What is one tip that you learned about cooking that was simple but made a huge difference?

[xcptnl]

I read many years ago to mash your potatoes with nothing in them first (that way you can see how 'wet' they are), then add the butter, then add WARM milk. Probably many already knew this but this tip read probably over 10 years ago has made my mashed potatoes always fantastic!! Prior to this I would put in the butter, slosh in some cold milk and mash away-I wondered why they were always gluey and either runny or stiff.

[LauraGrace]

Kosher salt, in a dish, by the stove. TASTE and season as you go.

My cooking has never been the same since... in a good way, of course. :)

[southernexpat]

I learned this one the hard way. Sounds intuitive, but I didn't know about it until I ruined a pork roast in the brining.

Salt equivalent ratios:

Table Salt 1 TBSP
Morton Kosher Salt 1-1/2 TBSP
Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt 2 TBSP

I cribbed this from http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/sal....

[COOKCOOKS]

Thank you for this. I have been looking for a definitive breakdown for a while and couldn't find one.

[schmoopy]

I totally agree with you LauraGrace about the Kosher salt! I can hardly bring myself to use regular salt when we're out. We use only Kosher salt at home to cook with and to season our food when eating. It makes such a difference! The saltiness tastes "clean" as opposed to "chemical".

[MandalayVA]

I switched to sea salt a few months ago and literally can't stand regular salt anymore.

[LadyCook61]

I like sea salt too , I have several different ones .

[grnidkjun]

another vote for sea salt.. I keep mine in a grinder and grind what I need.

[Quill]

I agree about sea salt. I have several including truffled salt which is heaven as a finishing salt. I also use Kosher salt when I want that crustiness. But why has no one mentioned Maldon flaked sea salt? The large thin flakes give great texture without over salting.

[hypomyces]

I love Maldon as a finishing salt. The crystals are beautiful, thin, and add wonderful texture...very addictive.

[FoodChic]

I have mine in a grinder, too. I used kosher for salting water, but use sea salt to season dishes.

[vorpal]

Absolutely. After changing to sea salt, the very idea of using regular table salt is distasteful to me. All those flowing agents, desiccants, etc. impart an unpleasant chemical taste that I was only too happy to bid farewell upon switching.

[rosemarie365]

I keep a porcelain coated 'tin' next to the stove filled with sea salt. I only use 'regular' salt to soak/rinse brassica's I harvest from the garden......and sometimes scrub pots with it.

[tonka11_99]

U know it is interesting.

America's test kitchen tested all kinds of salt and found that except for finishing salt on steaks and such at the table, they couldn't taste any difference in kosher or sea salt or table salt or even leslies iodized salt in cooking.

Their own chefs were surprised. Most of them were swearing that a blind taste test would reveal that kosher or sea salt would be far superior.

[schmoopy]

Hi Tonka! Just saw your post. That IS interesting. You said that "except for finishing salt on steaks and such at the table, they couldn't taste any difference..." If I understand you correctly, you're saying that the tasters couldn't taste any difference in the salts when they're used in cooking, rather than as a finishing, right? Well, I do agree with that. I don't notice a difference when I'm cooking or baking something. But I do notice a difference when it's sprinkled on top of something that's already cooked and/or I'm just seasoning to taste at the time of eating (like freshly sliced homegrown tomatoes or a soft-boiled egg). At least, I think I do... :o)

[vorpal]

THAT I find hard to believe. I doubt I could taste the difference between kosher and sea salt, but table salt with all the additives that it has? Certainly I could tell the difference. Upon realizing how much better sea salt is and having switched over, I've since found table salt with its flowing agents and what not to be a bit repulsive in flavour.

[alkapal]

what are "**all** the additives" of table salt? an anticaking agent and --- sometimes -- iodine?

[Caroline1]

hmmm... America's Test Kitchen cooks couldn't taste the difference? Did they all have head colds that day? One of the things I do with every new housekeeper who may cook something once in a while is give her a lesson in salt. First tasting: Sea salt. Mild. Second tasting: Kosher salt. A bit stronger but still mellow. Final tasting: table salt. Without fail, it ALWAYS brings a grimace and a sense of revulsion. So much for America's Test Kitchen. Don't do tastings when you have a cold! '-)

[John E.]

The test of salt was in cooked food and baked goods, not tasting salt on its own.
They're basic point was you can use regular kosher salt to add to a kettle of pasta water and save the Fleur De Sel for sprinkling on top of finished food.

edit: I saw one of your other recent posts on another thread. I too welcome you back to the boards.

[blue room]

I don't get the salt-in-a-dish, salt-in-a-box on the stove thing-- seems my hand/hands are invariably either wet or have food on them when I'm cooking. I don't want to put that into a dry dish of salt and contaminate the whole dish. It's much easier to clean a shaker than throw out salt that's been moistened. Also, a shaker gives more control. It looks cool when a chef reaches over and takes an expert 5 finger pinch of salt, but I know it's then sprinkled all over the stove too, not just on the food. Am I approaching this all wrong?

[c oliver]

I pour a little salt from the stove-side container into my hand and then "pinch" to my heart's content. And I guess I have better control than those chefs - my stay inside the dish :)

[YourBestFriend]

Actually, there's a reason why professional chefs end up with salt all over their stove. They salt from "up high". If you've ever watch iron chef or any other show with 3-star chefs cooking, you'll notice the height at with they are salting. It's not "showboating" like the waiters who try and pour your water from above your head at TJI Chilibees...

When you salt from up high, the salt disperses more when it hits whatever you are salting than if you were to salt down low. Therefore you can salt once and have salted the whole dish as opposed to salting lower and sprinkling it all around the skillet.

Try it out sometime. Take a pinch of salt and salt the countertop the way you would normally. Then take the same amount of salt and salt the tabletop from a height a little above your head. The salt will bounce everywhere...which is gonna be annoying for the clean-up but should demonstrate my point. It's actually kinda fun.

That's what happens in your skillet when salting in this manner, a more even dispersing of salt. Less stirring...that sort of thing. Hopefully that makes sense and sheds some light as to why chefs have such salty stoves. :-)

[c oliver]

I take the salt between my fingers and kinda rub them together and get a complete distribution. Don't do it "up high." Whatever works for you.

[honey2emmylace]

Up high thing ... good to know.... I always do it from up high but it's just so I can see how many crystals are coming out.... either from the shaker or my pinching. I love to do the pinching thing with coarse salt, beit kosher or sea, because I feel so "food network." I really can't taste the difference. And btw... I like cracked black, but I usually put both ground and cracked in a recipe. Ground flavors the dish, cracked gives you that little something extra when you thought you'd already swallowed everything :D

[monavano]

You miss the pan when you pinch salt? Wow. Unless you're "showboating" like Rocco, there's no mess.
I really differ with your opinion that a shaker gives more control.
Do you use kosher salt?

[alliedawn_98]

I feel that I have more control when I pinch kosher or sea salt instead of using a shaker or the box the salt came in from the store. With the shaker, it takes too long and with the box, sometimes a little comes out and sometimes a lot. I don't have near the issues of under or over seasoning using the pinches and I don't have problems of strewing it all over from dish to pot either.

[kubasd]

I was given this awesome salt cellar for Christmas this past year. Yeah, it sounds like a pretty underwhelming gift, but it is so handy, and it looks cute! I can just reach in, grab a pinch of my kosher salt, and season away :)

[blue room]

If I have a bunch of salt held between 2, 3, 4, or all 5 fingers it's gonna lose a few grains between saltbox and pan. If my hand is wet or oily or bloody or juicy or sticky, the salt now has stuff or moisture in it. If the salt (any kind/size, grains or flakes) is in a shaker it's clean, dry and secure. I do agree the shaker holes must be the right size. Of course this is no big deal, I just tried it (cute new salt box) and abandoned it almost immediately and thought "Huh?"

[southernitalian]

Unless you're shaking the salt into a pot of boiling water and the steam clogs the holes.

[pilotgirl210]

I have a *salt pig* that came with a small, porcelain spoon. No need to stick wet fingers into the holder. I use a small ramekin for coarse-ground black pepper, and in it I use a small sterling spoon I purchased long ago at an antiques shop. They were used for salt dip bowls placed at individual place settings at the dinner table around the turn of the century. I keep these, and other salts and peppers, on the countertop near my range top. Works well for me.

[John E.]

Your little silver spoon was for what called a 'salt cellar' which is used at the table. A salt pig is more commonly used by the cook. I found a pair of crystal salt cellars with silver spoons and gave them to my mother. She really liked stuff like that.

[eclecticsynergy]

When I was a kid (during the 60s) dinners in our household were late and quite formal- everyone dressed for dinner, jackets & ties for the men, dresses for the ladies. At 7:45 there was the ceremonial lighting of the candles, carving began at the sideboard, wine which had been breathing was first tasted, then poured, and dinner was on the table at eight sharp. Everything in the dining room was old (except the gigantic sailfish on one wall)- tapestries, curtains, 18th century chairs. The massive main table was 400 years old and battle-scarred. Not metaphorically, literally.

Anyway, my folks had some beautiful antique Austrian pewter, candelabras, platters, water pitchers, and my favorite, a set of 3-inch salt cellars in the form of Viking longships, which seemed to be sailing silently across the table, bound for distant adventures. Will never forget those.

[John E.]

Holy smokes, did you grow up with old money in Europe or New England or somewhere similar? I grew up in a ranch house in a snall farming community in rural Minnesota.

[02putt]

You read my mind John. Our diners were always informal. Only requirement was hands and face must be washed and clean clothes. Christmas was a little more formal with table linen etc. I don' think I ever remember my father wearing a suit to the dinner table unless he was not eating because my parents were going out to a dinner dance/banquet etc. We always ate as a family and had to be asked to be excused. I have to admit unless someone had to be somewhere (work, soccer practice etc.) we still ate together. We still eat as a family, wait until everyone is finished and the kids always ask to be excused. Something that seems to have been lost over time which is shame because dinner time is when you really find out what is going on with your kids. No distractions except for the food!

[John E.]

It appears we grew up in separate families together.

[jvanderh]

Wow- I thought that only happened in movies. You've painted quite a picture.

[roxlet]

Wonderfull! Now I want those Viking salt cellars too!

[thew]

i think a shaker gives far less control

[blue room]

I guess I'm pretty used to my shakers, can use them deftly, but I know what you mean. And for bigger amounts, like the initial salting in a recipe, of course I use measuring spoons.

[RGC1982]

I agree. I even bought a cute little bamboo salt box, and you know what? My manicure is not conducive to this. My hands are always wet, and under my nails remains wet even after drying my hands. I ended up wasting quite a bit of French gray sea salt during one meal, and found myself worrying about adding moisture to the saltbox. Nope, I use the pour spout right on the box of sea salt into the palm of my hand to eyeball it.

[small h]

My sea salt is in a grinder - very easy to use even with wet hands.

[ChristinaMason]

This is what I do, too. But it annoys me when steam clogs up the grinder.

[small h]

Grind the salt into your palm, away from the pot, then throw it in.

[pacheeseguy]

Unless you've got a one-handed grinder, or a third arm, this is going
to be hard to accomplish.

[kattyeyes]

HA HA, yes, that's true. ;)

[small h]

I cup my left palm under the bottom of the grinder, and grip the stem my fingers. Then I twist the top with my right hand. It is not a difficult process (if it were, I probably couldn't do it).

[kattyeyes]

You are correct. Sorry for being a wise@$$! It's just as easy as you say. Who knew? :)

[small h]

Awesome! So the score is now...

useful cooking tips small h has learned on Chowhound: 437 (estimated)
useful cooking tips small h has provided on Chowhound: 1 (exact)

Equilibrium approaches.

[Chadsharply]

I keep a shot glass of Kosher salt near the stove top and use a tiny spoon (~1/3 tsp.) to transfer it into my palm before pinching and sprinkling. No messy fingers in the salt box and better control than a shaker.

[joonjoon]

Why wouldn't you just grab it straight out of the shot glass?

[small h]

That sounds like a good method for someone less clumsy than me. I would knock over the shot glass at least once a day.

[Stuffed Monkey]

I use a kinda of squat (cause I made it myself) egg cup. Similar to using a shot glass.

[VikingKvinna]

Yes.

[BigE]

Tasting as you go is the #1 thing for me too, and I realize that most home cooks don't do it. So simple, but so important.

[djdownie]

Strangely I've heard marcella hazan say she doesn't taste so much as she cooks - she smells!

[steamer]

I wonder how she can smell if her food is salted enough;-)

[buttertart]

She says the food smells different to her after the salt is added (that she told her husband that and he scoffed at her but found out she was right). Try it, you really can. As to whether salted enough, I imagine she relies on the oldfashioned way.

[alkapal]

i'm going to see if i can smell the salt.

(didn't i hear that hazan and her husband had a mildly svengali (?) kind of relationship -- or something that was a little odd or controlling?).

anyhow, this was interesting: """She was educated as a biochemist and spent her early career in dental research.""" http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/reference/timestopics/people/h/marcella_hazan/index.html

and it is odd to learn that she smokes, and follows her teaching dinners with jack daniels! http://www.people.com/people/archive/...

ah, here's some idea:
>>>"""""You thought literature was all that mattered," teases Hazan, who likes to spar verbally with her husband. The son of a Jewish father who left Italy before World War II to come to New York City to start a furrier business, Victor met Hazan after returning to Italy, his birthplace, in 1952. Introduced by his cousin, Victor and Hazan fell for each other immediately. "Marcella was very beautiful, very dynamic," he says. "She was very sweet," he adds, smiling, "unlike now!""""<<<

[marimorimo]

While I cannot really 'smell' salt for practical purposes in my own cooking, I agree that it is possible to smell salt. There was one time I was going down for breakfast at my Aunt's house and could distinctly smell that the eggs being fried had a lot of salt in them. I mentioned this to my friend who was going down with me and she agreed: the eggs were too salty. My cousin who was in the kitchen at the time asked me how I knew. She couldn't smell anything.

[alkapal]

well, i can smell salt air at the ocean, but not on salty eggs. do you find yourself "super-smelling" other things, too?

[AbsoluteFoodie]

I agree, I can smell salt in some dishes that are cooking, as well. Smell, after all, is a very important component in our ability to taste.

[cathodetube]

What do Americans mean by Kosher salt? Do you mean sea salt crystals? How can salt be kosher?

[thew]

it's a larger crystaled salt. it's coarse texture makes it stick to meat well, so it is ideal for drawing the blood out of meat, ie for koshering. it isn;t really kosher salt , it is koshering salt

[jeffdchef]

Diamond Brand kosher salt. It is the salt used in most good kitchens. The texture is unique to that brand, you cannot substitute equal volumes of any other type of salt. Give it a try!

[alkapal]

is diamond brand appreciably better than morton's kosher salt?

[coll]

Chefs do ask for it by name. Never tested side by side myself.

[thew]

what matters is consistency - and they both have different weight to volume ratios - both are about th same quality, but one would want to use the same brand consistently so as to maintain the same flavor

[bear]

From what I understand, Diamond Crystal doesn't have any anti-caking agents in it, and Morton's does.

[aggiecat]

Well, actually, it is a kosher product as well as being used to Kasher something else too - meat. But to be "kosher salt" it has to be just salt produced in accordance with kashrut laws which, most salt already is. I've seen kosher salt with both fine and coarse crystals. Kosher salt, coars or fine will not have any addatives. iodine, and is typcially plain salt without any clumping agents, much like pickling salt but with a different grind. Pickling salt is ground extremely fine so it dissolves well in liquids of any temp. You can use either if you are making up a batch of true saline solution for medical wash purposes. Additives are painful in a saline solution.

