The Only Cooking Tips You’ll Ever Need
You don’t need have to be the chef of a Michelin-starred restaurant to be a pro in the kitchen. You also don’t need years of experience to use some of the most brilliant cooking hacks known to man.
We here at Diet.st have gathered 101 most useful, time-saving tips that will boost your cooking skills and make you a true star in the kitchen.
Whether you are an experienced cook or still struggling with the basics of cooking, the following 101 cooking tips and tricks will make your life much easier.
1. You can soften butter faster if you grate it with a cheese grater. Another option is to put the butter in a plastic bag and flatten it with a rolling pin. You can achieve the same results if you cut a stick of butter into 8 to 10 pieces.
2. To save yourself a lot of trouble when separating egg yolk from whites, make a small hole in the egg and drain the white through the hole. Now just crack open the egg and release the yolk.
3. There’s an easy way to keep yolks in the middle of the eggs when boiling them – stir the water gently while cooking.
4. Slice up lemons or limes into thin slices and place them in a muffin baking tray. Fill the tray with water and put it in the freezer for a couple of hours. You will end up with delicious lemon or lime ice cubes that go perfectly with various refreshing drinks.
5. You don’t need sour cream for a delicious dip. Put some cottage cheese in a blender until it’s creamed and voila, you have the perfect replacement for sour cream.
6. If you happen to burn some rice, don’t worry. Take a piece of bread and place it on top of the rice for a couple of minutes. The bread will eliminate the taste and smell of the burned rice. Since the rice is still burned at the bottom of the pan, make sure not to scrape it off when serving the good rice.
7. Always keep basil at room temperature with the stems soaked in water to keep it fresh longer.
8. When roasting a whole chicken, separate the legs from the breast because you have to cook the legs longer. This way, you can prevent the breast from overcooking by removing it sooner than the legs.
9. If you want your meatballs to stay perfectly shaped, place them in the fridge for about half an hour prior to cooking them.
10. When you are boiling eggs, add a bit of salt in the water to prevent the shells from cracking.
11. You don’t have to follow recipes blindly. Replace ingredients with similar ingredients and feel free to experiment. What’s the worst that could happen?
12. Don’t keep tomatoes and citrus fruits in the fridge. They will lose some of their flavor and aroma in low temperatures.
13. If you want to pamper yourself or someone you love, shape the whipped cream on your hot chocolate with cookie cutters.
14. Speaking of hot chocolate, you can easily prepare home-made hot chocolate by adding chocolate truffles to hot milk.
15. Always taste your dish before serving it – if you don’t taste what you make, you won’t know if the dish needs more salt or spices.
16. For safety reasons, you should consider putting wine corks on the tips of you knives before storing them away.
Via Mommy Minutes
17. To keep water from boiling over, place a wooden spoon across the pan.
18. Put an apple in a bag of potatoes to prevent them from budding.
19. To get rid of the smell of garlic or onions from your hands, rub them on fresh coffee beans or on a stainless steel spoon. Both are equally efficient in absorbing the nasty odor.
20. If you need to put more oil in the pan when sautéing, pour it along the edges of the pan to ensure that the oil is heated once it reaches whatever it is you are cooking.
21. When you want to make a creamy dressing that is also super healthy, replace half the mayonnaise with Greek yogurt.
22. To make sure your oil is hot enough for frying, use a wooden spoon. If bubbles appear around the wood, you know that the frying can begin.
23. If you grill fish on top of a layer of lemons, the fish will be much tastier and won’t stick to the grill.
24. Did you know that you don’t have to struggle with opening pistachio nuts? Just use the shell of one of the already-opened pistachios to open others.
25. Don’t store bananas in a bunch or with other fruits because they will ripen more quickly. To prevent them from turning brown, separate bananas and keep them in different locations. This way, you can be certain that they will be fresh longer.
26. When you put too much salt in a soup, there’s no need to throw it away. Just drop in a peeled potato and wait for a few minutes for the veggie to absorb the additional salt.
27. Sliced avocado won’t turn brown if you sprinkle it with lemon juice.
28. This might seem obvious, but a lot of beginner cooks don’t know that you should put a lid on the pot to boil water faster.
29. Change your kitchen sponge every few weeks.
30. Buy yourself a notepad and write down recipes and cooking tips. Or even better, write in your cookbooks and you will never make the same cooking mistake twice.
31. Preparation is the key to success. To save time, do all the prep work the night or even day before and avoid unnecessary stress.
32. It almost goes without saying, but never experiment for an important meal. If you are cooking for a special occasion, stick to familiar recipes and well-known ingredients.
33. Instead of going to the trash can every minute, purchase a large garbage bowl and keep it close to you when preparing foods and cooking.
34. Put a kitchen rag under your cutting board to prevent it from moving.
35. As soon as you wash your salad greens, wrap them in a clean dish towel and swing the towel until the greens are completely dry.
