheats” That Took These People’s Cooking Game To A Whole New Level I keep frozen ginger, but never thought about grating it. Cool tip, OP.

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    #12

    30 “Cheats” That Took These People’s Cooking Game To A Whole New Level Heavier seasoning and learning (or looking up) good seasoning blends. Also making my own salad dressing (so much better!)

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

    I've started making my own Caesar dressing and the different from store bought is night and day

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    #13

    30 “Cheats” That Took These People’s Cooking Game To A Whole New Level For me it was making the same dish over and over until you perfect it. You’ll understand how the seasonings, temperatures, sauces, and meats will change as you make mistakes and do things slightly different. After like 5x making a dish you’ll feel like you can do it in your sleep.

    After you learn like 10 dishes like that you can just whip up meals based on the ingredients you have in your kitchen.

    I’m also single so I don’t have anyone to complain about repeat meals.

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

    I also recommend finding/trying different recipes for the same thing. There are typically many variations that will suit your tastes better than the first one you find

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    #14

    30 “Cheats” That Took These People’s Cooking Game To A Whole New Level I hate jarred garlic but every dish can always use more garlic, so I go through a lot. I buy the big bag of whole peeled garlic from Sam's club and chop it all up in my food processor to a fine mince. Then I put it in a freezer ziploc bag and spread it in a thin layer and press the air out, then just break off chunks when I need fresh garlic. Started this when a friend and I were doing a lot of batch cooking large portions and we needed over 40 cloves of garlic for various recipes one session.

    Also take several knobs of ginger and do the same, but almost puree it. I don't even bother to peel it. So convenient.

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

    I dispute this. I used to be kind of a home-cook-food-purist even when it came to garlic. I admit I haven't tried frozen garlic, but buying fresh was basically a gamble every time. I'd get a bulb that looked pristine from the outside, inside there were several cloves that were garbage. I decided to try jarred (in water) garlic. Now I'm at the point where I'm going through two 32 oz jars (yes, I'm in the US) jars a year. I haven't noticed any difference in taste or quality, and it lets be really dig in there for those huge 'Big spoon out of the silverware drawer' spoonfuls of garlic I love to use.

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    #15

    30 “Cheats” That Took These People’s Cooking Game To A Whole New Level Almost always put protein in an already hot pan rather than a cold one.

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

    Depends on the protein, for example duck breast should start in a cold pan

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    Degofreak told Bored Panda that they adore cooking, and by proxy, hearing other people’s tricks is just fascinating to them. “I am the main cook for my family. I really enjoy the prep and then, of course, the eating.”

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    Once their question took off—garnering nearly 7,000 upvotes and over 2,200 comments—OP couldn’t stop reading through all of the suggestions. They explained that there were a lot of great hacks that are actual time savers when it comes to cooking.

    OP noted that the community is full of people who love to cook, with varying degrees of skill level, and so sharing these tricks by means of AskReddit types of posts just adds to the helping atmosphere of the community.
    #16

    30 “Cheats” That Took These People’s Cooking Game To A Whole New Level 1. I now freeze my left over tomato paste. I can cut off the amount I need for a recipe and throw it back in the freezer.

    2. If you store asparagus in a mason jar of water, standing up with the heads out of the water, it can stay fresh for weeks.

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

    A tomato paste tube last really long time in the fridge after you open it. Why put it in the freezer?

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    #17

    30 “Cheats” That Took These People’s Cooking Game To A Whole New Level Knife skills in general, but learning how to chop onions properly was a game-changer.

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    #18

    30 “Cheats” That Took These People’s Cooking Game To A Whole New Level Salt the everloving S**T out of your pasta water.

    Garlic burns quickly and tastes gross like that, put the fresh garlic in towards the end.

    A pat of butter in almost anything makes it better. It is the secret to silky sauces.

    If you are frying potatoes, soak them first in water so some of the starch comes out. Makes them less mushy or something.

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

    Garlic only burns quickly if you put it into the pan without anything else to help it - it has a very low moisture content, so it burns on its own, but if you put it in at the same time as your onions, it'll be fine, as the onions will release their moisture. I normally recommend putting in garlic once the onions are soft (or caramelized, if that's what you're looking for), and giving it a quick, 1-2 minute sautée until it turns fragrant. Then you can continue adding whatever you want, the garlic won't burn.

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    #19

    30 “Cheats” That Took These People’s Cooking Game To A Whole New Level This is something I tried on a whim, but it turned out so well I think it's going to become my new go-to method of making tomato sauce.

    (For context, I make _large_ batches of tomato sauce at a time so that I can just portion out what I need later.)

    My normal recipe calls for three 28-oz cans of crushed tomatoes. What I did this time was cook down two of them until the flavor was rich and the sauce was super thick, then add the last can and leave it on the heat just long enough to ensure it was all heated through. Combines that developed tomato flavor with the brighter freshness of uncooked.