I can't find Diamond Brand so I just use Morton's Kosher for stoveside seasoning and pure clean salt flavor, regular old table for baking, and fancy sea salts for the table or when plating a specific dish with a specific salt, I don't get too crazy about the salt varietals, the finer details are usually lost on me.

[alkapal]

so you're saying (in part) that morton's kosher does *not* have anti-caking agent (which is typically sodium aluminosilicate)?

[bear]

Michael Ruhlman (an Expert in Residence on Chow a few months ago) is a pretty knowledgeable guy. He buys Morton's, which has additives, because that's what's available in his local store, but would buy Diamond Crystal if it were conveniently available since it has no additives. Seems like a practical approach.

Diamond Crystal is readily available near me, so that's what I get.

http://blog.ruhlman.com/2010/02/what-...

[alkapal]

morton's anti-caking agent is yellow prussiate of soda. i just looked at the box in my cabinet.

[bushwickgirl]

Yes, Diamond Crystal is salt and only salt and it indeed does cake after awhile, but caking is not a big issue.

[just_M]

I believe Diamond Crystal is also formed in a crystal shape, like a snow flake so it melts more readily than Morton's which is more of a cube type shape. Although all I've ever used is Morton's as thats what's available to me.

[MMRuth]

You might find this thread informative:

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/500254

Kosher salt does not have iodine added to, unlike our "regular" table salt.

[Scrofula]

You can get table salt with or without iodine, for about the same price. I get it with, because I'm not too keen on getting goitre. (Though I probably eat enough dairy and seafood not to have to worry about that.)

[cinnamon girl]

It's big hollow crystals . . . doesn't stick to the fingers as much as other salts do, Cathodetube. If your recipe calls for kosher salt remember to add less of regular grained sea salt. But you probably knew that.

I still love my various sea salts but sometimes I just need the kosher, so mine is always at the fingertips too.

[MichaelBeyer]

Yes, I learned to use kosher salt working in a restaurant and haven't looked back.

[HillJ]

Never use a dull knife.
Always preheat an oven.
Al dente pasta is the only way to go.
Use room temp eggs.
A separate freezer is a home cooks best friend.

[JoanN]

Regarding the use of room temp eggs: because they separate more easily when cold, if they need to be separated I do that right out of the fridge, cover them, and then let them come to room temp. They also come to room temp more quickly that way.

[HillJ]

Good tip, JoanN. This time of year in NJ I can keep fresh eggs the desired temp but placing them in a basket in the porch just off the kitchen. I'm going to try the towel method.

[honey2emmylace]

I don't get the al dente pasta thing.... who wants hard "raw" pasta sticking in their teeth? About as appetizing as under cooked rice. Or am I missing something?

[linguafood]

Well, if the pasta is hard & raw, it's not al dente. Al dente means that it's still got a little bit of bite to it, and is not cooked to a slippery mush. If it tastes raw or hard, it's not done.

[woodleyparkhound]

honey2emmylace: Maybe the problem is that you are using cheap supermarket brands of pasta. In my experience, those go from "hard" and "raw" to flaccid in a millisecond. De Cecco (and Barilla to a slightly lesser extent) costs more, but you can get it to a perfect al dente condition.

[Shayna129]

I would also suggest that another reason for al dente is that most pasta is then finished in a sauce and most likely in a pan and will cook to hopeful perfection. Perhaps most suggested recipes figure that "saucing" will happen......what do I know, I just like to eat. :)

[don515]

Grilling steaks

The thiner the steak the hotter the fire not the other way...

dc

[TomDel]

Put a thin (3/8” to 1/2") steak in the freezer for 15 minutes or so before cooking will allow you to get a nice sear on the outside without overcooking the middle.

[coll]

Works for grilling rare tuna too.

[AnotherMother]

Now that's a clever idea! Supermarket meat is cut stupidly thin here in Australia, but that might just be a way of making it edible.

[fourunder]

Slow roast at a low temperature for beef, pork and turkey whenever possible.

[chowser]

The longer the rise for bread, the better.

[sonia darrow]

Really? I used to assume that, but recently I've read that over-proofing can adversely affect the texture.

[bushwickgirl]

The poster may mean "the slower the rise," although with cold proofing, it does take "longer."

[cinnamon girl]

Chowser doesn't mean over-proofing, Sonia. He means letting it take longer to rise the volume it's supposed to. Usually by putting it somewhere cool as Bushwickgirl alludes to. I would add to that that multiple rises make for better bread too.

[AbsoluteFoodie]

Ditto. A slower, longer rise results in a better tasting bread.

[nofunlatte]

Don't undersalt.
It's better with butter.

[Val]

I would agree with xcptnl about adding hot or warmed up milk AND butter to hot cooked potatoes before mashing...big difference!!!
Allowing a roast (beef, turkey, whatever) to REST 20 mins. or so before carving
And, always use fresh lemon juice vs. bottled.

[afn33282]

I let a chicken rest for an hour once, per Cook's Illustrated, and Wow! Of course, in the same cooking, I rotated every 10-15 min, for the first time.

[02putt]

Do you wrap it in foil? How do you keep it hot if it rests for one hour? I too have let my meat rest covered with foil but find by the time you carve it and get it to the table it isn't hot anymore. I can't stand lukewarm food.

[alkapal]

rest roast chicken for an hour? i've never heard of that.

[buttertart]

On Ramsay's Christmas show he said poultry should be rested for as long as it cooks. ???

[cathodetube]

I always let it rest for at least a half hour; never tried an hour though. You should always let beef rest as well.

[alkapal]

hmm, i guess that i could try it...but it seems like the chick would be barely warm. which maybe isn't bad? but i love me some crispy chicken skin hot and glimmering with fat (!) out of the oven.

[cathodetube]

You could add some hot gravy to warm up the chicken.

After visiting Greece many times, I noticed that they never serve their food piping hot except maybe french fries.

I really do prefer to eat the chicken after a meal is over by pulling bits of it off the carcass and find that it really does taste better. So there must be something in the over an hour rest time.

[02putt]

I do let my meat rest covered tightly in foil but I think an hour is a bit long. I usually leave my mine 10-15 minutes. Will try though, no harm no foul. lol

[thew]

the fowl might have a different opinion

[buttertart]

I rest all meats (often in the microwave since Somebody I know mentioned it, I think you know who, alkapal) - I like it not piping hot but you're right, the skin does suffer.

[DishDelish]

Did you try it yet? I also love mine piping hot.

[alkapal]

dish delish, no…. i'm craving fried chicken these days. ;-). i'll eat chcken at any temp, but i do like it hot.

[I used to know how to cook...]

Hi all,

I don't leave chicken for an hour, maybe 15 minutes, tented with foil. A couple or three thick potholders on top will help it stay warm.

Lucy

[02putt]

that makes total sense now.

[BastedEggs]

patience

[nofunlatte]

This is a good one. And I'm still learning it (especially wrt to eating fresh-out-of-the-oven bread).

[AndrewK512]

Agreed, patience is one of the most important things, and I too am still learning it. Mainly in regards to giving pans time to get to the correct heat for proper searing.

A few more are to taste /everything/, and that your final dish is only as good as the quality of ingredients that goes into it.

[pcdarnell]

Don't crowd food in a pan when browning, or else it will tend to steam itself, not brown.
Meat will release from the pan on its own when searing/browning. It knows when it's ready. No need to rip it off.
Finishing a sauce with butter is really nice.
Parchment paper works better than foil when lining roasting pans for easier cleanup. it doesn't tear, doesn't stick.

[luciaannek]

those first two are the ones that helped me out about 2 years ago. I wasn't patient enough to stop moving the food around, and it would never sear properly.

[sueatmo]

Ditto. I have always been an impatient cook.

[laliz]

trying to think of something not already posted.

throwing a clove or two of garlic into the boiling pasta water

using both olive oil and butter in combination to saute

[LadyCook61]

I haven't tried garlic in the pasta water , good idea. I have put 2 cloves in water with potatoes..

[fmcoxe6188]

I also do this- and I put in two rough chopped cloves into the water under my steamer basket for snow peas and green beans

[DishDelish]

I love this new idea ... we eat pasta all the time so I will be trying this soon. Thanks!

[goodhealthgourmet]

a few of mine have already been mentioned, so i won't repeat.

a couple more of my favorites:
- make the most of the typically unappreciated parts of produce...fennel fronds, celery leaves, broccoli stems...
- you often get even better flavor from citrus *zest* than you do from the juice or pulp of the fruit

[LauraGrace]

Oh, agreed agreed, on both!

[Val]

True that anything with fresh lemon juice is almost always a bit better with the fresh zest as well, good point!

[Katie Nell]

Love celery leaves! We actually grew a celery "herb" this season... I'm not sure exactly what it was, whether it was Chinese celery or something new, but it was the leaves grown more like parsley, without large stalks.

[rainey]

Lovage.

[carswell]

Yep. "Celery" seed is often actually lovage seed.

[breadchick]

Lovage - yes. When we moved into our latest house years ago I discovered the previous owner planted so many perennial herbs - lovage is one of them. What a wonderful discovery - and I use it in my cooking.

They left us with chives, lovage, several varieties of mint, thyme (which has naturlized in our lawn, no less) oregano, sage, and rhubarb - not technically an herb, I think.

I've had a great time cooking with all of them!

[pikawicca]

I sincerely hope that you are not cooking with rhubarb leaves. They are toxic.

[breadchick]

No worries - I'm also a gardener, so I knew about the rhubarb leaves.

(I wish I knew what I could do with comfrey - we have mounds of it. Not edible, unfortunately.)

[Passadumkeg]

Pull out the comfrey! We had it and it will take over your garden. It took us several years to rid our garden of it, I hope.
Comfrey is used as a medicinal tea.

[dkennedy]

Comfrey is great in the bathtub. Very soothing.

[tullius]

I've grown lovage in the midwest & it got about 10 feet tall. Here in the mountains of southern Colorado there is a wild variety, much smaller, the root of which is prized by the locals for medicinal uses. It is often sold at farmers markets under its spanish name which I don't recall.

[lovelovelies]

Hi Breadchick this is a personal message because I don't know how else to contact you through this website. I am interested in starting a herb garden in my apartment any easy books or websites that would give affordable plans? much appreciated l

[bear]

Welcome to Chowhound, lovelovelies! There is a Gardening Board and if you post a question there I bet you'll get lots of good advice.

http://chowhound.chow.com/boards/62

[DishDelish]

Fresh Food From Small Spaces is a great book.

[coll]

Just bought a Microplane zester and used for the first time, life will never be the same again.

[bushwickgirl]

They really are wonderful, aren't they!

[rainey]

I still have the first rasp-type Microplane I bought but the newer more culinary ones simply DON'T stay sharp. For me, they've become a great disappointment.

[bushwickgirl]

Good to know, as I was thinking about getting some of the other varieties.
The only one I have now is the fine rasp which is very sharp.

[rainey]

They always start out really sharp!

They started out selling wood rasps for culinary use. Back then I think they used sturdier materials. Now that they've adapted them to specialized grates with broader surfaces. I wonder if they're using a finer gauge of steel that either dulls more quickly OR the profile of the flat portion is more easily pushed by the pressure of the food to flatten the space between the blades and the surface the food slides on.

Anyway, they don't hold up like the old rasp configuration does.

[bushwickgirl]

Are you talking about the Microplane types that are shorter than the rasps and have different sized holes, medium, fine, ribbon etc.? I was thinking of getting a couple, rather than dragging out my box grater everytime. Maybe I'll just stick with the box grater.

[rainey]

Yes. Plus that adorable little one that's combined with a tiny box for storing and grating nutmeg and cinnamon sticks. I've been through 2 of them.

[just_M]

Do you think buying a wood rasp vs food rasp would be a better investment? I just seem to get very little return on citrus investment from my box grater or kitchen rasp.

[southern_expat]

Home Depot is our friend! Wood rasps are tons more sturdy and there are a lot of different types to choose from . Cutsey kitchen gadgets are great for some, give me a workhorse.

[just_M]

<<Home Depot is our friend!>>

Too true! I do have needle nose pliers and a blow torch for the kitchen from the hardware store and I use to use a paintbrush with a sponge end to glaze things it cleaned up a treat but finally broke. I wonder what other hardware to kitchen items there are? I think that would be a good tip.

[JoanN]

I use a fairly stiff, wide paintbrush to clean off my pizza stone. Since most of the gunk on it has carbonized by the time the oven cools down, a the brush does a surprisingly effective job. And I have another thinner paintbrush that I use to clean my coffee grinder. Used to use paintbrushes as a basting brush and for glazing pastry, but now use silicone brushes.

Not from the hardware store but from surgical supply (actually, I "borrowed" these from physicians in the family), I use a hemostat to pluck extraneous chicken feathers (since I buy mostly kosher chickens) and surgical scissors work better than most poultry shears I've owned for cutting up that chicken. Great for cutting lobster shells, too.

[MandalayVA]

What kind of surgical scissors do you have?

[JoanN]

The ones I use most often are bandage scissors, but I also have what I believe to be a veterinary scissor that makes speedy work of cutting the backbone out of a chicken when I want to spatchcock it.

[just_M]

Those sound great. Wonder where you can get them without a medical connection. I can see me now; nurse walks in on me searching the drawers at my next Dr. visit ;-}

[JoanN]

Bandage scissors are available online. Even through Amazon. Just Google bandage scissors. Veterinary scissors, better at cutting through bone, although the bandage scissors do as well, you may need to buy from a surgical supply house. Lots of them online, too. We had a dentist, a surgeon, and a veterinarian in my family so we were all used to repurposing all kinds of medical equipment and supplies.

[c oliver]

We have a vet friend so I'll ask her to order for me. We have poultry shears (or whatever they're called) that belonged to my husband's late aunt. They're worthless.

[JanePond]

Hemostats are also useful for removing bones in salmon and other fish. Also slicing mushrooms using one's egg slicer is the easiest!

[tonka11_99]

I use needle nose pliars to remove the pinbones from salmon filets but how do you remove the grease globules that the needlenose pliars deposit on the salmon? I used the same pliars i worked on the car with..... :-D

[Passadumkeg]

I use a small chain saw when I dress out a deer; I put olive oil in the oiler and it cuts right through the ribs, back bone and legs, quicker than quick. Not for the screamish, though.

[just_M]

I pass this on to the Mr. so far I can't even dress one of our chickens but I'm hoping with exposure the squeamishness will someday subside. I *really* don't want to be a vegetarian.

[AnotherMother]

Quick, yes, but what do you do about the mess of fine bone chips that gets into everything? Even a hacksaw leaves unacceptable bonemeal/fine chips behind. Much better to get patience and a sharp knife and bone it out. It takes a little practice but the finished product is much better.

[helou]

Home Depot is definitely my friend. I buy rubber mallets there - perfect for pounding boneless chicken breasts, or anything else that needs a little flattening.

[2455Bklyn]

For fluffy pancakes add some butter to the mix. It's missing from the receipe on the box and on a hot grill the pancakes puff right up.

[LadyCook61]

I add seltzer water to the pancake mix for fluffiness. Also don't over mix the batter.

[susancinsf]

seltzer water works for me also.

[janetofreno]

Yes, I was amazed at the difference from the little bit of seltzer water you put in the pancakes you made me recently.... thanks!

[stymie]

I like to sprinkle a little yeast and a little sugar, let batter rest for a bit,

[helou]

How much seltzer? Do you substitute seltzer for most of the liquid (milk), for some liquid, or in addition to the regular amount?

[visciole]

Separate the eggs and beat the whites; then gently fold them into the pancake batter. Heaven!

[tumuppet]

Let your pancake batter rest for five minutes before cooking. And don't flip the pancakes until bubbles in the middle of the pancake pop.