36. You can save burned gravy if you mix it with peanut butter. Just make sure to add one teaspoon of smooth peanut butter for each cup of gravy.
37. A glass of Coke will ease stomach upset. Just keep in mind that the sugar and carbonation responsible for the soothing effect can worsen other digestive problems.
38. There’s no need to buy fancy spice jars; just store the spices in old tic-tac containers.
39. When you are serving ice cream to a number of people, put the container under hot water for about half a minute and then put it upside down on a plate. You can now cut the ice cream the same way you would cut bread – with a knife.
40. The easiest way to peel skin fruits and veggies is to put them in a bowl with boiling water. Leave them in the bowl for one minute and you’ll have no problem removing the skin with a sharp knife.
41. Hold your knife under hot water for a few seconds in order to cut the perfect cake slices.
42. If you don’t have a funnel and need one ASAP, you can easily make a disposable one – all you have to do is cut off the corner of an envelope.
43. If you can’t live without mayo, but still want to do something beneficial to your health, we have just the thing for you: mix an egg with a cup of oil and you’ll have your very own home-made mayo.
44. You don’t have to use a pan to scramble eggs – whisk the egg in a mug and place the mug in the microwave for around 45 seconds.
45. Put pasta in a sealed bag and soak it in water for a few hours. Once the pasta is fully soaked, you’ll need around 60 seconds to cook it in boiling water. You can also add it directly to the sauce and cook it in the pan. Whatever the case, this trick will save you lots of time.
46. To stop salt from hardening, put some rice in the salt shaker. Rice absorbs condensation, preventing salt from clumping together.
47. Even though you might have a knife sharpener at home, you should still get your knives sharpened by a professional once a year. Sharp knives will make preparation much easier and they will save you a lot of time.
48. To prevent milk from going bad, put a pinch of salt in the carton when you first open it. Salt will keep the milk fresh longer.
49. People who are allergic to gluten or just want to make gluten-free bread crumbs can use a food processor on brown rice cereal for best results.
50. To keep your guacamole fresh and prevent it from turning brown, place it in a container and add some water. When you want to eat the guacamole, just drain the water and serve.
51. When you need ice cubes fast, don’t freeze tap water. Water that has been boiled and cooled will freeze much faster than water from the sink.
52. There’s an easy way to remove coffee stains from your ceramic mugs. Prepare a mixture of baking soda, lemon juice, and tartar cream and use it to rub off the stains. They should come off in a matter of seconds.
52. Don’t store your spices above your stove because the heat and humidity will eventually lead to flavor loss. Put them away in a dark and cool place and they will stay fresh for months.
53. Freeze leftover iced coffee in ice-cube trays and use those cubes instead of regular ones. Your coffee won’t lose its flavor once the cubes start to melt.
54. Cottage cheese will stay fresh days longer if you keep it upside down in the fridge.
55. Apply nonstick spray to your cheese grater for super-easy, super-fast shredding.
56. There’s no need to spend more time pitting your cherries than absolutely necessary. To speed up the process, use a paper clip.
57. If you grind your own beef for burgers, make sure to mix in some bacon as well.
58. When you plan on grilling steaks, take them out of the fridge one hour in advance so that they can come to room temperature.
59. To make the perfect mashed potatoes, return them to the hot pan after they have been drained. Cover the pan and leave them for 5 minutes. They will soak up the cream and butter more easily afterward.
60. If you don’t know whether an egg is fresh or not, put it in a glass of water and see what happens. Fresh eggs sink while those that are bad stay afloat.
61. Always serve your cake at room temperature and don’t cut the slices more than 20 minutes before serving to prevent them from drying out.
62. Cut all the veggies and meat and prepare all sauces before you begin cooking.
63. You should always make caramel in nonstick pots because you won’t have to throw away any caramel and you’ll wash the pot in no time.
Via Ponte Winery
64. Don’t throw away leftover wine. Freeze it in ice-cube trays and later use it to prepare soups and sauces.
65. Put paper towels on the bottom of your fridge’s crisper drawer to absorb the extra moisture and preserve the freshness of your vegetables.
66. If you want to get that perfect golden brown color in French fries, sprinkle them with some flour before frying them.
67. There are three ways to prevent bacon from curling: soak it in cold water for 2 minutes and dry well prior to frying. If that doesn’t work, you can either sprinkle the bacon with flour or poke some holes.
68. The easiest way to make guacamole is to dice the avocados with a potato masher.
69. Use a waffle iron to make crisped bacon, French toast, scrambled eggs and even hot dogs.
70. Buy veggies in large quantities and keep them in plastic bags in the freezer. This way, you will always have enough ingredients to make soups, stews, and other dishes.
