People Are Sharing The Basic Cooking Hacks Everyone Should Know, But Most People Don't
Whether you're a hot mess in the kitchen or practically a pro, I think it's safe to say that cooking is an art form in which you're constantly learning new things.
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So in the spirit of learning something new, Redditor u/Sunieta25 asked, "Cooks of Reddit, what is the best kitchen advice anyone should know?" here are 19 of the very best tips and tricks they shared:
Note: Submissions have also been sourced from this similar thread.
1."Contrary to popular belief, it often doesn’t work out great if you add your chopped/minced garlic first to hot oil or butter. It burns so quickly and tastes yuck. I like to brown something else first, like onions, and then add the garlic. The onions are like a burn buffer!"
2."The amount of garlic flavor is dependent on WHEN you add the garlic. Add it early for light flavor, add it late for bold flavor."
3."A dropped knife has no handle, so don't try to catch it when it's falling. You WILL get hurt."
4."You follow instructions when baking. You follow your heart when cooking (...but not too much.)"
"Baking is a perfect example of 'don't tear down walls unless you know why they were built.' If you know the chemistry at play and what each ingredient is doing, you can get creative. Keep in mind that every ingredient does something, so add-ons and substitution can change how everything works together."
5."Sometimes when you think something needs more salt, what it really needs is acid — lemon juice, vinegar, etc."
"I recommend choosing an acid based on what you are cooking. Italian? Try some red wine vinegar. Mexican? Try some lime juice. Additionally, if you are working with anything cream based, add acidity literally right at the end or else your sauce/dish will curdle."
6."If you want crispness on the outsides of your meats, you should pat them dry before seasoning and putting them in oven or over heat."
7."Clean while you're cooking. WHILE."
"'Always be cleaning' is important to end-of-meal satisfaction. It’s such a drag to look up at the end of a great dinner and see a monstrous cleaning task ahead of you."
8."A blunt knife is more dangerous than a sharp one. Always keep your knives sharp."
9."Adding is easy, but removing is hard. People like to argue that you should liberally add butter and seasoning, but tastes differ. It's totally fine to put in less if that's what you fancy."
10."If you’re getting annoyed because it’s taking you too long to peel garlic, place an unpeeled garlic clove under the flat side of your kitchen knife and press on it with your hand. The garlic peel will separate easily and your garlic will be crushed."
11."A good kitchen should be equipped with a plentiful supply of clean, dry towels."
"If your towels or oven mitt get wet (or your hands are wet while using them on something hot), they will NOT protect your hands."
12."Massively improve the quality of your proteins (chicken, beef, tofu, anything) with fond. Fond is the dark brown stuff that sticks to your pan when you're cooking. It's not burnt unless its actually black. To get it off the pan and on the food, pour in either an alcohol or acid to dissolve it and get the now-brown liquid to coat your protein."
"Different proteins work best with different alcohols. Good rule of thumb — dry white for chicken or any lighter meat. Red for beef. Lemon juice works great for almost everything."—u/maverickmain
13."Soy sauce goes on more than just Asian foods. Try a dash in scrambled eggs or towards the end of your caramelized onions. It is a savory salt flavor that compliments many dishes."
14."Cooking bacon in the oven is exponentially easier to perfect and clean up than on a stove top."
"Set the oven to 405o, line a baking sheet with tin foil, and lay your bacon flat on it. Cook it for 13-15 minutes. It's perfect every time, and you can cook a lot more at once this way. Also, the fat hardens on the foil, so you can just throw it away with no mess."
15."For thick and nice sauces, use the water you cook your pasta with."
The starch in the pasta water helps to thicken the sauce and add flavor.
16."Have ingredients prepared before starting to cook."
"It seems like quite a Pinterest thing, but having the ingredients cut, weighed, and peeled ahead of time makes cook times faster and makes it easier for you to be in the moment while cooking. Many recipes can be spoiled if you have to stop everything and prepare an ingredient. Also, don't forget to bring your butter and eggs to room temperature and defrosted or anything you need beforehand."
17."Cinnamon isn’t just for sweet foods. It can be really, really good in savory foods, too."
18."Taste as you cook, and do it at various stages of cooking (while safe, please don't taste raw meat). Not only does it let you know if you have too much or little of something, but it also helps you develop your palette for what different seasonings do."
19."Time is the best and most expensive ingredient."
"Pressure cookers and pre-made/frozen ingredients are good, but they won't ever be as good as home-cooked, low and slow meals. I still use those of course, but when I get the chance to break out my crock pot and let time work it's magic...oooh boy it's something else entirely."
Now it's your turn! Do you have a cooking or kitchen tip you swear by? If so, drop it in the comments below!
Note: Submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.