[jvanderh]

On the subject of pancakes, my dad told me that his grandfather taught him that when you flick water at the oiled griddle and it dances, it's the right temperature. If it just sits there, it's too cold. If it hisses and spits, it's too hot.

[sandylc]

I learned that in seventh grade home ec!

[Father Kitchen]

Cook onions and garlic and celery in a fat or oil before adding them to soups and stews, because the flavor esthers are fat soluble, not water soluble.

[southernitalian]

I don't understand this one.

[c oliver]

I've always done this but never knew why. Thanks, FK.

[bushwickgirl]

It's called "sweating" in culinary terms. The objective in sweating vegetables is to soften them and release the moisture in them, not to brown them. Sweating assists in releasing esters and marrying the various flavors in your mirepoix (aromatic vegetables.)

[afn33282]

Some flavors are water-soluble, some are fat-soluble, and some (I truly suspect) are alcohol-soluble. This is why cuisines that cook w. alcohol, IMHO, taste so different than ones that don't.

[foiegras]

You are correct about alcohol-soluble flavors.

[bushwickgirl]

Alcohol-soluble flavor components exist, but here's a link that disputes the alcohol-soluble theory when cooking with alcohol:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/...

More to the point is why it's important to use a good tasting wine when cooking, that is what adds the good flavor to the dish.

[foiegras]

Well, they can dispute it all they want, but I've tasted it ... vodka doesn't have a lot of taste on its own, but leaves a lot of unique flavor in its wake when you cook with it. I believe there's a whole section on this in Cookwise, with a vodka recipe ...

[danieljdwyer]

I think the last paragraph of that article nicely sums up my thoughts on the idea of alcohol soluble flavor compounds:

"Now that I think of it, why must we extract flavor compounds from our food, anyway? If they're in there, they're in there, and we'll taste them when we chew, whether they inhabit the solids or the sauces."

Unless you're extracting from something you don't want to eat, like a vanilla pod, you're just moving the flavor around, not "releasing" it.

[Striver]

If you're making a sauce that will be strained, you won't get to the solids' flavors if they haven't been extracted into the sauce.

[danieljdwyer]

Absolutely. That's the same principle as the vanilla pod. But if you're leaving the solids in, there's no logic to the claim that the alcohol is "releasing" flavor. It's either there or it isn't. Solubility is not a factor since things don't need to be dissolved in order for you to taste them. You don't need to make a broth to be able to taste the flavors in beef. The alcohol certainly alters the flavor profile, both in an additive fashion and by rearranging things, but it isn't unlocking anything.

[thew]

yes you do - you make that broth by chewing. beef flavors are water soluble....

[danieljdwyer]

Okay, but how is water solubility a factor? I'm not challenging the fact that it is, but no one here and none of the references to how alcohol "releases" flavors have provided even a cursory explanation of what water solubility has to do with sense of taste.
I've not been able to find any literature, on the internet or in an academic database, making even brief mention of this idea. It is also quite counterintuitive, considering that not only do I know I can taste some things that are not water soluble, but nueroscientists have identified some as categories of taste reception.
Pure copper and iron are not water soluble, yet each has a very distinct taste. The same is true of long chain fatty acids, and, arguably, a whole range of pure lipids.
Also, if solubility is the cornerstone of taste, how does the fact that saliva is a more effective solvent than water factor in? And shouldn't that mean if my mouth is dry I can't taste anything? If that's the case, then what are all those cottonmouthed stoners doing eating bags of Cheetos?

[linguafood]

having an awesome, cheesy time.

[alkapal]

djd, this should get you started on your research: http://antoine.frostburg.edu/chem/senese/101/features/capsaicin.shtml

