50 Simple Cooking Tricks To Make Your Friends Think You’re A Chef

Cooking is an intricate blend of art and science, extending beyond mere sustenance for food enthusiasts. Acquiring the skills to prepare exceptional meals can elevate your weeknight dinners and pique curiosity about your culinary abilities

Seasoned chefs emphasize the importance of understanding flavor dynamics and developing cooking techniques through practice. Despite occasional mishaps, every chef relies on universal kitchen tips for consistently delicious and satisfying food.

Start your grilled cheese at room temperature

This goes for butter, bread, and cheese. Why? Because the butter will spread evenly and the cheese will melt evenly — no more burning.

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.

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.

Cook in stock, not water

This applies to all sorts of dishes, from soups and stews to meat and more. If you’re using liquid to cook, reach for some vegetable stock over water. It’s a great way to intensify the flavor of whatever you’re making.

Make sure to use low-sodium stock

Low sodium stock is a highly versatile staple you can use. It’s always better to use the low sodium version. Not only is it healthier, but it also reduces the risk of ending up with an overly salty dish.

Use kosher salt

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.

Salt veggies for a super crunchy salad

This goes for juicy vegetables like tomatoes and peppers. These have the tendency 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.

Velvet your meat

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.

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.

Remember that dessert needs salt

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.

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.

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 texture for a thicker, cheesier sauce.

Try a basted egg

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.

Enhance flavors with balsamic vinegar

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.

Mix breadcrumbs into burgers

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.

Learn the right way to brown 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.

Make pie crust flakier with vodka

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.

Start your pie crust out cold

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.

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.

Thicken chili with tortilla chips

Chili looking a little too thin? Crush up some tortilla chips and toss them in. They work like breadcrumbs and create great texture.

Know how to make perfectly crisp meat

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.

Add baking soda to your iced tea

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.

Or to meat for extra tenderness

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.

Treat your knives right

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 wood block to keep them sharp.

Make your plates as warm as your food

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.

Melt chocolate with hot butter

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.

Add an egg to your mashed potatoes

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 back on the heat.

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.

Improve flavor with a splash of acid

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.

Add a dash of coffee to your chocolate cake

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.

Add mayonnaise to 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.

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.

Use an oil with a high smoke point for high-temperature cooking

Butter or olive oil have low smoke points, which means they burn easily. For high-temperature cooking, opt for vegetable or peanut oil instead.

Season as you go

Don’t wait until the end to add your seasonings. Doing so is a good way to over-season, especially when it comes to salt, which can ruin your dish.

Don’t overmix your cake batter

The key when you mix 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.

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!

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.

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.

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!

Cook eggs on low heat for super creaminess

Most of us naturally think high heat is better for eggs. But cooking them low and slow in a pan is a recipe for super creamy eggs without the dreaded rubbery texture.

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.

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.

Add a tiny bit of instant coffee to spaghetti sauce

Here’s another unorthodox way to add an extra layer of flavor to spaghetti sauce: coffee. Not only will it make the flavor richer, but it’ll also cut back on some of the acidity for a more balanced taste.

Cook bacon in the oven on parchment paper

Want to get perfectly crisp bacon every time? Don’t fry it in a pan. Instead, bake it in the oven for 15 minutes on 400 degrees, but make sure to lay it on parchment paper. This soaks up the excess grease so the meat stays crunchy.

Lay bacon out in a cold pan

Cooking bacon in a hot pan causes it to curl up and cook before the fat has time to render, making it chewy instead of crispy.

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.

Lay salmon on a hot sheet pan for perfect searing

When cooking fish, you want it to get a nice sear on the outside while staying juicy on the inside. The best way to do this is to heat your pan before laying the fish on it. Simply place the pan in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes at 400 degrees and then place the salmon on and pop it back in to bake.

Intensify flavor with wine

Have you ever tasted a dish and thought that it was missing just a little extra something? Sometimes, the answer to that problem is a splash of wine. Wine can heal a lot of hurts, and a bland dish is one of them.

Sift your flour to make baked goods light and fluffy

Ask any professional baker and they’ll tell you: sifting flour is a must. Sifting flour makes it lighter, breaks up any lumps, and ensures that it mixes properly so that you have a perfectly combined result.

Make cookies extra soft with an extra egg yolk

If you’re a big fan of soft, cake-like cookies, you’ll be happy to learn that they’re super easy to make! Just add one extra egg yolk than your recipe calls for. You’ll end up with cookies that are perfectly soft and chewy.

Cook tomatoes with sugar

If you’re worried about the acidity of your dish, a spoonful of sugar is a great way to bring some balance. You can stir it into a sauce, salsa, or any other tomato dish — or any dish that has a high level of acid, even without tomatoes.

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