There are always ways to make things easier in life. These things are frequently called “hacks”. Hacks are sometimes tricks past down from generation to generation within a family or found out by accident. Cooking is one of those things that has plenty of different hacks that you can use to help elevate your dish or enhance the cooking process.
Over the years, I’ve learned many cooking hacks that help me create great meals for my family and have turned them into cooking tips.
- Roll lemons and limes on a cutting board to extract more juice from them.
- Always reserve some pasta water when you are making pasta. Its comes in handy to thin out a sauce, or creates an amazing sauce with butter and parmesan.
- Brine boneless skinless chicken breasts to add more moisture and flavor.
- Never overcrowd a pan with ingredients, or they will steam rather than saute.
- For a healthier tuna salad, use mashed avocado rather than mayonnaise.
- Freeze tomato pasta in 1 tablespoon increments in Ziploc bags-the can always gets moldy before you can use it up!
- When making meatloaf, pinch off a small piece and cook it like a mini hamburger so you know if the seasoning is correct.
- When making a vinaigrette, dissolve the salt in the vinegar first, then whisk in the oil.
- If you don’t have time to roast a whole chicken, spatchcock it (butterfly) to cut down on cooking time.
- When making a dish with several ingredients, always season as you go so when the dish comes together it is more evenly seasoned.
- If you’re not sure if oil is hot enough to fry in, put the bottom of a wooden spoon in the oil. If bubbles form around the oil then you are ready to fry!
- Always turn the handles on pots and pans away from you on the stove, so no one accidentally gets burned.
- Invest in the best oils and vinegars you can. You will notice the difference!
- When making cookies, always chill the dough before placing on a cookie sheet. The texture of the cookies will be much better.
These are just a few of the tricks I’ve learned that I know would help you elevate your meals. You will also find that some of these just keep you safe while cooking. Be sure to try these out and see the difference they make for yourself.