Some people are born with it, others take years to learn and to appreciate it. The passion for cooking is something that professional cooks, food aficionados aka foodies, and nonnas who carry the oldest recipes out there share in common.
But big things start from simple steps and in order to dive deep into the cooking universe, you want to start with a solid foundation of ‘know-how.’ This takes practice and taking notes from the best tips and tricks from people who already know what they’re doing.
And this thread posted on the Cooking subreddit is a great way to do that. “What tip did you never think of, that seemed so obvious and really helpful after someone taught you?” asked Redditor Smartchic and the responses started rolling in. From things like making a jam from sad berries on the verge of going bad and sprinkling some water before microwaving leftover food to soften and moisten it, it’s crazy how simple these obvious tricks are. Have one to share as well? Hit us in the comment section below!
#1
I almost never used my non stick pans for searing meats. I would always panic when the meat stuck, no matter how much oil/butter I used. I would force it to unstick right away, often ripping up the meat. It took my years to learn that the meat will unstick itself once some of the fats render out. I learned it from Master Chef.
Image source: nicelittlenap
#2
Freeze your ginger and grate it from frozen without peeling. Peels end up on the outside of the grater, and it lasts for ages in the freezer. You’ll always have fresh ginger on hand.
Image source: madmaxx
#3
More of a cleaning tip. Cooked with an older guy at a local bar & grill. We were cleaning up for the night and one of the kid mac&chz exploded in the microwave when I forgot it. So I was scraping and scrubbing this hard burnt cheese and pasta out by hand. The old cook saw me struggling and grabbed a soapy wet rag and nuked it for 2 minutes. Presto! He wiped the inside of the microwave with a paper towel in seconds. Brilliant! It’s how I clean microwaves now.
Image source: Target_Repulsive
#4
Roast vegetables for longer than you might think necessary. I used to hate roasted veggies because they’d either be hard and undercooked or mushy. Then I realized you just need to cook them for even longer so that they transcend the mushy stage, the moisture is removed, and they begin to brown.”
Image source: u/putsch80
#5
If you are baking or cooking and need to weigh ingredients, try reverse taring. Put the entire container of your ingredient on the scale, then set it to zero and measure what you’ve taken out. This is useful because you can weight ingredients without dirtying another dish. It’s particularly handy for sticky or messy ingredients like honey or peanut butter.
Image source: legoruthead
#6
If you want to make good fried rice use cooked rice that’s been in the fridge overnight.
This was a revelation! Because the rice is dry it doesnt stick together when you fry it. I’d been making gluggy messes for years cooking it from raw. Once I started using cooked rice it actually looked like the stuff you buy!
Image source: babamum
#7
Mince fresh parsley (or basil) and spread it out in a gallon zipper freezer bag and freeze. When it’s completely frozen squeeze out the air and roll it up and tuck it somewhere handy in your freezer. It stays green and you can use as much or as little as you want.
The same idea with tomato paste. Empty the can into a freezer bag, flatten it out and freeze it. You can just break off what you need without wasting most of the can.
Image source: wuzacuz
#8
If you want over-easy eggs but the whites are taking a while to set, place a lid on the pan and wait about 30 seconds. The steam will cook the whites quickly, and the yolks will still be nice and runny.”
Image source: ericag476c06e05
#9
Buy spices whole and grind what you need. Whole spices are more affordable, last so much longer, and the flavor of freshly ground spices can’t be beat.
Image source: Bad_Chicken_2
#10
A tablespoon or two of butter at the end of cooking tomato sauce for pasta adds a delicious rich flavor.
Image source: LowAfternoon8155
#11
If you’re not going to finish your food before it goes bad, put it in your freezer. Gordon Ramsay isn’t going to come out and start yelling at you because you used frozen chicken.
Image source: mrbenten
#12
If you’re making a dish that relies heavily on spices for seasoning, toast the spices before adding them to the recipe to bloom them. You only need to cook them in a pan until fragrant (which takes about 30 seconds to a minute). This quick step vastly improves their taste and amplifies the flavor so you can use less.
Image source: katiet4e69249bc
#13
Scrape the cutting board to gather chopped or minced ingredients with the blunt side of the knife to protect your cutlery
Image source: AltonIllinois
#14
If you can’t figure out what it’s missing, it’s probably acidity. Changed my game entirely. (I don’t do sweets, for reference).
Image source: The_Great_Ginge
#15
I was gifted an ulu. It’s a knife used by Alaskan Native women. It’s a game changer. It does EVERYTHING, from slicing to dicing, boning to fileting. It’s my go-to all purpose knife, and I keep it very sharp. Learning knife cuts with that was the best thing that I ever did for myself.
Image source: Ahkhira
#16
Don’t put too much salt in anything that is going to thicken up and reduce. You might end up oversalting
Image source: drb00b, Joanna Bourne
#17
For me it was “freeze the ends of soup stock veggies (carrots, celery, onions) and meat bones when you are making other things” so when you want to make soup your base for broth is ready.
I don’t know why I never thought of this myself. I hate waste, so this works out in many ways for me. Cooking some stock now and it smells amazing.
Image source: smartchic65
#18
Peel the skin off ginger with a spoon. A Knife is too wasteful, and a spoon is way easier.
Image source: cypher448
#19
This one’s for pie dough, but grate the butter on a cheese grater then mix it in. Saves a ton of time with the pastry blender. Helps if you freeze it a little first.
Image source: FearTheDears
#20
Save leftover bacon grease and sauté onions with it, or just use bacon grease instead of olive oil or butter when you’re making anything that could use a little extra flavor boost.
Image source: andiepandie23
#21
For cold bread and pizza… get some water and sprinkle it inside or on the plate before you nuke it… Softens up the crust… Makes cold pizza glorious
Image source: ieatplaydough
#22
If there is water in the pan, the Maillard process (browning of food from searing) will never happen.
If there is water in the pan, the temperature is less than boiling temperature (100 Celsius), and maillard needs 140-165 to happen. This is why recipes call for wiping moisture off steaks before searing them.
Image source: sparkplug_23
#23
Cinnamon and nutmeg aren’t just for baking. They make great additions for marinades and savory dishes. Try adding cinnamon to chili or nutmeg to creamy sauces like béchamel
Image source: u/boncrys
#24
Taste as you go.
It is obvious but weirdly enough, when I started cooking, I did not do that at all. Food tasted either over seasoned or bland AF.
Once I did, food tasted way better instead of blindly seasoning because a recipe said so.
It was honestly watching UK’s Kitchen Nightmares that I learned this.
Image source: RandomAsianGuy
#25
If your homemade soup is too thin, try adding instant mashed potatoes as a thickener. Since I learned this trick, I’ve started keeping a box around for lazy days or emergencies. They’re a lifesaver when you’ve added too much liquid to soup.
Image source: PeachasaurusWrex
#26
When something says ‘season to taste’, it doesn’t just mean salt or pepper. It could be adding an acid, or a sugar, or so on – it’s about balancing everything.
Image source: twolephants
#27
Have a small bowl next to you for trash veggie peels scraps. Saves a ton of time from going back and forth to the trash
Image source: mjp02002
#28
Smash the garlic with the flat of the knife
Image source: exackerly
#29
When cutting round vegetables like carrots and cucumbers, create a flat surface to the veggie doesn’t roll all over the place and you don’t cut your fingers.
Image source: CatWings64
#30
Brown your butter when making brownies and cookies.
Image source: velon360
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