71. If you want to revive flat champagne, drop a few raisins in the bottle and watch your sparkling wine come back to life.
72. Pour some vinegar over frozen meat. Not only will this defrost the meat quicker, but it will also make it tender and easier to prepare.
73. You can either remove egg shells from the egg white and yolk with a wet finger or with one-half of the cracked egg shell.
74. Use shower caps to cover leftovers. They can be used many times, and they will keep your food safe from bugs and other unwanted particles. Shower caps are also easier to use than plastic wrap or thin foil.
75. To avoid all the mess when peeling citrus fruits, roll them over the kitchen counter or microwave them for 60 seconds.
76. Since counter space is super important when cooking, clean everything as you go. Wash all the dishes you no longer need and store away the remainder of the ingredients.
77. We all know that the potato peeler is super useful, but there’s another way to peel potatoes without any effort whatsoever. Boil the potatoes and then put them in icy water. The skin will start to separate and then you can easily remove it.
78. When you have a hard time opening a jar, wrap the lid with a rubber band. If that doesn’t do the trick, keep the rubber band and use a kitchen towel.
79. Instead of cutting an entire lemon when you need just a few drops of lemon juice, use a metal skewer to make a small hole in the lemon. This way, you will be able to squeeze out just the right amount.
80. You can make your own buttermilk by adding a tablespoon of vinegar (or lemon juice) to ordinary milk. This improvised version of buttermilk will not be as creamy as the real deal, but you can still make excellent pancakes and bread.
81. Everyone who has ever made brownies knows that it can often be harder to slice them than to make them. To avoid all those nasty crumbs, grease your baking pan before placing two pieces of parchment: one from left to right, the other from front to back. Grease the paper as well. When the brownies are ready, don’t touch them until they are cool. Then use the edges of the parchment to lift the brownies and slice them.
82. You shouldn’t use oil when boiling pasta because it will make it much harder for the sauce to stick to the cooked pasta.
83. To make the sauce really stick to the pasta, grate Parmesan on top of the hot pasta before mixing it with the sauce.
84. You don’t have to own a milk frother to make superb milk foam. In fact, the only thing you need is a small jar with a lid. Fill the jar with some milk (no more than to the middle of the jar) and shake the jar until there’s two times more milk than before shaking. Remove the lid and microwave the milk for 30 seconds.
85. To keep your herbs super fresh, wash them and place them in a plastic bag. Put the plastic bag in the fridge until you need the herbs. Keep in mind that they can stay fresh up to 30 days.
86. You can revive stale bread by putting fresh celery in the bread bag. Although we don’t know why, celery actually restores freshness to the bread and makes it softer to the touch.
87. If your soup, casserole or sauce contains too much fat or grease, just drop in one ice cube in the pot. The ice will draw the fat and you can then easily scoop it up with a spoon.
88. Boil sausages for around 5 minutes prior to frying to prevent them from shrinking.
89. If you hate slimy mushrooms, you should wrap them up in paper towels before putting them in the fridge.
90. When your glasses get stuck together, put ice in the inner glass and lower the outer glass in hot water. The first glass will contract and the latter one will expand, making it easy to separate them.
91. If you want to make perfect popcorn, soak the kernels in water for about 10 minutes. Once you drain them, pop them as usual. By doing this, the popcorn will pop up much faster and they will be bigger and tastier.
92. If you happen to find yourself in desperate need of cooked bacon when traveling, wrap the bacon in foil and use an iron to heat the meat product. You can also prepare paninis this way, but you’ll need a small pan and coffee maker. Put the paninis in the pan and put the pan on the coffee maker. Use the iron to heat them.
93. Clean your silverware with toothpaste!
94. You should wash your cutting board every time you cut raw meat or raw fruits and vegetables to prevent cross contamination. The best thing you could do is use two cutting boards, one for the meat, the other for the fruits and veggies.
95. No one want ants in their kitchen either, so make sure to find out where they are coming from and cover the hole with petroleum jelly. If they are coming under a door or window, use chalk to draw a line that will stop them from entering your home. Seriously, chalk is super effective when it comes to getting rid of ants.
96. After boiling pasta and potatoes, use the cooled water to water your plants. The water is packed with nutrients that will help your houseplants thrive.
97. To eliminate the smell of food from your plastic food containers, place black-and-white newspaper in them and leave them like that for a few days. Thoroughly rinse the containers before using them again.
98. To keep copper cookware in good condition, apply ketchup on your pots, pans, and dishes and scrub it off with a clean kitchen rag.
99. Don’t throw away scorched pans. You can easily save them with baking soda, five tablespoons salt, and water, just leave it all in the pan during the night. Use a spatula to remove the remains from the burned bottom.
100. Since no one wants bugs in their flour, pasta, rice or any other food for that matter, put a bay leaf into food containers and enjoy bug-free meals.