http://www.silvercloudestates.com/faq.aspx

compare: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A57084-2004Sep28.html
(i disagree with his bixin experiment's methodology of color as a proxy for flavor). his statements on the creation of esters is useful.

~~~~~~
not on point but interesting, nonetheless, on flavor trinities and combos: http://www.heritageradionetwork.com/a...

[jvanderh]

I'm a little late in the game here, but, it's more than solubility. It has to be. If I eat raw onions, I stink. There's a rancid meat smell stuck to me for hours and hours. I can accurately tell whether someone else has eaten raw onions much earlier in the day, after brushing his teeth. None of this happens with well sauteed onions, even with a large quantity. I think it's a full on chemical reaction between hot oil and onion/garlic.

[alkapal]

>>>>Unless you're extracting from something you don't want to eat, like a vanilla pod, you're just moving the flavor around, not "releasing" it.<<

the "extraction" makes normally insoluble flavor compounds into soluble compounds, making them available to blend more with other soluble compounds and to get to all those cute, tiny little taste buds.

it is not merely "moving flavors around."

[aggiecat]

Right Alkapal and the alcohol doesn't just make those flavors soluable, it also makes them volatile and better accessible to the olfactory system, since most of taste is really about SMELL! Think inhaling as you sip wine and moving it to the back of the palate. Those alcohol soluable components are getting to make more connections with the smell receptors. That complex layer of smell will be missing if you opt to go with a non-alcohol route. Basic tastes will be there but complexisty and layers will be missing because the smell will be missing for parts. We typcially taste with both nose and mouth simultaneously so the experience really feels blended until you have a bad head cold and nothing tastes good. Those folks who permanently lose the abillity to smell often have severe weight loss problems because nothing tastes very good or interesting. Bleach, what a horribly afliction to suffer.

So that's my contribution, smell matters, a lot! If you want folks to enjoy your melas, turn of whatever air freshener you think you need during the duration of a meal.

[alkapal]

hi aggiecat, thanks for the further explanation.

the "tasting" is "(part) smeling" fact is why aromatic floral arrangements for the table are frowned upon for dinner parties.

[jvanderh]

AMEN!!!!!

[rosemarie365]

I have always done this but now I know why. Thank you so much for the information.

[Ruth Lafler]

Don't drain fried foods on paper towels: unless you are going to serve it in seconds, the steam trapped between the food and the paper will make it soggy. Instead, drain fried foods in a single layer on a rack *over* a paper towel, so there's no steam build-up. You can keep fried foods on a rack on a paper-towel lined cookie sheet in a warm oven long enough to fry a second batch without getting soggy.

Let meat rest. It really does make a difference.

Salt your pasta water, and more than just a sprinkle (I usually use about a tsp per quart of water, and it could probably be more)

[Rasam]

Lots of interesting things I didn't know, especially about not draining fried things on a paper towel - does the oil really drain off on a rack? I thought the paper towel sucked the surface oil off the fried things.

My cooking tip, related to patience, is WAIT till the pan and the oil get hot. Then start to cook.
Never start with a coolish pan and/or oil, and hope that the heat will compensate later ....

[Ruth Lafler]

You can blot with a paper towel if you want, but really, if you fried it properly it shouldn't have gobs of oil on it.

[djdownie]

I've noticed Marcella Hazan often starts with a cold pan, cold oil, and the onion or garlic or whatnot (or even the meat) sitting in with it heating with the oil. I heard in one interview she shrugged and said, "Eventually it all gets hot".

[cinnamon girl]

Hear hear to those three things. But sometimes you have to be in the closet with the first fry tip depending on who's around (groan). My pasta became immensely better when I started salting the water properly back in the 90s. Have never looked back regarding salt with anything, for example:

Always put salt in baked goods regardless of what the recipe says. Beware of recipes calling for unsalted butter where salt isn't included as a separate ingredient.

I would add: take the time to really brown meat before proceeding to the next step. Brown it until it's seconds away from being burnt and your stews, braises, soups, etc. will have a flavourful base.

Capture all the bits of flavour: deglaze that pan (even if it's just the onion pan), pour the juice from the rested (well-browned), meat into the sauce, scrape the bowl, use all the bits that often get thrown out.

[shaogo]

Judicious use of salt is very important to get that "restaurant" flavor -- that indescribable combination of flavor, salt and umami. I've had cooking at the homes of friends that's just as good as mine but the difference is they were afraid to salt their food.

What really rang with me, cinnamon girl, is that my cooking got infinitely better when I wrapped my head around the technique of caramelization, browning and the like in cooking.

[basildip]

You are right wrt caramelization. Once I learned that, I realized what was missing from my food. I give Mario Batali the credit for stressing this cooking technique.
Once I started caramelizing, my confidence grew as did the good taste of my food.

[mandycat]

Browning to the point of caramelization is something I'm still working on. I'm always so worried about burning things that I tend to take them off the fire much too soon. Thanks to pcdarnell for the tip about food releasing from the pan when it's ready to turn. That helps a lot.

[dmd_kc]

mandycat, it's certainly not just you. Finding that temperature on your stove that's hot enough to caramelize but not too hot to burn is really difficult. I'm still working on it with my new range.

[groover808]

Hallelujah on the carmelization! I made chicken adobo for the first time awhile ago and decided to carmelize the chicken legs before simmering in the sauce and everyone raved about it. It was my first time, and I'm not familiar with Filipino food at all, I think the browning made all the difference.

[MartiniGenie]

Yuppers to the FRONs. Always get the bits. If you are not using for the sauce (think whats left in the pan you did the bacon in), then deglaze with a small bit of liquid and store in freezer. The bacon juice is a great addition to bean or lentil soups...

[stegosauri]

Browning (the Maillard reaction) is so very important and underappreciated. That's my food resolution for the year: to find out more about the science of food.
Thanks to alkapal for his interesting links above.

[kubasd23]

*her :) I actually was talking about the Maillard reaction the other day, while watching someone take a raw pork loin and just throw it in the over.... they wondered why it didn't taste quite as good as the one I'd made for them, haha

[alkapal]

stegosauri -- hey, nice to know! thank you!

[c oliver]

I drain fried foods on paper groceries bags. My mother did and I do and it seems to work. Probably less porous than a paper towel?

[fourunder]

co,

Same here.....especially for cutlets and french fries.....the paper doesn't break down and stick to food. I even stick the paper in the oven when I am keeping the cutlets warm.

The next time you reheat those NYC Bagels in California, run your hand under the faucet to get your hand wet, palm over your bagel(or sprinkle), place the bagels in a bag and reheat in your oven.....after you defrost or bring close to room temperature of course.

This is also how I reheat Italian Breads ....traditional loaves and any meat/cheese varieties.

Take them out of the bag to finish if you want a little chewier or crusty outside.

[Passadumkeg]

Be careful, fire retardant has been added to help control fires at supermarkets. Paper bags may be toxic.

[fourunder]

supermarkets have paper bags?....
: )

The bags I use are from bakeries or for small packages which I rip open... but your information is duly noted and appreciated.

[rosemarie365]

I never heard this but will no longer use supermarket paper bags to degrease.

[c oliver]

I definitely put it in a warming oven. It's especially helpful when you have to cook in batches or if I'm doing fish and chips.

I like my bagels toasted but I really like your idea as a first step. Sometimes the texture leaves a bit to be desired and I think your techniques could address that. Thanks, f. (almost wrote "fu" but resisted!)

[rosemarie365]

I use brown paper bags because I learned that when hot oil or grease comes in contact with white (bleached) paper products (paper towels, or plates) the paper releases dioxins. I don't want that on my food or in the nearby air.

[TroyTempest]

On an Alton Brown tip, lately i have been draining fried food on a cookie cooling tray screen thing (words escape me at the moment) with paper towels underneath. It seems to work a lot better keeping the grease off food.

[alkapal]

that is the best way!

[chef chicklet]

This is a tip I've put to use lately. It works nicely, especially with fried chicken and retaining that "crunch". No soggy undersides anymore! I made some really good chicken strips last week, and I've figured out why I didn't care for them before. These were moist and perfectly crunchy.

[xcptnl]

I am replying to my own post. Fresh herbs. As a novice cook I rarely used fresh herbs but once I figured that out -what difference.

[goodhealthgourmet]

...and add those fresh herbs closer to the *end* of the cooking process.

[dmd_kc]

Which leads me to one of my important-but-simple tip: In a great number of dishes, add the GARLIC near the end of cooking as well, especially in dishes that you want to have that bright, clear, pungent garlic kick.

I love garlicky tomato sauce, and never understood why mine didn't sing like my favorite restaurants', especially in quick-cook recipes. Now I do.

[Passadumkeg]

Saute tomato paste as well.

[Rhee]

What do you mean by "sautee tomato paste?" How do you do that? What is the benefit?

Thanks,

Rhee

[Caitlin McGrath]

You saute it in some oil at the beginning of cooking, as you would with other aromatics. It darkens a bit, caramelizes a bit, and has a deeper flavor than if you simply add it with the liquids.

[chowbunny]

Very true. It works even better if you push your aromatics to the side of the pan and give the tomato paste it's own space. Let it sit a bit before stirring, and then stir it in it's own space for a bit. When it starts to turn an orange-y color, then you're ready to go.

[c oliver]

And if you saute garlic, add it well after the onions and other things so it doesn't burn.

[petit oiseau]

Agreed! Adding fresh herbs to dishes makes a big difference. Fresh cilantro in a simple homemade salsa really wakes it up, rosemary roasted along with pork loin is just terrific, or even just putting chopped fresh basil leaves on a pizza once it comes out of the oven brings it up a notch.

[basildip]

I used to hate to cook. Then because of the Foodnetwork, I tried some fresh thyme on
pan seared tuna steak. It was so delicious. Now I have discovered many fresh herbs that
make cooking a delight. Sure beats the Lawry's Seasoned salt and Gordon's Frozen Fish
Sticks I grew up on.

[Chinon00]

1 - When making a sauce add cold liquid to hot ingridients for the sauce to be lump free and smooth.

2 - Pull your pasta when it's pre-al dente and finish cooking your pasta in the sauce it's to be dressed in.

3 - When making chicken liver pate don't overcooked the livers.

[eight_inch_pestle]

Sorry, couldn't limit myself to just one.

1. Trust yourself
2. Think
3. Ignore the "& black pepper" half of the ubiquitous "salt & black pepper to taste"---black pepper does not belong in everything you cook
4. Lard
5. Buttermilk
6. Browning meat and poultry will let you know when it's ready to turn
7. Scrambled eggs go super slow
8. Grow your own herbs
9. Peel celery
10. Keep a ham hock in the icebox
11. 90% of the time, simple fish is the best fish
12. Bacon belongs in a 350-degree oven for 28-30 minutes (your stove-top, walls, and microwave interior will thank you)
13. Keep homemade curry paste in the fridge
14. Only use sharp cookie cutters for biscuits
15. It is nearly impossible to over-season a roast

[Auriana]

Baking bacon is one of the best tips I've learned too!

[meatn3]

I agree. I first came across this method in a restaurant I worked at - they had crispy bacon which melted in your mouth. I've cooked it this way ever since!

[chef chicklet]

I started baking bacon years ago out of shear laziness, I hated the stove top mess.
I now bakie it in on the gas grill outside. I have a specail baking sheet just for the bbq, and use it with foil. Oh and another thing, don't forget to heavily season the bacon with large cracked black pepper and let it sit on the bacon for about 30 mins before cooking.

[cinnamon girl]

Brilliant! I never thought of peppering the bacon. So you're sort of marinating it then? Like a dry rub marinade? You don't brush it off I take it? Hmmm you could mix the pepper with a favourite spice then, ya?

[Quill]

Sprinkle brown sugar and black pepper on the bacon before baking. Tasty adult "bacon candy."

[basildip]

Could you give specific details on cooking bacon in the oven. Sounds great. I never heard of that. Thanks.

[bushwickgirl]

Easy, preheat oven to 400*. Lay out bacon on foil lined sheet pan or on rack over sheet pan (I don't bother with the rack.) Bake 10-15 minutes, or until the bacon is a crispy as you like. The bacon will not curl as does fried bacon. Keep an eye on it, as it can go from perfect to burnt very quickly.

This is an old restaurant trick that seems to have become popular with home cooks. Bacon for food service is packed "lay-out sliced" on parchment and the bacon is transferred to a sheet pan via the paper. I don't think I ever fried bacon while I worked professionally, although I did cook it on a flat griddle.
Enjoy!

[fmcoxe6188]

This is an awesome trick -I like to paint my bacon with just a little bit of maple syrup before baking- mmmm

[bushwickgirl]

Absolutely, and sprinkle with a bit of cayenne or black pepper.

[MissusLisa]

Interesting. I am going to try this soon. :-)

[southernbelly]

If you are feeling really fancy, you can skewer the strips in ripples on bamboo skewers before you put them on the rack and they will hold the shape when you pull out the skewer! It takes forever but its really pretty!

[kattyeyes]

Lucky number 7--yes! And don't forget the cheddar cheese, please. And Penzey's Sunny Paris is a very nice addition.
http://www.penzeys.com/cgi-bin/penzey...

While we're baking bacon (another great tip I picked up on this site), don't forget the candied version: dredge with brown sugar and follow bushwickgirl's instructions.

Tip: DO NOT transfer candied bacon to a paper towel when it comes out of the oven (it sticks!!!).

Having real knives in the kitchen makes all the difference in prepwork.

Reading CH regularly ups your game in the kitchen--and I thank you all for the education!

[rainey]

LOVE Sunny Paris or Fox Point (Sunny Paris + salt)! I use them for a little more flavor in everything.

[pfps823]

lightly coating bacon with maple syrup is also worth trying when baking....

[Passadumkeg]

lightly coating bacon w/ red chile powder is also worth trying when baking....

[kattyeyes]

Speaking of, have you ever tried jalapeno bacon? They serve it at our (yours and mine and everyone else's) favorite diner. :)

[CreativeFoodie42]

Whenever I have a large group over for breakfast, they think I am so strange to bake bacon but it gets extra crispy and it one less thing that I have to worry about when cooking a large breakfast. Although you do have to keep an eye on it. I do a higher temperature but for a shorter time.

[Querencia]

Even without company I bake the whole pan of bacon in a big bun pan---until it is almost done but not quite. Then mop off as much fat as you can. Refrigerate in plastic bag. When you want some, microwave it for 30 seconds wrapped in a paper towel. It keeps fine for a week or ten days. Is the paper towel toxic? No, don't tell me.

[therealdoctorlew]

Chicken soup tips:

Leaving the brown skin on the onion makes chicken soup golden yellow.

Cooking a whole garlic clove in the chicken soup makes it taste better.

So does a whole clove.

Put the dill sprigs fresh in the soup bowl and then add the hot soup. Both the color and the flavor will be better.

[02putt]

To take it a bit further any celery, carrot, onion or any peelings from veggies and skins of onions I put in a large zip lock and freeze. Then when I want to make broth I use the bag. Taken from a chef I cannot recall at the moment.

[rosemarie365]

I used to do this; called it 'garbage soup'. It made a great broth/stock.

[soypower]

It's better to fry a sunny-side up egg on med/med-low than on high. The edges don't get as crispy, but the whites get more evenly-cooked.

[TomDel]

A tip I picked up from watching a Jacques Pépin show for doing sunny side up eggs is to add a teaspoon or two of water to the pan after the egg starts to cook and then put a lid on the pan. The steam from the water cooks the top of the egg without overcooking the bottom.

[oakjoan]

This is a wonderful tip TomDel! I always get my eggs over easy because I don't like the sliminess that I find on eggs at restaurants. Over easying eggs is problematic because of how quickly they overcook. Thanks Tom and Jacques!

[coffeebean79]

i just throw an ice cube in and then put the cover on, which steams it well.

[decolady]

My grandmother always cooked eggs that way, so I have, too. It was something I thought everyone did, till some years ago when I heard people raving about this new egg cooking technique from Jacques. It really is a great way to cook sunny side up.

[alkapal]

dl, i'm surprised that you don't use the bacon fat hot from the skillet to baste the top of the egg to perfection.

[decolady]

Ah, I have been known to do that, too, but we prefer how the eggs turn out with the other method.

[Vetter]

Chocolate needs salt. Always! And not that crappy iodized salt, either.

Don't slack off on taking ingredients out of the fridge early. It does matter. Let that meat/butter/egg warm up. It's worth it.

[Procrastibaker]

Or put your cold eggs in a bowl of very warm tap water for a minute or two-- a good shortcut for those of us who always forget this step!

[Katie Nell]

Or walking around with it in your pocket for a little bit... read that one on here and have used it several times.

[weem]

Read the recipe the whole way through and make sure you have everything on hand and ready to go before you start cooking. (And yes, I've learned that lesson the hard way. More than once.)

[c oliver]

Oh yeah. How many times have I juiced that lemon and then realized I needed zest also. MUCH harder then.

[weem]

Agreed. I make lemon squares for a monthly potluck, and it's much easier to zest the lemons before juicing them. But the juice comes before the zest in the ingredients list. You'd think I'd learn after the first time, but no.

The other day I was mixing together some batter for gingerbread and realized I didn't have any ginger!

[cinnamon girl]

Do any of you freeze lemon juice? I haven't but I always find myself with an abundance of citrus fruit or nada - which is frustrating when I just want a bit. It seems like a regular ice cube would be too much. To partially fill them would just give room for more ice crystals to form. If they still made those little ice cube trays . . . would you even be able to get the juice out of them properly? I'd welcome any suggestions.

[JoanN]

I freeze lemon and lime juice whenever I have an overabundance of either fruit and I'm afraid it may go bad before I get a chance to use it. Citrus can be horrendously expensive here in the northeast and I hate to see it go to waste. Although I do have those trays that make small, square ice cubes, I usually just put the juice in a regular ice cube tray. I only leave them in the tray long enough to harden before putting them in a zipper bag or, preferably, sealing them in an air-tight bag. Ice crystals haven't been all that much of a problem. The citrus juice doesn't get as hard as water, so sometimes when I remove the cubes from the tray there's a bit left in each compartment. But all in all, it's better than wasting that expensive juice.

[cinnamon girl]

Thank you Joan and Coll . . . I'll get to work on freezing my current bumper crop tomorrow. It's good to know it doesn't freeze as hard as water. You can probably just hack a piece off a larger cube then.

[coll]

