Cooking is a learning game. And if you cook often, you’re probably constantly discovering new tricks, tweaks, and methods that make a huge difference in the quality of your food. So Redditor u/CaptainWisconsin asked, “What extremely simple but often overlooked cooking tip/trick makes all the difference?” – and this is what people said.
1.
“For me, it’s mise en place. I get really stressed out when I cook, and prepping and layering my ingredients ahead of time really helps.”
two.
“Make sure you heat the pan before you put food in it. A lot of the flavor comes from the physical reactions between the food and a hot pan or grill. For most things, if it doesn’t hiss and sizzle when it goes into the pan, then you’re fooling yourself with great concentrations of flavor.”
3.
“When you’re making meatballs, season the entire batch of raw meat. Then cook a small ‘test’ meatball. Taste it and adjust the seasoning on the larger batch if needed.”
Four.
“When baking, freeze the butter and grate it with a microplane. It’s the easiest way to get very fine pieces of cold butter that are evenly distributed throughout the dough.”
5.
“Often when people are looking for an added seasoning, what they really need is a hit of acid. Instead of adding more salt to a dish, try brightening things up with a squeeze of lemon/lime or some sort of vinegar.”
6.
“I used to think that bacon should go straight into a very hot skillet, but mine always tasted boiled and limp. I didn’t understand why it wasn’t crispy. But then I learned that just putting those bacon strips in a room The temperature of the pan and the gradual increase in heat ensure that it is always crispy. A lot of people may think they can fry bacon in a couple of minutes, but in reality, good, crispy bacon takes at least 15-20 minutes.”
7.
“Add some of the pasta water back into your pasta sauce. Just a quarter to a half cup is all you need. The starch in the water will help the sauce emulsify and stick to the noodles.”
8.
“Pounding the chicken breast to an even thickness before cooking. It makes them cook more evenly.”
9.
“Dry the surface of the food to absorb excess moisture if you want it to brown nicely. Many people take this step for granted and wonder why food doesn’t come out brown.”
10
“There is no such thing as cooking wine. Don’t cook with a wine you wouldn’t drink on its own. You don’t have to spend a ton, but cooking with quality drinkable wine (even a $12 bottle) adds so much more flavor to a dish.” .
eleven
“Remove food from the heat source once it has finished cooking. Things like meat and eggs continue to cook even after they are removed from the oven or grill/stove. Take food off the heat. prior to finished cooking, and let it rest. It will reach the desired consistency instead of tasting overcooked.”
12
“The more you process or crush the garlic, the stronger the flavor becomes in your dish.”
13
“Oven temperatures and controls are always very imprecise. Get an oven thermometer and see how hot it really gets – you’d be surprised how ‘off’ it is.”
14
“A lot of people just cook ground beef until it’s no longer pink and starting to turn gray, but try letting it cook longer (to the point where you’re afraid it’ll even overcook). I find ground beef really good sea bream is much, much tastier for your tacos, sauces, etc.”
fifteen.
“Don’t overcrowd the pan. If you overcrowd the pan, you’ll steam the food instead of brown it. When you give the food the space it needs to achieve that golden crust, you achieve the Maillard reaction, which makes the food taste better”.
sixteen.
“You can almost always swap the chicken broth for water to add more flavor to whatever you’re cooking.”
17
“Cooking pasta for the last few minutes in the sauce. I traveled to Italy last year and it made me understand what it’s really supposed to taste like al dente, and also why you want to cook the pasta in the sauce at the end. It totally changed my cooking game.” paste for the better”.
18
“Coat baked goods with granulated sugar instead of flour. Every time I bake, I always grease my pans, but instead of using flour to coat the pan, I use granulated sugar. It makes the edges of whatever I’m baking sweet and crispy. and it saves me from having to use extra frosting or frosting.”
19
“Resist the urge to flip food while cooking. The best thing you can do for your meats is to leave them alone. After you put them in the pan, on the grill or whatever, don’t touch them. Don’t touch, probe press, squeeze, lift, twist or anything else until it’s time to flip it over. If you move it, the juices will escape and disrupt the cooking process, leaving the meat dry and flavorless.”
twenty
“I keep notes on the recipes I make. I write down the amounts of ingredients I used, how many servings you made, and helpful tips on the cooking process. I also rate recipes so I know which ones to make again. You can improve them by changing a few variables at a time, and when you do it again in a month or a year, you’ll know exactly how to do it.”
twenty-one
“Always brine your meats, especially chicken. Your food will taste much juicier and more flavorful after brining, even if you’re not using the highest quality meat.”
22
“Always deglaze the pan to take advantage of any remaining buffs. That’s pure flavor.”
23
“Always toast your hamburger buns. Spread some Duke’s mayonnaise on them first, then sprinkle on some garlic powder seasoning, then toast them in a skillet until golden brown.”
24
“Add tomato paste to the sautéed onions and garlic, let it cook and stick to the pan, then deglaze. It will add tremendous flavor to your dish and taste like it’s been slow cooking all day. It’s especially delicious for tomato sauces, etc…”
25
“Treat temperature like an ingredient. Follow recipe directions. A pan that’s too hot or too cold will result in a bad meal, or at least an undercooked dish.”
26
“Use kosher salt (or Maldon flakes) over other types of salt like iodized. This allows you to better adjust the amount of salt because the flakes are bulkier, so it’s harder to overdo.”
27
“Monter au beurre, aka mix cold butter into your sauces to finish them off for a beautiful glossy finish. It’s the reason almost every sauce you have in a restaurant tastes better.”
28
“Always start mushrooms cooking in a dry skillet for a few minutes to remove some of the moisture before adding oil or butter. They brown much better this way.”
29
“Taste everything as you cook, not just the finished recipe. Taste all the spices, salt and pepper separately before adding them to your dish. Don’t let one bad ingredient ruin your meal.”
30
“Roast vegetables longer than you think you need to. I used to hate roasting vegetables because they were tough and undercooked or mushy. Then I realized you just needed to cook them longer for them to get past the soft stage, it’s eliminated moisture and begin to brown.
31
“Toast ingredients before cooking with them. Think: spices, oatmeal for oatmeal, flour for roux, arborio rice for risotto, and walnuts on anything. It does wonders for flavor.”
What’s an underrated tip that has made a huge difference in your kitchen? Tell us in the comments!
Tasty
Get the best Tasty recipes delivered to your inbox! Sign up for the Tasty newsletter today!
Source: www.buzzfeed.com