Most of us love to eat and just love food. ”Food is love, food is life,” as they say. However, when it comes to food preparation and cooking, not everyone likes it.
Thankfully, we can still gradually master the art of cooking with the help of experts and a smart guide to love your kitchen. You don’t need to be a food geek, yet with practice and love, you can improve each day.
Moreover, here are the 53 food preparation and cooking tricks that you can refer to and actually love your kitchen too! These amazing hacks are for you and me, whether you are a professional or just a beginner.
1. Brine your chicken breasts to get tender, juicy meat.
Cooking chicken is a delicate process: just a small mistake can make the difference between meat that’s juicy and tender and meat that’s dry and stringy. To get a tender chicken breast, soak it in salt water for 15 minutes before cooking.
It’s actually pretty straightforward: salt the meat, rinse it, pat it dry, and sear it on high heat. This process ensures that the outside of the meat isn’t too moist, which means you’ll have a great crisp.
The key when you mix a cake is to combine the ingredients, not whip them. When you mix too much, you can overdevelop gluten, which results in a dense, bread-like texture.
4. Keep salmon moist and flavorful with Greek yogurt.
Fish is delicious and healthy but if cooked wrong, it can become a dry, grainy mess. Keep salmon moist by coating liberally with Greek yogurt before you pop it into the pan or the oven.
5. Reduce the bite of raw onions by giving them a cold-water bath.
Some people find raw onions delicious, while others find them too pungent to enjoy. If you’re adding them to a dish, give them a bath in some ice for a few minutes to reduce their sting.
6. Make the best cup of coffee ever by adding cinnamon and salt.
Salt cuts back on a little of the bitterness of coffee, making a smooth, flavorful cup without the bite you typically taste. Cinnamon, meanwhile, intensifies the flavor and takes the flavor to the next level.
Just like wine and acid, paprika is an element that can be the answer for that “something” your dish is missing. It’s an awesome, versatile spice, so sprinkle it everywhere. Don’t be afraid of spice!
Kosher salt has a couple of things going for it, but it pretty much comes down to the size and flakiness. Large salt crystals flavor more effectively and improve the texture of your dish.
The term might sound a little odd, but it’s really just a method of coating meat using a mixture of egg whites and cornstarch before cooking it. The result is a soft texture that helps distribute moisture and prevent overcooking.
10. Know your cake ratios off the top of your head.
You don’t need a recipe to make a cake if you know the correct ratio of ingredients. Just remember to keep the weight of sugar to flour and fat to eggs roughly equal. You’ll make a delicious cake and wow everyone with your culinary know-how.
Salt isn’t just for making dishes — well, salty. It’s a natural flavor enhancer, which means it makes every flavor taste more like what it is. It’s especially important to add a sprinkle of salt to dessert, to make every flavor stand out.
12. Thicken and enhance sauces with mustard or peanut butter.
It might seem like an odd idea, but a couple of tablespoons of mustard or peanut butter added to a sauce can intensify flavor while creating a nice, thick texture.
Basted eggs are essentially a better version of poached eggs. All you have to do is steam them in a pan with some water while covered. The result is delicious, softly-cooked eggs.
Vinegar is another flavor enhancer, and it can be paired with almost anything. Gourmet chefs frequently use it in desserts and with fruit dishes for an added pop and a more intense taste.
When you’re preparing ground meat for burgers, don’t forget to add a binder to keep them from falling apart on the grill. Breadcrumbs are a perfect choice. They add texture but without drying out the meat.
There are three steps to getting perfectly browned meat. First, pat it dry with a paper towel before cooking. Salt thoroughly. And cook in a hot pan that isn’t too crowded.
This might seem like a strange hack, but trust us — it’ll make flaky pastry as you’ve never tasted. The alcohol cooks off, so it doesn’t add vodka flavor. Instead, it produces an incredible texture.
Pie crust is all about flakiness, and the way to accomplish that is with cold ingredients. That means cold water and cold butter. Cut the butter into small pieces and toss them through the flour with your fingers until the dough resembles fine breadcrumbs.
