One of the biggest challenges with cooking at home is slogging through all of the menial tasks involved. However, there are all sorts of tricks you can use to simplify the process.
We’ve gathered 35 professional cooking secrets that will revolutionize the way you do simple things like cooking bacon and squeezing lemons as well as more complex tasks like cooking the perfect mashed potato dish.
You might not have even realized you were doing anything wrong. However, once you learn to cook like the master chefs do, life suddenly becomes a whole lot easier. Cooking doesn’t have to be difficult, folks! Armed with a little bit of knowledge, anyone can cook like a pro.
1. Cook bacon in an oven instead of frying it.
In restaurants, pretty much no one cooks bacon in a pan. They lay it on cookie sheets lined with aluminum foil and toss it in the oven.
It gets the bacon just as crispy as pan-fried bacon but without any of the grease splattering. Clean up is much easier, plus the bacon is all cooked more evenly.
2. Drop an egg in a glass of water to make sure it is fresh.
Before cracking the egg, place it in the water. If it sinks to the bottom of the glass it is still good to eat. However, if it floats, it means that it is old and the flavor will have started to change. Eggshells are porous and let air inside the egg over time.
3. Preserve fresh herbs by freezing them in olive oil.
Fill each section of an ice cube tray with a little bit of rosemary, thyme, or other fresh herbs. Then add some olive oil on top and freeze the tray.
The cubes stay good for up to six months. When you are ready to cook, pop a flavored cube out of the freezer and toss it in your pan.
4. Use leftover pickle brine instead of trashing it.
When you finish a jar of pickles, don’t dump that brine down the drain. It is liquid culinary gold. Use it to pickle other vegetables like red onions, cucumbers, or beets for use in your dishes or add it to a homemade salad dressing.
5. Place a wooden spoon on top of a pot of simmering liquid to keep it from boiling over.
If the liquid starts to boil too high, the wooden spoon will pop the rising bubbles. It prevents the liquid from spilling over the edges of the pot. It’s a simple solution that works great.
6. Hold eggs under cold running water when peeling them.
Tap the sides of the egg on the counter. Then hold the egg under the tap in the sink. The little shell pieces that stick to the egg will wash away as the water works into the cracks.
7. Clean wooden cutting boards using lemon and salt.
It’s an all-natural cleaning technique that prevents chemicals from seeping into the wood.
Sprinkle salt over the board. Then cut a lemon in half and scrub the board with it while squeezing some of the juice out. Let the juice sit until the liquid becomes gray and then rinse or wipe it off.
8. Hard boil eggs the easy way by following these steps.
It’s easy to overcook eggs by accident, leaving the yolk gray and tough. However, the secret is to get the water going at a light boil first.
Then poke the top of each egg with a thumbtack to make a small hole before dropping them in the water for 10 minutes. Pour off the hot water, lightly crack the eggs, and let them sit in cold water to cool before peeling.
9. Use a bundt pan to cut corn off of the cob.
Insert the corn into the hole in the center of the bundt pan to stabilize it. Then work top to bottom to slice off the kernels using a knife. Instead of flying everywhere, the corn will land inside the pan.
10. Grill fish on top of lemon slices to infuse flavor.
It works best for salmon but can also be done for tilapia, halibut, or really, any type of fish. Lay the slices of lemon on the grill first before placing the fish on top of them. In addition to the flavor, it will also keep your fish from sticking to the grates of the grill.
11. Dampen your fingers to remove egg shells from a dish.
If you accidentally drop a few tiny eggs shells into a pan or cake batter, they can be pretty hard to get out. However, if you wet the tip of your finger and then touch it to the shell, it will stick to it. Then you can pull it right out.
12. Weave bacon when placing it on sandwiches.
If you weave the slices together, it will keep them from pulling out when you bite into the sandwich. It effectively turns them into a slice of lunch meat. Every bite will include that delicious bacon flavor.
13. Place a mug of water in your microwave to keep food from drying out.
The problem with microwaving is that it cooks the moisture right out of dishes. However, if you place a mug of water in with your food when nuking it, it will absorb some of the microwaves and create some steam in there.
14. Use leftover bacon grease to fry other foods.
It is perfect for frying potatoes, sautéing meat, and even cooking vegetables. It will add a smoky bacon flavor to everything.
If you want to store the bacon grease for later use, make sure to run it through a strainer first to remove the food particles before placing it in the fridge.
15. Prevent freezer burn on ice cream by trimming the lid of the container.
The freezer burn occurs because of the pocket of air in between the lid and the ice cream. As you remove the ice cream out, cut off the edges of the container to shorten it. The lid will still fit back on, but there will no longer be an air gap.
16. Vegetable peelers are a very versatile tool.
Most people only use them to peel vegetables. However, chefs use them to peel all sorts of things including chocolate and butter. Once you watch how easily flour stirs into peeled butter, you’ll be amazed.