Peppers definitely don't freeze as hard as water, I freeze bell peppers when I get them on sale and then break off frozen hunks and chop when I want to add to a dish. The only reason I freeze the really hot peppers in the little ice cube trays is so I don't use too much at a time!

[rosemarie365]

I cut green peppers in half, clean out seeds and freeze. Then when I want to make stuffed peppers, I prepare the stuffing, take any number of half peppers out of the freezer, fill the peppers and bake.

[coll]

I have those tiny ice cube trays, got them at a dollar store. Probably 2 or 3 for a dollar. Too small for ice really, but I freeze scotch bonnets, herbs and that type of thing in them.

[JoanN]

I think I bought mine someplace similar. I bought them specifically to make ice cubes for my cocktail shaker. I don't have an Ice crusher (or even a decent blender, for that matter) and find the tiny cubes a pretty adequate substitute for crushed ice when making cocktails.

When you say you freeze scotch bonnets or herbs in them, do you pulverize them first? Do you add water? I usually just freeze herbs and chiles whole, then use them without thawing.

[coll]

The hot peppers I like to roast a little first, then they sort of fall apart.

Actually when I said herbs, I meant pesto type concoctions: regular herbs I either dry if they're from my garden at the end of the season, or if leftover from the grocery store, I freeze the whole leaves in ziploc.

[JanRan]

I freeze whole lemons and limes...and just defrost and squeeze when I need juice. The skin can't be used for peel, but I think it's easier than squeezing first then freezing...if you have the room in your freezer. The left over pulp can be used for lemon tea.

[ipsedixit]

Use good, fresh ingredients.

[bizkat]

To get a nice crust, dry meats well before grilling or pan-frying.

Also let them come to room temperature.

[southernexpat]

One more I remembered from Graham Kerr. "Hot pan, cold oil, food won't stick."

[cheereeo]

I was going to write in the same one, but I heard it years ago from The Frugal Gourmet, Jeff Smith, RIP.

[monavano]

I want to know this too. What about heating the oil until it shimmers/gives a slight wift of smoke?

[FullPalate]

Steal the secrets of the grandmothers of all nations.

[isadorasmama]

I'd like to hang that one framed in my kitchen

[nofunlatte]

Might have to be GREAT-grandmothers these days--lots of today's grandmothers are of the canned/packaged generation.

ETA: like my mom, who is a grandmother (though via a child other than me)

[shaebones]

How to cut a fresh peach. Cut around the perimeter than twist in separate directions. Voila!

[goodhealthgourmet]

i'm sure you know this already, but just in case you didn't...use the same method for other stone fruits (e.g. apricots, plums, nectarines, avocado).

[enbell]

Any tips for mangoes?

[monavano]

get a mango slicer?
http://www.google.com/products?client...

[dmd_kc]

Easier and less wasteful than a slicer:

Place it on the cutting board with the fatter of the two long pointed edges down. In other words, it should be in the position it won't sit at naturally, with the seed's tapered edges vertical.

Slice down slightly to the side of the seed on one half all the way through. Repeat on the other.

Score through the flesh in whatever size cubes you like in your two almost-halves. Turn the peel inside out and scoop them off with a knife or even a spoon.

You'll then have a thin band of skin and flesh still attached. I usually peel the skin off then just eat the extra fruit off the stone as the cook's reward. It gets stuck in your teeth, but is totally worth it.

[DigitalVelvet]

I'm sorry, dmd, but I have to disagree. The OXO mango splitter is a God-send. Mangoes are now my friends. The tool is very efficient with little waste... but I do take a couple swipes at the pit with my knife to recover what might otherwise be lost.

It beats, by far, the fustration and risk of injury (plus waste) of trying to render a mango with just a knife. The things are so darn slippery, there is always a risk of a slip and possible injury. The Mango Splitter virtually eliminates the risk and the headache.

Even though it is a "uni-tasker" (nod to AB), it has justified its place in my kitchen. Guy Fieri's Mango Chipotle chicken is a regular request from my daughter... and I have also used the same recipe to make some awesome grilled wings. I wouldn't deal with the mangoes nearly as often without my trusty splitter!

[HillJ]

I returned the OXO mango slicer after three attempts to use it. The blade was not sharp enough to slice the mango properly but sharp enough to hurt my hand. I returned it for a refund and learned the proper way to slice a mango with a small knife. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6dPnL...

[herring]

I'm with DigitalVelvet -- I *love* my oxo mango slicer. It's less wasteful (not to mention less dangerous) than my own attempts w/a knife ... and since it peforms the exact same strategy as described by dmd only in one motion, it's much quicker and easier.

[HillJ]

So interesting, I found the OXO exactly the opposite. My biggest complaint was that mangoes are not a one size fits all fruit and the stone is not in the same spot all the time. The OXO seems to assume the stone is in a fixed spot. So, to each their own, I found it an awful and unnecessary gadget.

[walker]

I'm with you, I had to return one, too. I just use a little serrated knife.

[HillJ]

walker, good point about a serrated knife, it cuts the fiberous skin much easier than a straight edge.

[oakjoan]

I am so happy that I learned to deal with mangoes a few years ago by using the method set out by dmd kc. It's so easy to slice off those scored pieces so that the mango squares drop into a bowl. You can also eat them easily when they're scored that way...just push on the middle and all the pieces separate and offer themselves up for chomping.

[enbell]

Yep, that's how I do it now - but I always tell myself, "...there has to be a better way!" Maybe there's not, at least I am not alone :)

[soypower]

I used to do it this way...Then I tried slicing the bottom off to give it some stability while I peeled it with a potato peeler. Works for me. YMMV.

[DigitalVelvet]

I may know why there is a gap between those who love the OXO Mango Splitter (like me) and those who don't. I'm a 6'3" guy... 230ish lbs. After cutting a stable base on the "fat end" of the mango, I jam the splitter down on it in "one fell swoop." There is nothing gentle or delicate about it... kind of like splitting wood. One move, and put your weight into it if you have to.

The two blades part to allow the pit to pass (hugging the pit to minimize waste), and adapt to any strange pit size, shape or angle. You can't "ease" the splitter down the pit... it will offer too much resistance. The convenient handles on the side of the splitter will help keep fingers and other body parts out of the way.

[slopfrog]

I just stick a really sharp serving fork in the mango. This holds it in place with one hand while I use a sharp knife to slice off the skin, and then the fruit.

[Diane B.]

I always wonder why no one mentions the technique I always use (maybe I thought it up and don't remember?).
Anyway, it's a quick and easy way to de-flesh mangos, and I do it with kiwis too (as well as avocados, of course).

I cut the cheeks off in the traditional way (but bow my knife a little around the pit), but THEN I scoop out the flesh from each half with a soup spoon (the elongated-bowl one, not "round"). The flesh hunk comes out in one large piece with almost no flesh remaining on the skin, and is then simple to chop up.

I do try to use the "thinnest" soup spoon I have in the drawer since the edges of it will be thinner and "cut" easier though.
Just press side of spoon near its top between the skin and flesh of the mango, then push it down a bit and scoop all the way around the edge, moving the mango when necessary to reach all sides. There's usually a small amt of flesh clinging to the very bottom of the hunk, but one good swipe deeper and that breaks off too.
(I hold the cheek in my left hand face up, and usually start my cut at about 1 or 2 o'clock on the cheek as I remember, but that's prob. not important.)

I don't like the "cube" right in the skin version because the cubes still have to be cut from the flesh which is an extra step and i's a bit fiddly to get all the cubes completely, and it's also a little fiddly to cut exactly down to the skin for each of the grid cuts.

The only time I might not use this mango-cutting technique is if the mango is not very ripe and still a bit hard because then the spoon might slip since it wouldn't be cutting through easily.

(just signed up... am enjoying this thread!)

Diane B.

[Querencia]

I learned mango technique from the cook at a hotel where we stayed in Haiti. Wash mango. With sharp knife, cut lengthwise around the entire fruit, against the seed (she used a machete but I use a serrated paring knife). Hold over the sink. Twist the two halves to separate them. Loosen seed with point of knife. Serve fruit on the half-shell (like an avocado) with a serrated grapefruit spoon. Minimizes the mango mess but for gnawing on the seed it's best to get naked first.

[walker]

Ha Ha.

I always say the only way to eat a burrito is naked in the bathtub.

[LePetitChefCanadien]

I just peel it with a good vegetable peeler, then slice all the flesh off. Use a good knife. And be careful it it's a really juicy mango because it can get pretty slippery without the skin on.

[Harters]

One tip learned?

That Mum's way was not best way.

[Gio]

Mise en place, in order of use.

[janeh]

Ah, Gio - that's mine too. It eliminates the frantic scramble for ingredients (which you might not have on hand!). I make mole with 20+ ingredients and setting everything out in an orderly manner makes it such a relaxing, meditative pleasure.

[c oliver]

Especially "in order of use." That makes me less crazy. I don't have a huge amount of counter space by the stove so lining up everything is a little tranquilizer.

[MVNYC]

Something recipes never tell you, the difference different levels of caremlization have on the finished product. I have found the slightest variation in onion, garlic or other vegetable browning really changes the end dish and different dishes require different levels. Related to this is the timing of when to add salt so as to release vegetable juices and halt the browning process.

[isadorasmama]

I agree -- It's amazing how a little (ok, sometimes a lot) kosher salt can make all the difference between a mediocre dish and a fantastic one.

Le Creuset makes everything taste better
The best scrambled eggs are made with bacon grease and a VERY hot pan
Comfort food never goes out of style
Animal fat is healthy

[Harters]

"The best scrambled eggs are made.......a VERY hot pan"

I don't think I've ever seen that before. Conventional wisdom always says low heat and cook long and slow. I have been known to cook them in a bain marie but it does take a comparitively long time, which I don't usually have if they're for breakfast. But you do get incredibly soft creamy eggs.

[isadorasmama]

When my pan isn't hot enough my scrambled eggs steam and separate into unattractive bits. When I let it heat up properly they come out fluffy and ethereal. Almost like omelets but I chop chop with my wooden spoon.

[LauraGrace]

A matter of taste, I guess! I used to like my eggs fluffy like that, but now I prefer creamy and unctuous! So it's low heat for me from now on, even though it takes MUCH longer.

[DigitalVelvet]

Sorry to point this out, but there is a significant different between scrambled eggs and chopped eggs... it is a texture thing. :)

[isadorasmama]

Valid point.
I still think if I were to be on top of it and fold the whispy egg pieces down and in from the sides they'd be more scrambled than chopped -- and far superior in my hot pan vs and lukewarm one. That said, I'm generally not on top of my eggs because I'm trying to corral my kids to the table and/or sizzle up some breakfast meat.
I should also add that I go against tradition and prefer my eggs slightly on the well done side as opposed to merely warmed through when scrambled.

[c oliver]

I learned "low and slow" on scrambled eggs from CH a year or more ago. Also only gently stirred not beaten hard prior to cooking. It's made a HUGE difference in scrambled eggs vs. a "broken omelette" as someone (Karl S?) described.

[chef chicklet]

You are correcto, and one does not need cream or milk or water. My dh always says the same thing when I make scrambled eggs for the family.

"do you add milk to your eggs when you make them?"
"uh. uh."

[egbluesuede]

I start with a pat of butter in the pan first, and let the fat bind to the protein molecules. That helps get that smooth creamy scrambled egg.

[cinnamon girl]

Yes - and you shouldn't beat the heck out of them or add dairy to the omelettes either. The milk or cream can separate and make them exude that nasty watery stuff.

I have jacked it up to medium heat tho', in recent years with good results. It still requires constant stirring to get a soft creamy curd and a splash of cream and chives AT THE END to keep them cooking too much longer.

[Scrapironchef]

Overcooking causes the water to separate from the eggs as the proteins contract. If they're fully cooked in the pan they'll be overdone by the time they get to the table. Overdone scrambled eggs are easily recognized by the pool of water they're sitting in.

[c oliver]

I actually move the pan off the heat right at the end so I have more control.

[Caitlin McGrath]

I do that, too - off heat at the end, before they're fully done, but keep stirring so they finish cooking from the residual heat in the pan but don't overcook.

[cinnamon girl]

That explains it - I used to try cooking omelets on a high heat. Never scrambled eggs tho. I tend to put the pot off and on the flame when scrambling to keep it getting too hot.

[petit oiseau]

I learned to use the broiler to finish omelets so they would come out fluffy (like I like them).

I start on the stovetop as usual. I pour the whipped egg in the heated pan, add the ingredients, and let the egg set up just a bit. Then, I lift the edge of the cooked egg layer slightly with a spatula, pick up the pan, and rock it down gently toward the lifted edge so the remaining egg mixture runs toward it. Next--still holding the egg layer up--I rock it back so the egg mixture runs underneath it. I do this once or twice more, lifting at different spots, resulting in very little "runny" egg left on top.

Last, I put the pan under the hot broiler for a few minutes. (This step also melts the cheese nicely.) When it comes out, it's fluffy, and I fold it over and serve. Yum!

[gastronomy]

Some of my favorites already mentioned (especially meat resting, paitence and small dish of salt). All make huge differences :)
I did not have time to read through all the posts (I will come back to it after work when I can take the time) so I apologise if this was already mentioned:
Never salt your mushrooms while they are beginning to saute- Wait until they get cripsy and then add salt- They are so much better that way!!
Keep a small bowl for garbage/scraps on the counter while you cook- saves lots of time!

[ChristinaMason]

Related to this, put mushrooms in a hot pan with little or no oil. Stir and let them release their water BEFORE adding butter, oil, or salt. That way they get nice and brown, and you don't use cups of fat cooking them. Raw mushrooms are like oil sponges! (I wonder if this works for eggplant, another notorious oil hog?)

[mariacarmen]

i never thought of this - what a great idea! i always add oil to the pan first and tho i do achieve the nice browning and crispness, i always end up adding and re-adding oil/butter to my shrooms because they've sucked it all up. thanks for this!

[monavano]

I learned that this year too! I add my mushrooms to a dry pan and let them cook for a while before adding anything.

[Joebob]

I have given up trying to satisfy eggplants thirst for oil. Now I just cut them up, don't bother with the whole salt-and-let-stand thing, dry-fry the slices or chunks in a non-stick pan, and they are done when brown. Saves a lot on calories.

[Sam Fujisaka]

Tip: start your eggplant pieces sauteeing in a bit of oil; once the oil has been sucked up, add a bit of water (and then a bit more) you get sauteed eggplant in a bit using a lot less oil!

[dmd_kc]

That's why many recipes tell you to salt it first. Has nothing to do with bitterness, which salt doesn't even help with. You salt, let sit, then wipe the salt off, and the result is that the outer cell walls burst, and are no longer able to absorb oil -- or so I've read.

[bushwickgirl]

The process of salting an eggplant before cooking is called "degorging" or "purging;" the salt removes some moisture but more importantly it collapses the air pockets in the eggplant's spongy flesh, preventing the absorption of oil while frying. The bitterness has to do with the type (Globe as opposed to Asian types) and age of the eggplant, and bitterness is more pronounced around the seeds of an older eggplant.
Pre-salting makes a hell of a lot of difference for oil absorption when frying. It's really worth taking that extra step.
I don't even rinse off the purging salt anymore, I find it ultimately seasons the eggplant nicely.

[junescook]

Good info, bwg. I don't rinse but I do blot the moisture that the salt draws out with a paper towel.

[meatn3]

Thank you! I don't find eggplant as bitter as it was years ago, so I sometimes skip that step. I didn't realize the benefit regarding oil absorption. I often brown my eggplant in the oven to reduce the absorption - depending on what the end result is going to be.

[cinnamon girl]

Thanks BG. That's good to know. I find that there isn't a lot of bitterness anymore, as most varieties have had it bred out of them. Hence, my salting is hit or miss. No, I never rinse when I salt either; just wipe off and adjust the salt accordingly in the rest of the dish.

[betsydiver]

or roast them with a light covering of oil

[jvanderh]

Interesting. Does it need to be nonstick?

[tonka11_99]

I put mushrooms in a bowl with plastic wrap on top and microwave them on high for 4-5 minutes. Most of the water will be in the bottom of the bowl and it will take less sauteing time to cook them. Learned this from cook's Illustrated.

[PrimadonnaEatz]

Petit,

what temp do you cook the eggs on when they are on top of the stove? Once you put them in the broiler, that doesn't cause them to brown at the bottom? I am horrible w/ egg cookery and need to get better! My eggs always have that brown gross film at the bottom :(

[bushwickgirl]

Lower the flame, eggs are delicate and should be cooked (fried) at no more than med low.
Except for omelets or scrambled, which I cook very quickly at fairly high heat. Putting the omelet under the broiler "finishes" the omelet, melts the cheese or heats up the fillings. The heat of the broiler causes the eggs to rise, fluffing up the eggs like a souffle. You do it quickly, you don't want to brown the top. You can actually see the eggs rising.

[petit oiseau]

Yep, that's right on, bushwickgirl. I cook the omelet on top of stove at fairly high heat, and then after lifting the edges and letting the runny egg roll under, I put it in the broiler. Also, a tip that helps me is to turn on the broiler about 10 min. before I start making the omelet, so that the broiler cavity reaches its optimal temp. A few times I turned on the broiler too late, and my omelet cooked in there but didn't fluff up!

[karykat]

That was the secret trick of a place here that was famed for its omelets. Not in business anymore, but the omelets were incredible. And they were fluffy and light. They didn't put them under the broiler but did put in a small cast iron gratin pan and then into a very hot oven for a few minutes.

[bex109]

Almost any veggie can benefit from being roasted. Most veggies that are in season at the same time complement each other, and can be roasted together in a little olive oil and tossed with pasta for a quick, easy meal

[Kandqueen]

Pasta into the sauce not sauce on to the pasta

[ChristinaMason]

adding a little butter to red sauce (e.g., marinara) makes it delectable.

don't toss pasta with oil or butter before adding the sauce; the sauce will have trouble coating the strands.

[c oliver]

And that's why the pasta water shouldn't have oil in it also.

[coll]

Also a dash of vodka towards the end really improves your sauce for some scientific reason. You don't taste it, but it makes the tomatoes taste better.

[foiegras]

It's because some flavors are only alcohol-soluble.

[DigitalVelvet]

After marinating meat, dry it before placing on the hot grill. It will brown/char/sear much more effectively. I always thought the excess marinade clinging to the meat would dry and make a nice crust, but it just prevents proper grilling char.

[Parigi]

This reminds me:
- Always pad the meat very dry before browning, to get the, well, nice brown.