20. Use cornstarch in scrambled eggs for perfect fluffiness.
Cornstarch is a versatile ingredient used to thicken baked goods, jams, frosting, and sauces. But it’s also a great way to get silky, fluffy scrambled eggs. Just add a spoonful before cooking and enjoy.
This goes for juicy vegetables like tomatoes and peppers. These tend to leak, making a salad soggy. To draw out moisture, sprinkle them with a little salt and let them sit before adding to a salad.
Iced tea is a delicious staple during the summer, but as it sits, the tannins tend to produce bitterness. To counteract this, add a spoonful of baking soda.
Baking soda is also a great way to impart extra tenderness and juiciness to meat. Rub a little on before cooking to let the baking soda react with the muscle.
Keeping your knives in great shape comes down to washing and storing them. Always hand-wash, as dishwashers are too rough on the blade. Store them in a woodblock to keep them sharp.
There’s a reason that restaurants put your food on hot plates — it’s to keep dishes at the best temperature and avoid quick cooling. In general, match the temperature of your serving plates to the temperature of your food.
Melting chocolate is a difficult process. For smooth, shiny chocolate, melt butter in a pan, then remove from the heat. Mix the chocolate into the hot butter in a bowl until melted.
You probably wouldn’t think of putting an egg in potatoes. But it’s the perfect way to make mashed potatoes extra creamy. Just mix the egg in as you mash and then put it back on the heat.
This applies to all sorts of dishes, from soups and stews to meat and more. If you’re using the liquid to cook, reach for some vegetable stock over water. It’s a great way to intensify the flavor of whatever you’re making.
Want to add a layer of depth to your chocolate cake? Put in a tablespoon or two of coffee grounds. It’ll yield a rich, complex flavor that sets your cake a tier above the rest — pun intended.
Never underestimate the role that acid can play in taking the flavor of food to the next level. Add a splash of citrus or vinegar to dishes to make them pop.
31. Add mayonnaise to the cake for a velvety texture.
Most people don’t put mayonnaise and cake in the same sentence but don’t knock it until you’ve tried it. Mayonnaise is mostly fat, so it’s perfect for enriching baked goods and imparting a super-smooth texture.
32. And use it in place of butter when you’re making grilled cheese.
Traditional grilled cheese recipes involve pan-frying in butter. But if you want a sandwich that’s the perfect combination of golden, crunchy, and fatty, substitute mayo for the butter.
35. Add mustard to macaroni and cheese to make it gourmet.
Okay, “gourmet” might be a little farfetched, but it’ll add a pop of flavor to your macaroni that’ll take it to the next level. It’ll also improve the texture of a thicker, cheesier sauce.
36. Cook potatoes in heavy cream instead of water.
For extra decadent mashed potatoes, boil them in heavy cream instead of water. Bear in mind, though, that these are extremely rich, so for the sake of your cholesterol, make them an occasional treat!
37. Use milk powder to intensify the flavors of baked goods.
Milk powder is a lesser-known flavor enhancer. It doesn’t have much of a taste on its own. What it does instead is to ramp up all the flavors that are already in your recipe.
38. Put an ice cube in the middle of burgers to keep them juicy.
Burgers on the grill are delicious, but you have to take steps to keep them juicy. To keep them moist, put an ice cube in the middle of the meat before tossing it on the heat.
39. Toss some brown sugar into your spaghetti sauce.
An old-school secret, brown sugar in spaghetti sauce is the perfect way to cut back on the acidity of the tomatoes while adding an extra level of flavor. You don’t need more than a spoonful!
40. Sprinkle flour on bacon to keep it big and crispy.
Have you ever cooked bacon and been disappointed to see how much it shrank? A little dusting of flour will help it keep its size and soak up excess grease so it stays deliciously crispy.
41. Improve frosting consistency with powdered milk.
Powdered milk is a really versatile pantry staple. Not only does it naturally enhance flavors, but it’s also a good way to thicken frosting without any graininess.