17. Use a cheese grater to remove burnt spots on cookies.
If you accidentally overbake your cookies, just shave off those areas with the smallest side of a grater. It will take off a very light layer, completely hiding the mistake. It also works for many other types of pastries.
18. Make sure baking soda is fresh by testing it with vinegar.
If the baking soda isn’t fresh, it won’t work properly when baking. However, if you mix a small amount of baking soda and vinegar together and it bubbles a lot, the baking soda is still good. Zero or few bubbles means it is too old.
19. Create your own cooking spray by mixing 5 parts water to 1 part oil.
If you ever run out of cooking spray, don’t fret. It is very simple to make your own at home. Just mix the oil and water and add it to a spray bottle.
20. Baking powder can be tested for freshness using warm water.
Sprinkle a little bit into warm water and watch to see if it fizzles. There should be some sort of mild reaction. If not, the baking powder is no longer good and should be discarded.
21. Store plastic wrap in a freezer or fridge to make it easier to use.
We’ve all struggled with plastic wrap at some point. It has a tendency to stick to itself when trying to use it. However, if you store it in a cold area, it will reduce the clinginess.
22. Check to see how full a propane tank is by pouring warm water on it.
Running out of propane while cooking a steak is the last thing that you want to happen. To test the levels, just disconnect the tank and pour warm water on it before using it.
The areas that don’t have propane will absorb the heat from the water and feel warm. The section of the tank that has propane in it will feel cold still.
23. Scoop seeds out of cucumbers and other vegetables with a melon baller.
Run the melon baller through the center of the cucumber to scoop out the middle. It’s also a handy way to remove seeds from pumpkins, zucchini, or watermelons. You can use an ice cream scoop for the bigger tasks.
24. Cook your potatoes in milk when making mashed potatoes.
Instead of adding the milk afterward, simmer the potatoes in it. It will incorporate the creamy flavor into the potatoes more. As you won’t have to dump out the water, it means one less cooking step too.
25. Get more juice out of lemons by microwaving them for 20 seconds.
Store them in the fridge as normal. Before use, just put them in the microwave real quick. The heat will make squeezing and getting all of the juice out of your lemons or limes easier to do.
26. Pick a good watermelon by inspecting the bottom of it.
You should see a dark creamy patch. The darker it is, the better the watermelon. Looking for this marking will help keep you from buying unripe watermelons that farmers picked too early from the vines.
27. Deep clean a cast iron skillet with soap and steel wool.
It can be hard to get all of the crust that is burnt on a cast iron pan off. Many people think you aren’t supposed to use soap to clean it. However, it’s okay, as long as it’s a mild soap.
First, scrub the pan with steel wool and then use a sponge to clean the rest of the dirt. Make sure to heat the pan up after washing to remove any leftover water and moisture or else you risk rust forming.
28. Place an ice cube on top of burgers when grilling.
It won’t affect the cooking. However, it will help to keep the burgers moist. The water will seep into the burger as the ice cubes melt. If you want something even richer, you can also use a spoonful of butter.
29. Make a basted egg cook better by adding water to the pan.
It doesn’t take much. Just add about a teaspoon of water or so in with the eggs and put the pan lid on. The steam will rise up and cook the tops of the eggs perfectly so you’ll never have to bother flipping them.
30. Shuck corn the easy way using a microwave.
Cut an inch off of the end of the ears of corns and then microwave them for a few minutes. When the corn is hot, the husks should come right off. You can essentially just squeeze the corn out.
31. Let a steak come to room temperature before cooking.
Take it out of the fridge a few hours before you want to cook it. The steak will cook much more evenly that way. If the steak is cold when you cook it, you risk the outside becoming tough while the inside is still raw.
32. Almost all dishes can be enhanced with high-quality olive oil.
You don’t need to add a lot. However, many professional chefs finish all of their dishes by adding a splash of olive oil on top. It will add a nice texture and flavor component.
33. Peel tomatoes by cutting an X in the bottom and boiling them.
You don’t have to cut very deep, just enough to make a noticeable X in the skin. Boil the tomato in water for 20 seconds. Then the skin should be able to be peeled right off.
34. Add a bit of sugar to cooked vegetables.
People almost always add salt. However, sugar gets completely neglected. A bit of sugar sprinkled on roasted vegetables will make them taste even riper than normal.
35. Meat is much juicier if you brine it first.
Many chefs won’t just cook their chicken or other meats straight away. First, they’ll brine the meat. Brining helps prevent the meat from drying out when cooking it and infuses it with tons of flavor in the process.
One of the biggest challenges with cooking at home is slogging through all of the menial tasks involved. However, there are all sorts of tricks you can use to simplify the process.
We’ve gathered 35 professional cooking secrets that will revolutionize the way you do simple things like cooking bacon and squeezing lemons as well as more complex tasks like cooking the perfect mashed potato dish.
You might not have even realized you were doing anything wrong. However, once you learn to cook like the master chefs do, life suddenly becomes a whole lot easier. Cooking doesn’t have to be difficult, folks! Armed with a little bit of knowledge, anyone can cook like a pro.
