Share one cooking secret, please :)

[elaine l]

As stated by Andy M, don't let any recipe scare you off. Since I have been on here I have tried things, mostly techniques, that I thought were way above me. But they were not!

Also it does help to have everything prepped and ready. I lay out all needed ingredients and equipment as I get ready.

 

[expatgirl]

I have several cooking secrets to share but if it's boiled down to one I would say please invest in good quality knives------you will never regret it. I have a couple of Henckel knives and my favorite of all is a Wusthofff chef's knife. I've owned many other knives over the years and believe me you will always reach for the good quality one. Since it's the time of giving put the word out-- they make great gifts.

 

[Uncle Bob]

Average Stock = Average Food
Good Stock = Good Food
Excellent Stock = Excellent Food
Great Stock = Great Food


Bonus Secret Cook by Temperature Not by the Clock!!

 

[LEFSElover]

My Norwegian Gramma was head pastry chef for 25 years
don't overwork your dough.
use almost freezing butter.
try not to use your hands too much when kneading, it warms the butter too fast.
result, flakey/crusty/light pie crust

if you have a t&t recipe that's the bomb just the way it is, no matter how easy and simple it may be, leave it alone and let it stand alone, don't mess with it, it's perfect already, accept that.

spend money where it really counts, ie. a Wusthof Trident chef knife. yep, it's a hundred bucks but well worth it.
a Cuisinart food processor, spend the money on one.
a Kitchenaide mixer, just bite the bullet and buy it.
These 3 must haves last a lifetime.

If you know you're going to use a certain spice a lot, buy the best. ie. vanilla beans, vanilla, nutmeg, etc.
if it's something you'll use only occasionally, buy it at the market on sale. ie. corriander, fenugreek, lemon pepper.

Train your pallet. I make food all the time, I TASTE AS I GO, as suggested by someone on here. If it's too sweet, I add the opposite ingred and taste again. If it's too salty, I add something to counter balance. My husband often asks me, "what did you put in this to cause this flavor." I often times can't remember because I've had to adjust so many things, and none of them make sense to a normal cook but to me, if I add a fruit jam, it may work, if I add a bit of chocolate to savory, it works, if I add ortega chilis to something that shouldn't contain that ingred, it matters not if it works.

 

[QSis]

Time your cookies to come out one minute less than the recipe calls for. Works great (almost) all the time.

People say, "ooo! These are so good! What's your secret?"

Lee

 

[Bilby]

As many have said, understand the basics of a recipe rather than looking at the ingredients and steps and then use your imagination because once you have the components of a recipe, you can substitute, you can experiment, you can push the envelope and develop something new.

Your meals can be as exciting as you want them to be once you let your mind loose on your food!

I treat ingredients as a game of Boggle (you know where you have nine letters and you have to make as many words from those letters). Look at the ingredients you have and let your imagination run!

 

[Barbara L]

If you are doubling a recipe or cutting it in half, rewrite the ingredients with the new measurements before beginning. It is easy to mess up and double some ingredients and not others, which can really mess up something you are baking.

Barbara

 

[Michael in FtW]

Everybody has pretty much covered most of the bases .... but one:

Hot Pan - cold oil - food won't stick!

The exception is tin-lined copper - that should never be preheated!

 

[ironchef]

Technique is the most important thing. An expert cook using cheap, low quality tools can still outcook an average cook using All-Clad, Wustof, etc. Learn how to do things the right way, and practice, practice, practice. Repetition is key.

 

[Mel!]

Making Risotto on an electric cooker.

Heat stock and wine and then add rice. Then turn off the heat and let the risotto cook slowly on the afterheat with the lid on. After around 20 minutes it will be perfect. And if u cook it on the afterheat it wont stick to the bottom of the pot.

Mel

 

[abjcooking]

Michael reminded me, another tip to keep the food from sticking and cooking better over all, don't put your meat into a hot pan straight out of the refrigerator. Let it rest on the counter top a bit before putting onto the heat.

 

[sage™]

let cookie sheets cool before you put the next batch on to bake.
I use my kitchen scissors almost as much as a knife..they are great for trimming fat from meats..cutting bacon..chopping herbs,,even cutting meats into pieces.
Keep your knives sharp..you can get by with less expensive knives if ya have a good sharpener.
lol..i'm sure i'll think of more later

 

[Andy M.]

If you are doubling a recipe or cutting it in half, rewrite the ingredients with the new measurements before beginning. It is easy to mess up and double some ingredients and not others, which can really mess up something you are baking.

Barbara

This is a good tip. I have a number of recipes in my recipe book that have two ingredient lists printed out. One is double the other so I don't have to repeatedly do the math. I've screwed it up more than once.

 

[purringkitty]

you are all wonderful for sharing little kitchen secrets with me, many of those i didnt know so its very helpful... more more more, please

 

[suziquzie]

It's sorta been said already with clean as you go...
But start with a clean kitchen and empty dishwasher.
Don't have 3 other things going on.
Dont be checking on DC with food on the stove!!!!

 

[Renee Attili]

If cooking multiple dishes, sit down and kind of write out a schedual of sorts.
As I am planning a meal I write out what I am cooking, what temps they cook at and how long they take to cook, and create a schedual for the whole cooking process.This way I can organize my cooking strategy so I know, let's say, that I want my roast to be done 15 minutes before serving and when I take it out to rest, I will kick up the heat in my oven then to 425 and put my dinner rolls in so they will be ready at the same time the meat is done resting, and be able to go on the table at the same time.
It helps to streamline your efforts and make sure you don't forget to cook something, or have it ready too early, or not ready when everything else is.

 

[Robo410]

for soups stews crock pot meals whatever, brown the meat, brown the bones and veggies (get some caramelization) the flavor improves geometrically

tip: learn to brown and deglaze

all other technique tips given are sound fundamentals for sure.

 

[ChefJune]

You have a lot of great tips here. I can think of a couple that haven't been said in quite the same way....

Just a pinch of salt will lift the flavor of any dish (even desserts) especially where it isn't called for. Don't add it at the end, but during the mixing.

A propos of mise en place: 1. I always suggest to my students that they invest in a few medium sized trays for gathering the mise en place. Put all the ingredients for each dish you are preparing on a separate tray. It eliminates a lot of confusion when you are making multiple dishes at the same time.
2. Chop your mirepoix ahead of time, if you can, and make extra of each ingredient and bag that for future use. Chopped onions, celery, carrots, peppers all freeze well, so if you won't need them right away, just pop them in your freezer door. You'll be glad you did.

When assembling dishes like Lasagna, never make just one. It's just as easy to make two. You then can freeze #2 and have a meal made ahead for "you never know!"

Oh! and don't wash good cookware (or you knives) in the dishwasher!

 

[Constance]

If you're going to make gravy, sear your meat at a high temperature, and let it almost burn...you'll get great color and flavor in your gravy that way.

If you're like me, and like to have a drink while you cook, be sure you get the meal together before you get too toasted. I was making gumbo with a house full of people once, and ended up burning the roux.

 

[buckytom]

if you're making tomato sauce, keep stirring it or it'll burn.

if it does get burned (you can feel it on the bottom with a spoon), carefully ladel off the as much as you can without disturbing the bottom, then pour off the rest into another pot.



and never cook sauce naked.