FoodDEC 16, 2022

30 People Online Unveil 'Tricks' That Make Matters Easier In Their Kitchen

In the Middle Ages, the teaching of the so-called "Seven Liberal Arts" was obligatory in universities, and only those who mastered them could rightfully call themselves an educated and cultured person. Grammar, logic and rhetoric were the first three, and arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy were the next four. It has been like this for centuries, but reality tells us that all these years later, there is another, much more important and valuable art - cooking.

Indeed, cooking is a real art. You can interpret it as a craft aimed only at satisfying your hunger, or you can endlessly vary the ingredients, tools and seasonings, creating absolute masterpieces. And then the name of Julia Child, who taught Americans about haute cuisine right at home, will rightfully stand on par with such great popularizers of science as Neil deGrasse Tyson or Robert Feynman.

A few years ago, there was a thread in the AskReddit community where the topic starter asked people a simple question: "What are your cooking life hacks?" Today, this thread has over 2.3K upvotes, plus approximately 2.2K miscellaneous comments. Some of them are outright trolling like "if you put the meat in the freezer, it will last longer", but others are real gems that will really help any novice or even professional chef.

Of course, if the pinnacle of your culinary prowess is to spread butter on bread and put a piece of sausage on top, you can safely close the tab with this post. However, who knows, perhaps this will be the trigger for you that will wake you up as a future master of kitchen affairs?

In any case, Bored Panda has compiled for you a selection of the smartest, non-standard, sometimes crazy, but no less outstanding ideas from the original thread, so please feel free to scroll this list to the very end, save the greatest ideas and, who knows, maybe add your own for someone else's benefit.

More info: Reddit

#1

30 People Online Unveil 'Tricks' That Make Matters Easier In Their Kitchen

Not sure if this counts as a cooking hack, but I've learned to clean up my dirty dishes/utensils *while* making the meal; don't wait until after. It saves time, keeps me in the kitchen while I need to monitor the cooking, and then minimal clean-up after the meal!

The-Amateur, Kim Siever

Report

148points

#2

When cutting onions, don't get too emotionally attached.

swebster6

Report

100points

#3

Sharper knives are safer.

When chopping, focus on safety and proper method, speed will come naturally.

anon, William Brawley

Report

100points

By the way, the first cookbook in history that has survived to the present day was compiled at the end of the 4th century AD. This is the famous 'De re culinaria', the authorship of which is attributed to the legendary ancient Roman gourmet Marcus Gabius Apicius. For almost two thousand years of its existence, the book has withstood several hundred reprints, and its first printed edition was published in Europe only a few decades after the actual invention of the printing press.

By the way, the cult book of all European gourmets actually did not contain any recipes, but it described the ways of cooking, the rules of behavior at the table, and also, in fact, the very thing that this post is dedicated to - various culinary tips and life hacks.

#4

Things don't stop cooking the second you take them off the heat. For example, you want to take scrambled eggs off the stove when they are still glistening and slightly wet looking. The internal heat will finish the cooking.

Similarly you want to take meat off just a little before the internal temp reaches what you're shooting for, because the heat from the outside of the meat will continue to migrate inwards and cook the inside while the meat is resting.

gannon2145, whatleydude

Report

90points

#5

Mix Worcestershire sauce into your raw burger meat before cooking it. Makes it juicier.

Chewy12

Report

84points

#6

Add oregano to your frozen pizza before heating it up. Also, you should probably add more cheese while you're at it because they never put enough cheese on those things.

ManMan36, Marco Verch Professional Photographer

Report

83points

"Any professional chef, like a scientist or an artist, must develop, look for new ideas and concepts," says Roman Sardarian, a chef from Ukraine, who was asked by Bored Panda to share some professional secrets. "If a chef doesn't find new recipes or combinations, burnout will set in sooner or later. That's why I'm always looking for something new for myself."

"From recent fresh ideas - for example, this concept of a non-standard side dish. Combining familiar ingredients into something new is true art. So, just imagine - we take butter and honey in a ratio of two to one, mix them, add a few tablespoons of soy sauce. Then we chop ordinary carrots, fry over high heat literally until black roasts appear. And then we mix the fried carrots with the prepared sauce. We get an incredibly original side dish, perfect for many meat dishes. And the joy of such small but important discoveries largely adds up to the pleasure of our work," says Roman.