- When cooking fish with skin, at the end poor hot oil on skin; makes it crispy out and soft in.
- For a second, layer a paper towel on top of chick broth, to remove the top layer of fat.
- (A French dame du monde taught me this:) The most important thing about food is not food but the company. All the dishes and wines are not an end to itself but should go into making the soirée a great one. Therefore light your scented candle, smooth and arrange your curtains and cushions, check your table setting. They all count. And the comfort of your guests is more important than any etiquette blabla.

[just_M]

<- For a second, layer a paper towel on top of chick broth, to remove the top layer of fat.>

Brilliant! I've never thought of that, although if I have cheese cloth I'll probably use that.

<Therefore light your scented candle,>

Here I disagree, at least anywhere near the dining area. It seems to me the scents of the candles throw off the palate.

[iheartcooking]

I always skim off the fat and freeze it- great for sauteeing if you run out of EVOO

[amazinc]

Cooked for forty years, but never got this tip until this year.....make the mashed potatoes
first thing then keep warm is the buttered insert of your slow cooker...might also add that I didn't have a slow cooker until this year! One poster's tip to keep a small bowl on the counter for scraps/garbage is right on...THEN...add those vegetable scraps to your compost pile or feed them to the hungry deer outhside my fence! Great topic, xcptnl!

[bushwickgirl]

Wash the dishes and clean up as you go.

[mmck]

I always try to have the kitchen as clean at the end of preparing a meal as when I started. Makesw fro a much more pleasant meal.

[steve h.]

I subscribe to this practice. It lends a certain order and dignity to the whole process. bushwickgirl is spot on.

[steve h.]

Taste it before serving is about as important as it gets.

[bushwickgirl]

+1, you'd be amazed at how often this part is overlooked.

[ChristinaMason]

lol, also taste it before salting. i'm a notorious offender.

[bushwickgirl]

Speaking of salt, how was your soup?

Even some of the most experienced chefs I worked with had a tendency to not taste before seasoning or serving, relying rather on a falsly perceived ability to eyeball a dish.

[just_M]

I get someone else to taste before serving as I'm one of those who gets overwhelmed by the scent. It's been positive as the dish turns out better and the Mr. and kids are learning to think about and articulate taste and texture.

[C. Hamster]

SALT

and season early

[Rhee]

Have fun in the kitchen. Be fearless. Share your cooking with others. Try new dishes when you do. Most will compliment your cooking no matter how it turns out.

Think about pretty colors, textures and presentation when you cook. Leave yourself some time to make your food look appealing. Consider plating meals in the kitchen instead of serving family style. Enjoy some drama in plating food and setting the table. I serve sauces, etc. in egg cups, votive holders and other devices to add some elevation to the plate. I bring leaves, branches, berries from outside to use as decorations. When you are in a restaurant, wedding, etc. notice what they do to make food look special.

I would rather serve food hot and fresh than wash dishes and clean the kitchen while the food cools and gets soggy and guests wait around. Dishes are later when I'm relaxed and guests are gone and I'm no longer hungry.

[bushwickgirl]

I clean as I cook, as things are sauteing, I'm washing and wiping up. I keep moving. I prefer to work in an organized kitchen, it's a integral part of mis-en-place, IMO. So when the dinner is ready, I have space and a clean enviornment from which to plate and serve. No one waits for dinner, when it's ready so am I, and no terrifically large mess for after.

[ChristinaMason]

I agree. I have to clean as I go, otherwise, I stress myself out.

Although I will add that often I no sooner clean the entire kitchen than decide I want to start a new cooking project. In that case, it probably would have made more sense to wait on scrubbing the stove and counters. Ugh.

[just_M]

I too clean as I go, however I'm usually left with several dirty pans etc after plating. My not so secret wish is a hidden commercial sink and dishwasher tucked out of sight so I can deal with the rest later and not look at it or know its sitting and waiting for me as I play hostess.

[Masonville]

I haven't read the entire thread, but I don't think anyone actually replied to you. If I understand what you're saying, I totally agree. It's dismaying to see television cooking programs in which some or other chef/expert tells you to salt meat seconds/minutes before cooking. If what follows is high heat pan cooking, you're simply going to end up with an ugly salt crust, with virtually no penetration of the salt taste in the meat. What actually works is to salt the meat at least an hour in advance of cooking. This gives the meat time to absorb the salt. This makes a huge difference.

[weewah]

Keep in mind, that coating meat in salt will very effectively draw the moisture from out of the meat. That is a standard step before smoking meat, and the result can be undesirable in a fresh preparation.
I LOVE the effect on FAT though, and heavily salt the fat rind of steaks, chops etc. Makes for crispy brown goodness : )

[pikawicca]

But if you let the meat stand long enough (in the fridge), the moisture will be re-absorbed, along with the slat, resulting in very tasty, moist meat. this is known as "dry brining."

[KTinNYC]

Salting meat in advance is advocated by Judy Rogers, Michael Ruhlman, and Bill Niman. I've done it with great results.

[whs]

A little soy sauce, nam pla or a bit of anchovy adds a lot of depth to a braised meat dish.

[Whats_For_Dinner]

Hot stock only into a risotto!

The first... embarrassingly many times I made risotto, I skimped on this because I didn't have another convenient-sized saucepan to heat the stock -- so I took the lazy way out and heated it up in the microwave. Naturally, it was cool again by the time I got to about the second or third addition, and I wondered why my risottos were always a little mushy no matter which brand of rice I tried.

Hot stock = no more mush. I couldn't believe I hadn't made the miniscule extra effort all those times before.

What else? Gotta echo the previously mentioned:
PATIENCE.
and its corollary, Don't screw around with things before they're done. No need to poke at that chicken breast every thirty seconds that it's browning. Leave it alone until it's browned. I'm so very guilty of that kind of impatience.
Don't undersalt!
Taste before serving, but the key is to *stop* tasting when you know that it's good. ;)
Patience. Patience. Patience.

OH! Can't forget:

Nothing is as annoying, or as much of a slowdown, as a too-small cutting board.
and
A tablespoon of butter to finish something often makes a world of difference and is almost always worth the calories.

[ChristinaMason]

Yes! A huge cutting board and several smaller ones are things I never want to be without.

Oh! And....glass cutting boards deserve a special place in hell and no place (EVER) in my kitchen.

[Passadumkeg]

Plastic cutting boards belong in Teflon hell as well, give me pure rock maple cellulose to keep me regular, not plastic.

[MazDee]

No, I don't agree! Flexible plastic (or whatever it is) cutting boards are a new thing to me. Wonderful! Chop, bend, and dump into the pan or pot. I have a bunch of them now. My big awkward cutting boards get used for pounding things, but for the veggies that I cook, the flexible ones are great.

[just_M]

I had my doi moment a couple of years ago when I noticed there were holes in the plastic and thought "Fab! I've been feeding my family plastic, gack!" I do still use one plastic mat for transporting flour and the like to the mixer but no more chopping.

[decolady]

I have two glass cutting boards that I use when canning. While the jars are in the canner, I spread a dish towel on each of the glass boards. Then when I remove the jars from the canner they go there to cool and seal. I like that the feet on the boards raise them just a bit of the counter. Guess they should be called sealing or canning boards as that it their place in my kitchen.

[Quill]

I hate fa glass cutting board! Who thought up that oxymoron?

[eclecticsynergy]

re:glass cutting boards- see fine print in this photo...

[visciole]

Warm cold plates or bowls before putting the food on or in them. Warm oven or hot water will do the trick quickly.

[Scrapironchef]

This is so overlooked, it's about the only thing I use my microwave for.

[Passadumkeg]

Why??? Micro is great for steaming and parboiling veggies.

[bushwickgirl]

How do you warm an empty plate in the microwave?

[linguafood]

Just as you would a plate with something on it. Put it in, hit nuke -- et voilá.

[JoanN]

Don't know if it's true or not, but I've read you should never put a dry plate (or plates) in the microwave as they may crack. Whenever I warm plates in the microwave I put a cup of water in there with them to prevent this from happening.

[linguafood]

Hmm. I do it all the time, and nothing's ever cracked. Maybe I've been lucky.

[JoanN]

Probably depends on the composition of the plate. I've just never wanted to chance it.

[linguafood]

Most plates I used on a daily basis are cheapo IKEA porcelain plates. They chip pretty easily, but haven't cracked in the MW.

[bushwickgirl]

This is a new one for me. Live and learn. I always thought it was necessary for the presence of water molecules in a product to vibrate and generate heat in the MV, although I know containers that are used to heat things in the MV get quite hot but I thought that was transference or residual heat. So I just now put a plate in, cheap but heavy china, and it was warm after 30 seconds.
Warm enough for serving and keeping food warm on, no cracking. New trick, yay!!

[Scrapironchef]

I have one of the over the stove microwaves, handy for serving on hot plates, pretty much a pain in the a$$ for anything else.

I've got quite an assortment of dishes and I've never had a problem with cracking. The only thing to watch out for is foil or metal decorations like gold banding, these will spark and spit.

[bushwickgirl]

"The only thing to watch out for is foil or metal decorations like gold banding, these will spark and spit."

Now this I know from experience.

[maplesugar]

I have china that has a platinum ring around it(a choice that 10 years later I'm starting to regret)... I've never been able to use the mic to heat plates so my usual MO is to heat them after I've pulled the main out to rest.

I had the same ots microwave in our last house and I hated it. Invariably there was one of us at the stove and the other needed the mic for something so you were ducking and dodging... now the mic is to the left of the stove and while there are some kinks to work out in the new kitchen, the mic is not one of them.

[c oliver]

I do it all the time also. With all sorts of plates. The lowest my oven will go is 170 and I think that's too warm to handle. So MW and never a problem. But I only go about 30-40 seconds. Just to take the chill off.

[tonka11_99]

I drizzle just a little water on the plate and then put in in the microwave for 30 seconds or so but you don't want to do it with platinum or gold rims...otherwise you get to see sparks dancing across the platinum.

[decolady]

from howeverythingworks.org:

http://www.howeverythingworks.org/pag...

[foodaliscious]

I was just about to say this! Warm your plates, especially in the winter. Cold plates can ruin a nice hot meal .... and so many people don't think of this very important step.

Several people have mentioned this already, FRESH GRATED NUTMEG, grated with a microplane. I use it sparingly on lots of things and it's yummy.

I love the tips on sweating mushrooms and eggplant!

[soypower]

A gem I remembered from Biba's Italian Kitchen...

"You can always add, but you can never take away.." Usually in reference to adding water to pasta dough. So the point is to add water, seasoning, fat, etc. in very small amounts.

[scunge]

From boil to simmer,from stove top to oven and using the slow braise .....as well as removing too much liquid from roasting meats( that may have not been defrosted long enough) oh yea patience,prep, and planning

[Passadumkeg]

Whole chile pods make better chile than chile powder.
A taco is a shell for various meats, not a salad; top w/ onion & celantro.
The pressure cooker is my friend.
Hand dicing is better than food processor.
Save vegetable water for stock.
The dog cleans the kitchen floor better than I do.
Seafood eaten within hours of being caught. tastes sweet.
Garden veggies put the grocery store ones to shame.
Cook for someone you love and you become a better cook.
Carpe chow.

[just_M]

I wish the pressure cooker was my friend but he scares me. I know, I know he has a much more stable attitude these days but still...

My dog must be defective, although he's a pound puppy he's still suspicious of anything not served in his bowl.

You are so right cooking for love is the best motivator.

[Sam Fujisaka]

Cookware makes no difference.

[Parigi]

Fujisaka-san,
If I respect you more than I already do, I'd be doing cartwheels.
But how o how can you say that?

[Sam Fujisaka]

Thank you, Parigi.

Actually I was being only half serious. I have pretty nice and functional cookware (albeit too many expensive knives that I don't use and that I got years ago when I really got cooking - literally and figuratively).

On the other hand, I've seen, gotten to know, and learned from so many home cooks in developing countries - women in remote rural areas around the globe - who cook up a delicious storm day after day for their families and, in some/many cases for customers of their often no-name (sometimes dirt floor) restaurants. Usually no cutting boards (cut stuff up holding in hands instead), comical knives that have been sharpened into funny shapes, crooked and blackened beater pots and pans, and wood fired stoves. Delicious delicious food!

of course, counter to my statement above is that many such women may have a single key piece of cookware - a heavy and perfect stone mortar and pestel or a metate and mano - to ensure their success.

[Passadumkeg]

Sam, I whole heartedly agree. When I first moved to Norway, I cooked a lot of excellent meals w/ our backpacking cook kit. Every summer, as a registered kayak guide, I cook, what I feel, are excellent meals for up to eight tourists for 3-5 days on the Maine Island Trail, using a 2 burner Coleman stove and camping cookware.

[Parigi]

I agree with these precisions and I agree that much of today's fancy cookery is mostly marketing.
The best roast chicken I made in my life was done not in a gleaming sexy Starck-designed yuppie rotisserie but in a crappy oven in a spartan rental in Roquebrune. As you all know a good roast chicken sounds simple but is transcendental. I take none of the credit. I think I chanced upon an especially fresh chicken and garlic so fresh it felt moist even outside its coat, and that day the timing fairy decided to jerk my chain. The crappy flimsy oven did not hurt at all.

[coll]

I don't have a yuppie rotisserie, just a Popeil, but husband really loves it. However, I had a chicken the other day that was so big it wouldn't fit, so I made this recipe, he had three helpings and I don't think I'll ever use the machine again.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/foo...

[3sisterspassedby]

I agree that great meals can be cooked with almost anything. The secret of experienced cooks is in knowing to make due with what is available. If one is adept with a cast iron skillet, that one can cook great meals with it. Others will swear by some other kind of skillet because those others only know how to use those other skillets.

[danieljdwyer]

Right on. I mean, good cookware helps a lot. But you don't need it.
I finally broke down last week and bought some non-stick frying pans. I made some omelettes yesterday, and it sure was a lot easier than it has been in the past. But it wasn't a better omelette, and part of me feels like this is cheating and will erode my cooking skills.
A smaller variety of cookware is a challenge, as is less advanced cookware, or lower quality cookware. But so is having to use every part of of an animal, or the economy cuts, or using vegetables in season, or preserving the harvest, or any other limitations that lead to having to use what's on hand. This is what all of the world's great cuisines were born from.
And, on your cutting board comment below, I've been around old ladies who can sit there with a sack of potatoes or onions or whatever other vegetables, a small, sort of dull knife, and cut everything into a paper bag between their knees. They do a much better, and faster, job than I do with my well sharpened German chef's knife and nice cutting board - even faster and better than I was when I was a prep chef spending 40+ hours a week chopping things up.
Sure it's more challending to not have the best stuff, but challenges build skill.

[weewah]

danieljdwyer,
The women in my family were like those you describe; you never sat down in the daytime unless you're hulling walnuts or snapping beans!Rather a bygone era in these parts, unfortunately.
However, no-one needs to buy (what is essentially a diposable) nonstick pan when you have access to cast iron. Seriously. Those teflon pans always eventually flake their way out of usefulness, and God knows what you're ingesting. I use a cast iron skillet that is at least 60 years old. (It was my Grandma Maude's and she died at 96, several years ago) I have 5 more of varying sizes and shapes and find several benefits to their use: Believe it or not, the iron actually contributes to your diet. Cast iron heats more evenly and retains heat better. Cast iron - when cared for properly - is non-stick!
Caring for cast iron is simple. It cleans with hot water & a soft rag. Don't use soap, the flavor will linger in the finish of the pan. Set the pan on a still warm (not heating!)burner to ensure that all moisture is evaporated and smear w/ a paper towel that has some shortening on it. If you use it to simply fry and egg in butter, you needn't immerse the pan at all. Just wipe it 'dry' with a paper towel.
Any pan you buy will have directions on how to season it, and I do it twice for good measure : )

[dmd_kc]

For its weight and lack of maneuverability, there are many dishes where cast iron is problematic. I couldn't live without mine.

[danieljdwyer]

I use a cast iron skillet for just about everything. Not eggs though. No matter how well seasoned cast iron is, it's not ever going to be non-stick. It takes a lot of added fat to get eggs to not stick, and for omelettes you even need to get the sides greased. I can cook an egg in my new non-stick without adding any fat at all. I've been making omelettes for years in my cast iron skillet. It takes about three times as much butter as I want to use, and still isn't as easy as my new cast iron. And I wouldn't call these new pans disposable. My mother has had the same ones for ten years now and they're still in perfect shape.

[decolady]

I respectfully disagree. My cast iron was my great-grandmother's and is 100+ years old. I do not have to add very much butter at all (really just barely coat the bottom of the skillet) and my eggs do not stick. And I've never had to grease the sides of the skillet when making omelettes.

[ChristinaMason]

Oh, another one: baking things on a rack allows them to get crisper (pork chops, whole chicken, etc.)

[rainey]

The ones that were most difficult for me (I'm stubborn!) but made the most difference were:

• braising is the most wonderful thing you can do to meat
• only thoroughly dry meat browns properly
• everything tastes better if it can be caramelized first or roasted
• don't crowd the pan for meat or mushrooms
• don't leave anything in the pan that you can manage to get in the food.

That last one was *really* hard. My mother grew up during the Depression and her attitude about it was so negative and desperate. Understandable but also very difficult to live with and invite into your own life. When I learned that it was *flavor* I was trying to retrieve, deglazing every browned bit became a different and important thing that improved my cooking greatly.

In baking it was:

• buy the damned scale and bake by weight
• never start bread without a pre-ferment or old dough
• it's better to push the rise than to ever shortchange it
• brown sugar has more flavor than granulated; buttermilk has more flavor than milk (but be sure to add soda to neutralize where leavening is a question) and browned butter has more flavor than butter from the fridge

For chocolate it was:

• *real* chocolate is the ONLY chocolate
• home cooks can learn to temper

[coll]

