FoodFEB 23, 2022

People Didn't Realize How Helpful These 30 Cooking Tips And Tricks Were Until They Started Using Them

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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

People Didn't Realize How Helpful These 30 Cooking Tips And Tricks Were Until They Started Using Them

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.

nicelittlenap

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230points

To find out more about learning the joy of cooking, as well as useful tips and tricks for cooking fresh, Bored Panda spoke with Beth Moncel, a food lover and the founder of “Budget Bytes” where she has been sharing her passion for cooking and delicious recipes designed for small budgets since 2009.

“I think anyone can learn to cook,” Beth said when we asked if it’s something we’re born with or we learn it. She believes that just like any skill, it takes time and practice. “The more you do it, the easier it will get. I don't think anyone is born with this skill, but rather some people have had the opportunity to learn through observation in their younger years, so it might seem like an innate skill.”

#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.

madmaxx

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215points

#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.

Target_Repulsive

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173points

#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."

u/putsch80

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154points

For anyone who has never been into cooking and wants to start cooking from fresh, Beth suggests starting small. “Pick one easy recipe per week to try and add more once you feel comfortable. And most of all, don't get discouraged if you have a recipe failure. Failures and mistakes are how you learn!” Beth said that even after decades of cooking almost every single day, she still has failures. “It's part of the process,” she said.

#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.

legoruthead

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134points

#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!

babamum

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130points

#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.

wuzacuz

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127points

Beth shared a couple of simple and useful tips to get you into the cooking game. “Use all of your senses when cooking. Watch how textures and colors change, listen to the sounds of the food in the skillet, smell the aromas, and taste as you go (as long as it's not something that shouldn't be eaten raw),” she said. According to her, the more you experience the cooking process, the faster it will become intuitive.

Another great piece of advice is to not be afraid to experiment. “Change recipes to make them fit your taste buds and your lifestyle. If you come across a word or technique in a recipe that you're unfamiliar with, Google it!” Beth suggests looking at tutorials and videos out there since they are on just about everything these days, “so take the opportunity to learn,” she concluded.

#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."

ericag476c06e05

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122points

#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.

Bad_Chicken_2

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114points

#10

A tablespoon or two of butter at the end of cooking tomato sauce for pasta adds a delicious rich flavor.

LowAfternoon8155

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113points

#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.

mrbenten

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111points

#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.

katiet4e69249bc

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110points

#13

Scrape the cutting board to gather chopped or minced ingredients with the blunt side of the knife to protect your cutlery

AltonIllinois

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105points

#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).

The_Great_Ginge

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97points

#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.

Ahkhira

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94points

#16

Don’t put too much salt in anything that is going to thicken up and reduce. You might end up oversalting

drb00b, Joanna Bourne

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92points

#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.

smartchic65

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85points

#18

Peel the skin off ginger with a spoon. A Knife is too wasteful, and a spoon is way easier.

cypher448

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82points

#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.

FearTheDears

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80points

#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.

andiepandie23

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80points

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