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    #20

    30 “Cheats” That Took These People’s Cooking Game To A Whole New Level For snacking on veggies instead of spending all that time chopping, getting a Mandolin slicer and cutting up cucumber, bell peppers, carrots etc is so much easier and they look great too.
    Also, baking bacon on foil in the oven instead of standing stove side the entire time.

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

    Agree on baking your bacon. I just line a pan with foil, then clean up is really easy.

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    Among the myriad of responses in the threads, folks saw more than just food things. But there were plenty of those too.

    Top comments include mentions of the necessity to keep the kitchen clean as you go, as putting effort into cleaning as you prepare foods (washing knives, cleaning the counter top, that sort of thing) often leaves you with very little cleanup to deal with in the first place.

    But the majority was still food-related, with the most epic comment being this one, where Reddit user r/Berkamin listed (listceptioned?) quite a number of hacks, including that boxed olive oil is a better value, boiling mushrooms in a bit of water before pan-frying improves both their texture and flavor, scalding chicken skin with boiling water helps it get crispy, and loads of other great tips.

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    #21

    30 “Cheats” That Took These People’s Cooking Game To A Whole New Level Keeping a lemon in fridge, adds freshness to many things. A little acid into soups, gravy, on veggies...

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

    Hate all you want, I always have a bottle of ReaLemon and ReaLime in my fridge instead...

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    #22

    30 “Cheats” That Took These People’s Cooking Game To A Whole New Level I guess this counts: when I need minced garlic, I just smash the garlic with the flat of my knife and then give it a quick rocking cut for a few seconds. That's almost always good enough- I'm not spending minutes mincing garlic.

    Either that, or I'll microplane it

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

    I spend even less time. Minced garlic (in water) in a jar has no appreciable difference and I don't have to use a stainless steel utensil as though it were a piece of soap to make sure my hands don't smell like garlic for a week. I might say differently if I were a Michelin chef, but I'm just cooking at home here.

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    #23

    30 “Cheats” That Took These People’s Cooking Game To A Whole New Level Don’t add food to the pan until it’s the right temperature and hot. But cook bacon from a cold pan.

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    #24

    30 “Cheats” That Took These People’s Cooking Game To A Whole New Level Pizza dough – Measure by weight and let the refrigerator do its magic for 2-3 days to build a proper flavor profile.

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

    The type of flour matters with pizza dough. If you want the best homemade pizza, use Caputo 00 (double zero) flour. You should taste a big difference.

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    #25

    Best part of that ginger trick: you don't even have to peel it if you're going to grate it with a microplane (yeah, it's super easy to peel with a spoon, but not peeling it at all is still even better)

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    #26

    30 “Cheats” That Took These People’s Cooking Game To A Whole New Level Realising I can make hollandaise sauce without having to use a bain-marie was a wonderful discovery for me.

    Just slowly whisk in 50g of melted butter to one egg yolk, then add lemon juice and season. The consistency’s ever so slightly different, but I wouldn’t say it’s a bad difference.

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

    I've done both and prefer the double boiler, just for the finished texture... but if there's a lot going on, the immersion blender will be coming out, because using it and melted butter is a huge time saver!

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    #27

    30 “Cheats” That Took These People’s Cooking Game To A Whole New Level Not quite a trick but learning how to use salt properly has made the biggest difference in my cooking. I don’t know who said it originally (it could have been the author but idk) but I read in Anne Burrell s cookbook “taste your food. If it needs something, it’s probably salt.” And keeping that mindset has really helped my cooking without a recipe.

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    #28

    30 “Cheats” That Took These People’s Cooking Game To A Whole New Level Putting a damp paper towel underneath the cutting board so it doesn't slide around while chopping!!

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

    We'd put a small towel under the boards when I worked in kitchens

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    #29

    30 “Cheats” That Took These People’s Cooking Game To A Whole New Level It may seem silly but using a whisk to make a rue

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

    Why wouldn't you use one? It's the best tool for the job, and one reason I have a silicone whisk!

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    #30

    30 “Cheats” That Took These People’s Cooking Game To A Whole New Level Homemade bone broth takes time but isn't hard and is a game changer.


    Learn to make demi glace. It's easy and delicious.


    Towel under thr cutting board.


    How to prep an onion (or any vegetable) to be cut makes you look like a bad a*s.


    What seasons go with each other.


    Red wine with beef and pork. White wine with chicken and pork.


    Let your meat rest after cooking.


    Let your meat reach room temperature before cooking.


    Sharpen knives.


    Wash knives by hand.


    Buy fresh and local if you can because less preservatives.


    Only buy for the next day or two if you can. A 15 minute shopping trip 3 times a week is better then throwing out food that went bad.