#7

Cast iron pans. I love my cast iron skillet, and try to cook as many meals in that as possible. A well seasoned pan is wonderful to cook it, it does give you extra iron in your diet, and it basically is nonstick as long as you take proper care of it and keep it seasoned.

llcucf80, Kim Siever

Report

73points

#8

- Cooking is feeling; baking is science.

- Salt & peppar are your best friends. Seasons every ingredient accordingly, not just the finished dish.

- Don't use too high heat. Burned food is bad food.

- Never leave the kitchen when there's something on the stove.

- Prepare all the ingredients before you start.

- Keep your knife sharp.

- Clean as you go.

anon, Andrea Goh

Report

69points

#9

Smoke detector isn't a timer.

anon, Richard Kelland

Report

67points

It is interesting that every year, the number of people who want to learn how to cook deliciously is only growing. For example, year-to-date sales of baking cookbooks were 42% higher they were last year, according to The NPD Group. Overall, there has been a steady 10% growth in cookbook sales over the past decade. So, who knows, maybe after reading this post of ours, you will also add to this statistic of people who are interested in cooking as an art.

#10

Save all bones and veggie scraps! Keep them in a Tupperware or bag in the freezer, and once it's full, make broth. Seriously the best soup starter, plus it's frugal and waste-free!

sunnylittlemay, Rusty Clark ~ 100K Photos

Report

65points

#11

Date/marry someone who cooks

greenbay_snacker, Jaume Escofet

Report

58points

#12

It's amazing what you can accomplish with just a few shakes of salt and pepper. Season everything.

hooch, Didriks

Report

56points

#13

1.) Pre-cut 2 large onions to use throughout the week.

2.) Freeze hot peppers, especially if you use them rarely.

3.) Acidity is a culinary cheat code. lemon and limes can be stored up to a month in the fridge; vinegar is cheap.

4.) Pan sauce is stupid simple:

* Sear any meat in a stainless steal pan.

* Take meat out of pan.

* Pour in enough wine to help scrape up the brown bits.

* Add any aromatic you want. (onions/ garlic/ ginger/ ECT)

* Stir in butter.

* Add enouph stock to loosen the mixture.

* Add a tiny bit of acid.

* Reduce.

The cool thing about Pan sauce is versatility. You can use what ever wine, aromatics, fats, stock, etc you have available, and end up with a deliciously unique flavor profile every time.

squeeeeenis, Tim Sackton

Report

54points

#14

Invest in your tools! Buy a good knife (learn how to keep it sharp) buy a good pot and a good pan. You'd be surprised how much you can do with just those basics and it makes a huge difference.

MoreLikeZelDUH, Patty Ho

Report

40points

#15

Leftover pizza is best reheated in a pan on a stove top. Throw in some water near the end to steam it to melt the cheese. Then the crust is crisp but the cheese and meat are still hot and gooey.

anon, Peter O'Connor aka anemone projectors

Report

40points

#16

You know that brown stuff that forms at the bottom of a pot/pan when you're cooking? That stuff is the nectar of the gods. Deglaze that f*****g pan and soak up all that tasty goodness. Great for making stews/sauces.

Berephus, normanack

Report

39points

#17

When making fried rice, it's best to use rice that's been left overnight in the fridge. Source: am Asian

cwsup

Report

38points

#18

Cook your tomato paste in the pan with the veggies before adding water. It adds so much depth and also gets rid of that acid flavor a lot faster. I let it cook too it turns a dark maroon color then add The liquid.

Great for tomato sauces and soup

RogueAngel87, goblinbox_(queen_of_ad_hoc_bento)

Report

34points

#19

Learn to use a chefs knife and day old rice is best for fried rice.

Binod5098, JoslynLM

Report

32points

#20

Separate the yolk and whites when scrambling an egg. Whip the whites until they are super frothy (but not meringue) then combine with yolk and gently mix together. The most fluffy eggs ever.

visionsofsolitude, star5112

Report

32points