Got a digital scale a few years back and it's one of the most used things in my kitchen.

[rainey]

A digital scale and one of those universal liquid measurement beakers and you can bake anything from anywhere without making a single conversion -- except temp. I hope you know what I'm referring to. They have columns of indicators for metric and a variety of US volume units from cups to teaspoons. They're cheap and TERRIFIC!

Also as useful for scaling conventional American recipes as they are for preparing European recipes.

[bayoucook]

After draining the pasta and returning it to the pan, add a little of the sauce to keep it from sticking together.

[isadorasmama]

That reminds me...
NEVER rinse cooked pasta in water.

Also, lots of veggies taste better cooked longer than al dente despite what some chefs would have you believe.

[food_eater79]

for real. My mother does that, rinsing the pasta of all the starchiness in cold water. WHY???

She'll also do the same to ground beef.

[LauraGrace]

Ew. I have seen the "drain and rinse" technique touted on many a frugality blog as a way to be able to buy higher-fat (therefore cheaper) ground beef. I have never been able to bring myself to do it. It ain't just fat getting washed down the drain.

[ChristinaMason]

<< way to be able to buy higher-fat (therefore cheaper) ground beef.>>

That doesn't seem very smart, considering that the fat makes up a good part of the weight you're paying for (as much as 20%). Way to rinse $ and flavor down the drain!

[cinnamon girl]

Ya and pretty bad for the drains too!

[Quill]

Thank you, Isadorasmama! My pet peeve is al dente broccoli or rapini. It is so delicious when cooked through. I don't mean soggy. I mean tender.

[danieljdwyer]

Taste everything. Don't know what it tastes like? Try it. Even things that aren't typically eaten on their own. Like a sprig of thyme. What's the worst that can happen? You get a bad taste in your mouth? That's no tragedy. And you've learned something that will improve your cooking and your eating.
Try everything. That thing on the menu that you don't recognize? Order that. And don't say it's gross or that you don't like it if you've never eaten it. Just try it. You'll probably like it if you keep an open mind. And if you don't, well, hey, at least you've expanded your food knowledge. You've got nothing to lose.

[c oliver]

Are you the CH who wrote about taking, say, a sprig of thyme and frying it and tasting it, make a little broth out of it. Etc. I thought that was really brilliant. There are many herbs and spices that I've never tasted on their own. Nothing to lose is an understatement. So much to gain.

[danieljdwyer]

I think so. I can't take credit for the idea though. I've found this in many guides to cooking, mostly older ones, and the idea was first introduced to me by a chef at a Spanish tavern I once frequented.

[sonia darrow]

Fresh thyme and hot water make a tasty herbal tea.

[LePetitChefCanadien]

Sage and mint together are nice too.

[honey2emmylace]

OK, bay leaf.... I use them because the recipe calls for them, and feel like I've really prepared something (hate taking them out before serving, because how does anyone know I even used it..LOL) I have taken them out and sucked the soup or sauce off and I just don't get what flavor it's giving. I think I'll try making a bay leaf broth and checking out what nothing but water and bay leaf taste like.... good tip thanks

[thew]

i felt that way until i made bechamel with and w/out bay. there is a subtle but clear herbal/grassy flavor they impart

[clint1245]

and make sure its not an old dried bayleaf spices lose flavor over time.

[basildip]

This is good advice and I mostly try to follow it. But I used to have a thai restaurant that server me two concoctions of my making. One item was chicken vegetable soup with tons of chinese broccoli, bok choy, garlic, green onions and lots of rich broth. The other item was chicken or duck salad with lots of crisp lettuce, cilantro, red onions bean sprouts and more garlic. I ate this combination for 17 years until the restaurant was closed down. If the place was still open I could not follow good advice. But now that my favorite restaurant has been closed down, I'm sadly and gladly free again to try everything.

[neobite]

Smell and listen actively - you can do so much more in the kitchen if you use all your senses to pay attention. I think using your hands falls under this, too.

Oh, and use your knife steel.

And, yes, as so many have said before: salt.

[carolbf]

Use good quality spring water when you make stock, or any soup for that matter. After all, water is the main ingredient. It makes a difference.

[love2bluff]

I used purified water in all my soups and beans. They are always delicious.

[2m8ohed]

In addition to two that have been said ("mise en place" and "sharpen those knives"), I'd say, "set a kitchen timer." My friends laugh that I have 4 timers stuck on my fridge but I've learned the hard way that my memory ain't what it used to be, and time flies if I get on the Web while something's on the stove.

[LadyCook61]

Cooking frozen vegetables in pasta water , near the end of pasta cooking time, if I am making something with pasta and veggies.

[rainey]

Good one! My SIL taught me to use the water from boiling potatoes to make the gravy 40 or so years ago. I don't think I've heard anyone propose anything similar in all that time but there's extra flavor there and flavor is never something to underrate or underuse.

[cinnamon girl]

I learned that from my mother. Sometimes a bit from the carrots too if they were on the boil. I think the starch from the potato water contributes a bit of silkiness to the gravy - but maybe it's my imagination working overtime. If the potato water's salted you really want to taste the gravy before salting further.

[IncrediGirl]

I learned that from my mother, too. Learned the hard way that while potato water makes a lovely addition to the gravy, the turnip water just lends a funky flavour to it.

[hopegoode]

In the summer, use your excess vegetable waters in your garden. the plants love it.

[foiegras]

I add them to my dogs' food ...

[decolady]

One of my grandmothers always used the potato water to make her bread.

[MazDee]

I do that all the time now. Especially frozen peas or spinach. This is when I am cooking for one, and want a quick meal. Have never tried this when cooking for others. I thought it was my dirty little secret!

[ennuisans]

When scraping carrots, hold the skinny end to scrape the thick end first. If you scrape the skinny end first, it's weakened and the carrot breaks when you switch to scrape the thick end.

[just_M]

Brilliant, another why didn't I think of that.

[kattyeyes]

Carrots cut with a crinkle cutter taste better (family secret or delusion, I never cut them any other way).

[food_eater79]

About fruit, veg:

Peel your bananas "upside down". Pinch the bottom of it and the whole peel comes down in 2-3 pieces with a much easier approach than trying to break the stem to peel it.

[wiltkm1]

I've always peeled bananas that way! My uncle taught me that trick as a (VERY young) child, he said that's how monkeys peel their bananas. What 6 year old doesn't want to be like a monkey? :)

Anyway, I get picked on all the time for peeling bananas "upside down." My friends/colleagues think it's so strange, but I think it's much easier than the "normal" way!

[Bryan Pepperseed]

To xcptnl - great tips - nothing like good mashed potatoes.
Can't overstate how much better they are if you wait for the drained potatoes to stop steaming (dry out) before adding butter and milk.

As for something I do that I haven't seen mentioned yet:
I hardly ever finish any meat on the stovetop anymore - even if it's just burgers, chops, steaks or chicken pieces, I quickly sear them in an oven safe skillet on a hot burner and then transfer to a preheated oven to finish - even a toaster oven if need be. For me, it allows for better control of the final product.

[carswell]

Ingredients matter most.

Corollaries:
- Spend as much effort sourcing ingredients as you do preparing them.
- Cook with the seasons as much as possible and at other times avoid the fruits and vegetables that suffer most out of season (asparagus, corn, peaches, cherries, figs, etc.).
- If the ingredients for a dish you want to make are less than ideal, make another dish.
- Ingredients found, prepare them simply (so they taste of themselves) and with respect (so they taste the best they can).

[vafarmwife]

Taking meat/steak out of fridge and let it "warm" up before roasting/grilling. Also letting meat rest before eating or carving. And letting roux for gravy get really brown before adding milk or stock. I shudder now at the raw gravy my husband used to eat when we were first married. I now know that man truly loves me if he ate that glop to keep from hurting my feelings.

[vafarmwife]

Oh and making some dishes the day before and letting their flavor "develop" such as spaghetti sauce, lasagna, and soup beans.

[Rhee]

My tip for heating up baguettes and other crusty bread before serving. Perhaps everyone does this but a dinner guest recently watched me and expressed surprise:

I turn on the cold water tap and moisten the entire loaf quickly under the tap. It won't get soggy but it will get wet. Then I put the whole loaf in the oven, directly on a rack and heat until hot and crusty. This gives you that fresh baked crusty texture back.

[weewah]

Rhee!
I have never seen anyone else do this & my Dad has an absolute FIT when I do! Flatbread (pita) in the states is so dry and...well, yukky, that I do this before heating it on a gas burner (& then keeping hot in a tea-towel to eat w/ homemade hummus). The open flame slightly carbonizes the bread - keep flipping it - and the flavor is very much improved! I never thought to do this w/ a loaf of french or whatever. Thanks : )

[divadmas]

heating flour tortilla directly over gas burner crisps it up a little and slight char gives smokey flavor.

[mariacarmen]

+1 on this. love the charred tortilla.

[Auriana]

Cooking mashed potatoes in half & half instead of water;

Saving chicken bones and keeping homemade chicken stock "ice cubes" in the freezer;

Alton Brown's pastry crust recipe;

The importance of very high heat for searing, and with that high heat, a good splatter guard;

European butter.

[just_M]

<Cooking mashed potatoes in half & half instead of water;>

How do you do that?

[Auriana]

Instead of covering the cut-up potatoes with cold water and then simmering, I add enough liquid to come about 1/2-3/4 up to the top of the potatoes--mostly half-n-half and a little water. Bring to a boil, season with salt, reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook until potatoes are tender. They should have absorbed most of the liquid. Then mash, season, and stir in fresh half-n-half, cream, butter, and/or creme fraiche (my favorite).

I got the idea from Cook's Illustrated and adjust the recipe as needed. They started by toasting minced garlic in butter, and then the potatoes, half-n-half, and water were added to the pot.

[egbluesuede]

I saw this trick on America's Test Kitchen and I don't make potatoes any other way now. Sometimes with garlic and sometimes without. Less mess, and you don't have to fool around with keeping the pototoes hot before serving. One thing I'll add is to make sure to cut the potatoes into small even chunks to cook evenly, and rinse the excess starch off before cooking them.

[pobo]

Marcuss Samuelson advocates for this method in his cookbook Aquavit (terrific restaurant in NYC). I find the half & half makes the potatoes so rich, you just need to add a little butter. It's really decadent.

[divadmas]

costco has heavy cream, not the light whipping cream from grocery stores. much better.

[John E.]

I just noticed these posts about cooking potatoes in 1/2 & 1/2 for mashing. It sounds good, Probably won't work for Thanksgiving though. We have an extended family Thanksgiving at a cousin's house. I got put in charge of mashed potatoes years ago. The gathering has grown to the point that I now cook the potatoes outside (30#) in a 32 quarte kettle on a propane burner. (It's a good thing I have a nephew big enough to carry the kettle around for me).

[mmalmad]

When chopping veggies, I save things like parsley stems, the tougher dark green of leeks etc, and freeze them, when I have a bag full, I make stock with them

[yumyumyogi]

I do the same. It's something my husband the chef taught me. It makes a nice quick and rough stock that's definitely cheaper and more flavorful than stock in a box. I save and freeze the outside skin of onions and garlic, carrots peels, parsley stems, about-to-go-bad celery, and chicken bones and fat - all things that would be otherwise be thrown away.

[RGC1982]

Don't overcook veggies, shrimp and chicken breasts. They are a staple in my house, and recognizing when they are done is very important. It is a taste and texture thing both.

[blondehunter]

Hello there! I absolutely love making mashed potatoes, I know that everyone makes them differently, but my mother taught me to of course cube and boil them in a dash of salt, check them often with a fork, you don't want them too done, otherwise they will be watery and mushy. After you drain them and have them either back in the pan or bowl of your choice, add butter and lots of butter, yummy! I do put a splash of cold milk, but my said the secret to making them really creamy is......to add evaporated vitamin D milk in the can. And I mix them up with a hand mixer. :-) I hope this helps!

[Passadumkeg]

Ashley, welcome to Chowhound! Your mashed potatoes sound delicious. I add yogurt to mine, to make the butter healthier, heh, heh, heh.
We fly into LV in a month to visit my bro. Straight from McCarrion we head to Carlito's for some New Mexican grub, music and $3 Margaritias!
http://www.carlitosburritos.com/

[blondehunter]

Passadumkeg,
ooow yogurt sounds great too! I have also heard of using either cream cheese or mayo too! A trip the LV that sounds fun! So I just started my chowhound as you can see and I am confused as to how it all works, is this board the only way we communicate or can we do email type stuff or what? If you know please let me know, thank you for replying this is really cool, I love to talk to people about cooking!

[Passadumkeg]

I also like avocado mashed w/ my spuds. My email is on my profile.

[maplesugar]

I like using a bit of chicken stock to mash spuds... cuts the butter I used to use by half (and makes Mr. M Sugar's doc happy)

[c oliver]

To answer your question, if a CH has their email address in their profile, then that's the only way to communicate with them outside of CH. And some of us do that. The point of not making it available across the board is that we should be telling everyone about our Chow tips not just one other person. You're gonna love it here. I'm a different cook than I was two years ago. And weigh more also :) Welcome.

[love2bluff]

I make mashed potatoes with red skin potatoes and leaving the skins on, I mash them with butter and sour cream and a dash of evaporated milk. Salt and pepper. So many people tell me they are the best mashed potatoes they ever had. I also mash them so they are just a little bit chunky. Gives them more substance.

[rainey]

I make my mashies with peeled potatoes (the ricer sorta takes care of that) but I always leave the peels on the boiled or roasted potatoes that I use for potato salad. I agree that the color and flavor are pluses. So is the additional nutrition.

[alkapal]

lovetobluff, the red bliss taters done this way equal a "royal flush" ;-)).. i throw in some fresh minced chives or fresh thyme. happiness in a bowl!

[amway84]

This is less "pro" than some of the rest appear, but definitely be patient. Whenever I make anything and want it to go faster I either take it out not quite done yet ("done enough"), or turn up the heat to make it go faster (an easy, universal example is grilled cheese sandwiches). I always have to remind myself that most everything is better when I just leave it alone and let it cook (or cool) properly.

[bushwickgirl]

You've got it right, patience is one of my personal ten foundations of good cooking.

[rainey]

How about telling us the other 9? ;>

[bushwickgirl]

Oh no, I knew someone would ask! lol. All I can say is that some of them have been already posted here by others and I posted a few already, the clean-up thing and the taste before serving habit.

Cook with love for others and respect for the food. Or at least with respect for others and love for the food.
If you're confused, rattled or overwhelmed, stand in front of the open refrigerator for a minute. Cold air always clears the head. (This is a habit I had when in the pro kitchens, took a minute break in the walk-in when things got too crazy.)
Sharp knives (been mentioned numerous times but it's so important.)
Dinner is in the eyes, then nose, then mouth of the beholder.
Burns will continue to happen, cuts will stop.
A watched pot is not the same as mindful cooking.
The patience thing; raising the flame, either literally or figuratively, is not always the best move.
Give yourself permission to be satisfied with your efforts, but guard against complacency.

Is that ten? Am I excused now?

Rainey, on another note, I noticed you wrote about having an accident recently.
I hope you're healing and doing well.

[dingey]

Amen on the cuts will stop, burns will continue to happen. I hardly ever cut myself anymore now that I'm more experienced in the kitchen, but d*mned if I still don't have a tendency to burn myself every couple of weeks!

[CoffeeNCookies]

1. Don't crowd your pan, several batches are better (other posters have said this)
2. You can always add more, you can't remove (my dad always says this)

[linguafood]

One tip I recently learned, but haven't been able to prove (and do feel free to chime in, I know you all want to anyway haha): when making meat fondue with oil, put a raw potato in the fondue pot to avoid stinking up the whole house with oil vapor.

The oil stench is, hands down, THE reason I haven't made meat fondues anymore (oh, I know you can do broth, but it's not the same), and I'm curious to test this eventually.

Unless someone else has, and calls BS, that is '-P

[ChristinaMason]

I don't really like broth fondue that much. The novelty is fun----but I don't like unseasoned boiled meat. Blech. I have a hard time eating meat that isn't seared or at least has some seasoning cooked on/into it.

[linguafood]

Yep. My sentiments exactly. That's why frying it is so nice, unless your place ends up smelling like a German frittenbude for a week '-)

[petitgateau]

Don't treat baking times as absolutes when baking cakes or cookies. Set the timer for 10 minutes less than the recipe indicates and check for doneness. Ovens vary. I now bake my cookies with the timer set for 5 minutes and turn the pan every 5 minutes until they look and feel done. Use ALL your senses when cooking or baking.

[kattyeyes]

Along those lines, here's another tip I embraced this past year:
BUY AN OVEN THERMOMETER!
My oven is off by at least 10 degrees, but now that I know, I can adjust the temperature before I put anything in the oven.

[joaniesl]

Parchment paper has greatly improved my cookie baking!

[karykat]

I buy parchment paper in quantity in sheets that fit my half-sheet pans. So there's no need to measure and cut a sheet to fit the pan. Just grab one and go.

[bear]

Do you buy it at a restaurant supply store? Just wondering where to get it.

[karykat]

I get it at King Arthur Flour. I use these whenever I use the sheets to roast anything. (Would like to keep them from getting blackened for better temp control.)

Here's the link: http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/i...

I just saw they have round ones too for cake pans. May think about that next time.

[Scrapironchef]

Since I use them multiple times, 100 would be a ten year supply.

[karykat]

I just realized I could reuse them. At least for multiple batches of the same thing. But still, I go through them pretty well and it does save time.

[Scrapironchef]

When I'm in heavy baking mode, i have four pans going at onceand a couple of extra pieces with batches ready to slide on. I'll do this for a couple of days and eventually end up using them for pizza. The high temps I bake pizza at are usually the end of their lives.

[Caitlin McGrath]

I've bought a pack of 9-inch rounds from a cake supply shop (pack of 20 or so, not 100), and it was a good investment just on saving the labor and annoyance of cutting circles to size. I've even seen onces with a center hole meant for tube pans.

[JoanN]

When I make pizza I preheat my oven to about 550 and find that the parchment becomes becomes burnt and extremely brittle, often sticking to the pizza, at about 5 or 6 minutes. What I do now is put the pizza on the stone and cook it just until it's set--about 3 or 4 minutes--then slide the peel between the parchment and the pizza and pull out the parchment. No more burnt paper sticking to the pizza or bits of carbonized paper left on the stone.