    Freeze Sliced watermelon for refreshing snacks.


    Want to learn how to make a different countries food? Check Instagram reels. People love showing off how they made a homemade dish.


    Clean as you cook.


    Put away and wash dirty dishes before starting to cook.



    Cast iron is amazing.


    Treat your cast iron properly but it isn't the Bible. You can be loose with it.



    If it's mouth watering delicious, it's probably unhealthy.

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

    Red wine goes with chicken too. Coq au Vin is mostly made with red wine.

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    #31

    Always have flour on hand, you will use it in a lot of different recipes.

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    #32

    30 “Cheats” That Took These People’s Cooking Game To A Whole New Level Fish sauce

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    #33

    30 “Cheats” That Took These People’s Cooking Game To A Whole New Level Better Knife skills. Makes prep work a breeze.

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

    Ann Burrell would color his index finger with a red sharpie, lol

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    #34

    If cooking with chicken and you want it really juicy and not dry, brine it first. I hated chicken until I was taught this later in life lol. You can then overcook it a little (like if it hits 170°F or 180°F it’s still juicy) if you don’t have a thermostat or got distracted for a bit.

    Brining is basically you just put a bunch of salt on meat. Usually people put chicken in cold water with a bunch of salt. There’s also dry brining (I think it’s called) where you put salt on it and rub it in and let it sit in the fridge for a bit. Makes it more tender. Good for steak! I feel like everyone should be taught this since in my opinion there’s nothing worse than dry or tough meat.

    I recommend looking it up I don’t want to give something wrong on accident as I don’t brine all meat.

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

    This seems so counter-intuitive ... doesn't salt dry out things? But IDK, I never prepare meat.

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    #35

    Get a crock pot. There are a ton of two ingredient meals you can throw into a crock pot in 30 seconds then when you get home 8 hours later you have mouth watering meals that took no effort

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

    I put in a frozen turkey thigh and drums stick before work. Came home and it was falling off the bone. So easy.

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    #36

    If you are making something with a thick sauce like Mac and cheese, combine the flour and butter first and cook for a minute before adding milk. It will make the sauce thicken much better.

    If you need to add more thickener later, don't just dump it in. Take out a quarter cup of liquid and mix the flour with that separately then stir it back into the rest. This will prevent lumps.

    Don't skimp on the salt and fat. Professional chef's use way more salt and butter then you'd expect and that's why their food tastes so much better than yours.

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

    Well yes, learn how to make a bechamel/white sauce, starting with a roux. Not exactly a trick.

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    #37

    30 “Cheats” That Took These People’s Cooking Game To A Whole New Level Miso in everything

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

    Just like the last time this was posted, that's fine only if you want everything to taste of miso. Same with other strong flavours, garlic included.

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    #38

    Cook bacon in the oven on a cookie sheet.

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

    Yes so easy to cook in the oven comes out crispy and much more easy to clean then on the stove. Also cooking bacon in the oven is how many restaurants do it especially when they cook breakfast for many people.

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    #39

    When making lasagna, I replace half of the beef in the recipe with chorizo. Gives it a little bit of a kick.

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

    Also works with Italian sausage, either made with pork or other meat (there are some very good non-pork versions nowadays).

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    #40

    30 “Cheats” That Took These People’s Cooking Game To A Whole New Level Putting eggs in a sieve to strain away any especially loose egg white for perfect and effortless poached eggs.

    No whirlpool, no vinegar, no prayers to the poached egg lords - just crack your eggs into a sieve and let em drain for a minute and lightly slide them into gently simmering water for a couple minutes.

    Also soft/medium/hard boiled eggs in the air fryer has been pretty awesome too.

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

    When I was running this brunch program in New Orleans and had to make tons of Benedicts to order (in a tiny kitchen that was literally a re-purposed closet with a meat slicer, Instant Pots, and a convection oven thrown in,) I started just cracking the eggs into a muffin tin with a spoonful of water and tossing them in the oven for my "poached" eggs. It worked great.

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    #41

    Use a Meat thermometer

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    Beans
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    1 year ago

    This comment has been deleted.

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    #42

    To peal garlic break it up into individual cloves and put into a bowl, preferably metal. Put another bowl or lid on top and shake the crap out of it.

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

    Peel*. "Peal" in this case is a loud ringing of bells or laughter. I will try this tip, though. I tend to use a decent amount of garlic and it's annoying to peel it when I need whole cloves.

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    #43

    Microwave your cut up potatoes for a few minutes in a pyrex bowl with water before you fry them up, it cuts the time down massively, allows them to fry along with faster cooking ingredients, and doesn't do the texture any harm at all.

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    #44

    Mix garlic and lemon juice into plain yogurt and put it on literally anything.

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