[ChristinaMason]

Is Chinese hot pot different in this respect?

[linguafood]

Well, it's meat cooked in broth, right? So by technique, it's the same as fondue with broth just by a different name.

[ChristinaMason]

What I meant was, does it still just taste like boiled meat? Or does the broth impart some flavor that makes it worth eating? Or the dipping sauces?

[Scrapironchef]

A little of both.

[linguafood]

No, the broth imparts flavor. And the dips come in handy, too.

It's all good.

[food_eater79]

Keep a very sharp chef knife and know how to use it. Choke up on the handle/blade a little more for much better control.

[koshermasterchef]

You'll forgive me if I don't read all 226 posts before mine, to see if this was mentioned prior, but the one tip I learned about cooking that was simple and made a huge difference is to think a step ahead. For example, if you are going to drain pasta, prepare the draining basket BEFORE you take the pot off the stove. If you are going to remove something from the oven, decide where and prepare the place you are going to put it BEFORE you open the oven and take it out. Get out all of your ingredients BEFORE you start putting the dish together, so you know if you left something out of the recipe and then work in the order of the ingredients. Think ahead!! Made a huge difference in the way I work in the kitchen.

[JoanN]

Learned a new one just yesterday. I was about to make chicken stock, and although I’ve made it hundreds of time before I decided to take a look online and see what Alton Brown had to say about it. He has you put one of those collapsible vegetable steamers on top of the vegetables to help keep them under the simmering broth. It didn’t seem as though it was going to work at first; the vegetables kept pushing the steamer up to the top of the pot. But once the vegetables began to soften, the steamer did indeed keep them down.

I’m not all that convinced that keeping the vegetables fully submerged made much of a difference in the flavor of the stock. What it DID do, however, was make the stock much (much!) easier to skim. All the gunk rose to the top as usual, but since it wasn’t getting entangled with herbs or vegetables that had also risen to the surface, it just took seconds to pass the skimmer over the surface of the liquid. Because it was so easy to do, I was much more assiduous about doing it and ended up with a stock that was significantly clearer than most I’ve made before. I will definitely be using this tip from here on out.

[cityhopper]

Everyone has shared some really wonderful tips here and I am glad to have gone over the 200+ listed. I wish I could contribute but everyone has mentioned all the key points and I am still very much a neophyte in the kitchen.

*I guess one thing I realized in this process is that a good cook comes from within and the number of "cool" appliances has an insignificant affect on the end product. The tools and appliances are only aides for a cook.
*I think once I have a better understanding of flavor, I will also become a better cook.

[rainey]

Absollutely! I bet those of us who have been cooking for a number of years would kill to have the money back now that we spend on stoopid appliances and gadgets instead of good ingredients.

For years -- decades actually -- I thought knowing that saffron was the most expensive spice meant I *coudn't have it*. What a putz! I could have had a field's worth of saffron for what I spent on replacing cheap cookware and buying appliances I use once or twice a year.

[clint1245]

When buying the cool gadgets learn to use them by making around ten to fifteen dinners using them. Things like an ISI thermo or gourmet whip for instance is a little daunting to use at first till you learn how to use it correctly and can elevate dishes to a new level. Expect to fail and have meh dinners the first few times till your comfortable with new gadgets.

[02putt]

I too am guilty of kitchen stuff. I borrowed Alton Brown's book "Gear for your Kitchen" from the library and found it very useful. He doesn't flog brands but gives you unbias reviews. He also recommends alternative uses for what you already have in your kitchen. A couple of more tips I forgot to mention:

Never purchase anything without researching it thoroughly
I very seldom buy a cookbook that I have not tested. I usually borrow it from the library first.
Never put a hot crockpot or pizza stone on your ceramic cooktop. Never buy a ceramic cooktop for that matter. My number one regret when we renovated our kitchen.

[pine time]

+1 on the library--I've saved myself from purchasing some bad cookbooks by checking 'em out first.

On ceramic: when we remodeled our kitchen, repiping for gas would have been more than the whole rest of the reno, so we kept the ceramic. Guess I've gotten used to it, so it's not so bad.

[karianne]

- Seasoning/tasting. By far the most simple thing that makes the biggest impact.
- Letting thing sit when sauteing so they brown. Patience.
- Flexibility in choosing ingredients. For example, not fixating on the fact that I want to make a recipe with asparagus when the asparagus at the store looks like crap or is overpriced.

Speaking of mashed potatoes, I am a total make-ahead convert now (after research on Chow). A few years ago I hosted 20 for Thanksgiving and wanted to make as much ahead of time as possible. I did the potatoes ahead, mashed (adding warm milk and butter) and then put into a dutch oven and stored in the fridge until the turkey came out. I think add some cream to the top and put in the oven to rewarm. They are just as good and there's none of that crazy (and messy) last minute preparation.

[gfr1111]

All of the best suggestions have been made above, but here are some that haven't been mentioned:

1. Before beginning to cook, remove stuff from your counter, like the toaster, the food processor, the knicknacks, etc., unless you are going to be using them. It is so much easier to cook when you have enough space.

2. Always let the oven door open all the way so that it's parallel to the ground. If you pull things out while the oven door is at an angle, for instance, when you are standing in front of it, eventually, you are going to burn the backs of your hands.

3. Tape down butcher's paper (or a cheaper version) on your counter when you are rolling out dough. Then, to clean up, just fold up the flour and the floured surface that remain and toss them in the garbage. It saves having to clean a counter several times to remove all the dough and flour.

4. Within a day of cooking, decide which new recipes were winners (if any), type them on your computer or copy the recipe in some way and put it into a folder, and then make a few comments on procedures to avoid or remember when cooking the recipe and, more importantly, how it tasted and what the reaction of your family/guests was.

5. Remember to back up your computer so that all this documenting won't go to waste. If you have no computer, copy your folder's recipes every three months or so.

6. Experiment with cheaper and more expensive ingredients and decide which matter and which don't. For example, unless you are cooking with San Marzano tomatoes, most canned tomatoes seem to me to be about the same. I don't see much point in paying a dollar extra a can for canned tomatoes from a name brand manufacturer, as opposed to the grocery store's house brand. On the other hand, as a poster above noted, the more expensive butters do seem to be better and worth the price!

[flams53]

To record recipes, I use a wordpress.com blog for myself, although I'm sure any blog software will work. I tag posts by key ingredients and cooking technique if it makes sense to do so (braise, soup, etc). The tags automatically cross-reference recipes. Also, you can click through to other people's public posts that share the same tags.

The blog is searchable, cross-referenced, and available on any computer with web access. It's been great for me--the software is structured enough that I don't have to think about how things work, but flexible enough that it reflects how I think about my food.

[steve h.]

don't let crummy ingredients defeat your best culinary efforts.

[Seeker19104]

Put a menu on the refrigerator when doing a dinner party. (Learned this after one time when I failed to serve the rolls...)

Plan a dinner party that enables the cook to eat with the guests and share the fun. Crockpots and fondue pots are handy utensils.

[Scrapironchef]

I left the green beans in the pot already to steam sitting in the prep cooler one Thanksgiving. I'd prepped them the night before and completely spaced on simply putting them on the stove and turning it on.

As a corollary to posting the menu, put out all the serving dishes with a post it on each one with what to put in them.

[southern_expat]

Oh how utterly irritating to finish cooking the big meal, sit down and eat and have fun with your guests, and get halfway through it, and then remember the ONE dish you forgot to bring out.

I do now write the menu and stick it above the sink. My weird brother has taken to saving them, though, so I do a lotta repeats for him!

[clint1245]

Kind of like that when setting up a self service type bar put drink recipes posted in nice writing preferably laminated. Then people can make own drinks and feel like a bartender trying things they never tried before.

[Brandon Nelson]

A pizza stone allows new kinds of magic to happen in your oven.

[weem]

A friend of mine keeps a pizza stone on the bottom of her oven because she says the heated stone helps maintain a more consistent level of heat in her oven, rather than the normal on-off-on-off heat of the oven without it. (Haven't tried it myself.)

[Scrapironchef]

I'm not sure why you'd ever take a pizza stone out of the oven.

[weem]

I haven't tried it simply because I don't own a pizza stone.

[dark_honey]

* if you put too much salt in a dish, here is an easy way to extract salt while still cooking. Just peel a small potatoe ( or a big one depends on how big is ur pot) and throw it in your pot, then remove it at the end. the potatoe will absorb the salt.

* for staeks fresh meat is not the best, so if you want to have a good staek put it in the freezer first for a few hours or in the fridge overnight. pull it out and get to room tempreture. cooks better and stays more juicer. ( not sure the science behind it. but it is definite)

* Easy way to know which vegetables are rich in iron. they are the ones that when you cut and leave exposed to air for a bit, the cut surface goes black (er), ex: potatoes, tomatoes, leafs. the oxigyen in the air oxidize the iron in the vegetable and thats when it turns colour.

[linguafood]

I've never had a cut tomato turn black.

[small h]

The potato thing is a myth.

[linguafood]

That's what I heard, too.

[bushwickgirl]

It's a myth if you use one potato. Many potatoes, however, will absorb some extra salt but you need to add so many that you won't have your original dish, rather "potatoes with stew or soup" or whatever. So no, it doesn't work.

[CocoaNut]

The potato just adds an additional quantity of food in which to stretch the (over) salt amount across - ie, you'd do just as well to make an amount-appropriate fraction of the recipe to add into the over salted portion.

[small h]

In other words, you could use water in place of the potato. Or candy corn. Or whatever. The potato has no magical salt-sucking properties.

[chelsea_bridge]

1. If you have a bit of wine left over at the end of the bottle, don't just drink i t for the sake of it. Make a couple of ice cubes with it - perfect for dropping into a dish when you want a bit of flavour but it's not worth opening a new bottle.

2. Never cut the ends off asparagus tips, as you won't be able to tell where the tough bit starts and ends. Instead, just snap off the end, and it will break naturally in just the right place.

3. When making a bechemel sauce, always take the pan off the heat each time you add a new ingredient. Adding ingredients directly into the pan causes lumps.

[jvanderh]

I wish I had thought of that wine thing. . . I've got half a gross room temperature bottle. I couldn't even find the vacuum sealer.

I think that asparagus tip is a (widely spread) myth. Try moving your hands up-- it will break roughly in the middle of your two thumbs no matter where you grab.

[foiegras]

I've eaten a lot of asparagus in my time, and I believe the asparagus thing is true. I've encountered extra resistance before with tougher stems when I was trying to snap them too low.

It completely varies with the bunch. Some are tender all the way down. Others vary significantly. I believe that sometimes if the asparagus is short, the picker will harvest closer to the root in order to make the bunch look more even. So the shorter asparagus have tougher stems. If they were all quite tall, you may not have any toughness on any of the ends. I've had both of these happen ... but you can tell by looking the approximate toughness, and snap accordingly.

[southern_expat]

I cut a bit off the end of a couple, and then bite their bottom (I couldn't WAIT to say that) to see how tough they are. The teeny pencil thin ones, I usually take the testers to use as a guide for cutting the rest. Thick ones, I peel the ends. Lotta work, but worth it, especially if you're cheap like me.

[CocoaNut]

Adding a pinch of table sugar to tame the acidity of tomato sauce and mellow/round-out the tomato-ey flavor.

[MandalayVA]

I put in a raw peeled carrot and pull it out before serving the sauce for the same effect.

[RetiredChef]

On a chef’s tour of Italy I was surprised at how places I saw making a tomato sauce with the addition of a bit of carrot (usually finely chopped or ground). It was the sweetness of the carrot they wanted not the taste – what a different it made and I changed several recipes over that in my restaurants.

[bushwickgirl]

I've used grated carrot in my tomato sauce for many years. It "dissolves" while cooking and is much better than sugar.

[Emmmily]

I took a couple of cooking classes in Tuscany (Siena), and carrot was part of the recipe we got for Sugo di Carne, along with some chopped celery as well. My host mom there (it was a study abroad program) always used it too. So I always thought of it as a Tuscan thing, but it sound like it's broader than that.

[KTinNYC]

The carrot is part of Batali's basic tomato sauce.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ma...

[RetiredChef]

Hmmmm,

Thyme in a basic tomato sauce - that seems strange, is that a misprint?

[KTinNYC]

Why is that strange?

[bizkat]

Be careful with how much thyme you use. Also, I made a mistake and used dried thyme once and it completely overwhelmed the sauce

[weem]

I have Batali's "Babbo Cookbook", which includes his basic tomato sauce. And "The Amateur Gourmet" by Adam D. Roberts has a section that details his first encounter with this recipe. Thyme is not a misprint. I've made it myself and it is quite tasty. But for a palate like mine that associates a spice like oregano with pasta sauce, I agree it was unusual. Not offensive, just not what I'm used to.

[FullPalate]

Regardless of its authenticity or popularity, I have seen fresh thyme as the herb for simple tomato sauces in many recipes. I make my sauce with marjoram, though I do remember Batali once commenting that oregano was a "pizza man's herb".

[rainey]

Just thought of one from a Peter Reinhard class: knead wet dough with wet hands. Such a difference!

[AnotherMother]

Seriously? I flour my hands!

[bushwickgirl]

I recently saw the video of Peter Reinhart suggesting the importance of working with very sticky or hydrated doughs with wet hands and wet equipment, such as a bowl scraper.

[lainekerr]

I always used to be afraid about over-moistening pie/tart dough when making it in a food processor. The result was dough that was very difficult to roll out . I recently learned to add a touch more water than I thought I should, and it makes a world of difference when it comes time to roll out the dough.

[lawmann]

Air dry things you want to brown or crisp. I put poultry, fish, rinsed cauliflower, etc. on a rack over a plate in the refrigerator the night before I want to roast.
I strongly agree with using timers. I'm not as young as I used to be and by the time "multi-tasking" became a word I needed at least 2 kitchen timers (my stove has 'em built in) to help me keep up with several dishes cooking simultaneously.
Plan ahead. Soups or stews made the day before taste better on the night your guests arrive and your relaxed because you cooked yesterday.
Lastly, fresh herbs. I've got rosemary, sage, lemongrass and mint growing in my garden and always have store-bought fresh thyme and basil on hand. Learning to use them has improved my cooking.

[AnotherMother]

This results in dough that is definitely easier to handle, but also in a pie crust or cookie which is significantly less 'short' or tender. I don't add the moisture but briefly refrigerate the dough instead.

[bear]

One thing I've learned from my chef-son ( and I also read a tip from Thomas Keller to use vinegar as a seasoning) is to add a little acid to most dishes. I seem less likely to oversalt things when I add some lemon juice or vinegar, and it really helps the flavors to pop.

Deglazing with a little wine adds flavor and a little acid as well.

I also love the ease of microplaning garlic when I want a fine mince. It seems easier to clean the microplane than a garlic press.

As a few peole mentioned, getting a pan smoking hot to sear meats and fish makes a huge difference.

Braising my meats nice and low and a bit longer than I used to has really helped, too.

Lots of great tips in this thread. Thanks, everyone!

[c oliver]

Your garlic comment reminded me that Batali generally slices garlic saying that one doesn't necessarily want the garlic itself but rather the flavor. I rarely use my garlic press anymore and don't mince all that often either.

[girlwonder88]

Just started using this microplane tip for garlic and I love it! My new favorite tip, and no press to clean.

While I'm horrible at cleaning I go, I do find everything goes much better if I start cooking with an empty dishwasher and sink full of hot soapy water, so there's a place to put most the dishes, even if I don't actually wash them right away.

Really great music and a glass of wine makes cooking a pleasure.

I'd much rather cook with my children than play barbies with them.

[grant.cook]

I'll throw in three:

Grind your pepper freshly when you use it (e.g. never use pre-ground pepper).

Dry your meat and space it out in the pan when browning

Mise en place

[wineos]

Fresh ground pepper is ESSENTIAL!!!

[southern_expat]

Pepper hint from Ina: if you're going to be cooking all day, using lots of pepper, go ahead and grind a little bowlful beforehand to put next to your salt bowl (get the kids to do it, save your arms). A couple of hours won't make much of a difference in the pepper's flavor.

[wineos]

Set the table before cooking the meal, especially when company is coming over. After I cook a great meal, the last thing I want to do is set a table...I just want to EAT! My mom always used to do this, and within the past 10 years I have adopted this "habit." Inspiration?

[afn33282]

The best ingredients in the world don't matter if you don't know what you're doing with them. I agree that good butter, good veggies, good meat, etc., make a significant difference, but I'll take good method and technique, and perspective, anyday.

[viperlush]

I am on a tighter budget than my roommate so it kills me when I see him marinate beautiful tuna steaks for days in bottle Italian salad dressing before cooking them until grey.

I usually buy whatever unsalted butter is on sale since I use it primarily for baking. But I've found that it's worth spending the extra to have kerrygold (or any other premium salted butter) for bread.

Also when making a dish for the first time (and you have the time to do it), research it online and see what different recipes are out there.

[cathodetube]

It's funny that you think that Kerrygold is premium butter. It isn't in the UK. Bog standard over here. Lurpack is better than Kerrygold. French salted is nicer , like President which also comes in an unsalted version. The best salted IMHO is the fleur de sel French butter. Doesn't Wisconsin have any good butter? But I prefer unsalted butter on good bread.

[alkapal]

president brand makes a fabulous "mild and creamy" fresh goat cheese log.

[wekick]

I use a spray bottle to put the water in my pie dough. Really disperses it and easy to add more.

[JenniferCote]

I'm not sure if I saw this one in here: Bring water (or stock) to a boil first, before adding soup ingredients, grains, beans, potatoes, or what-have-you. When we used to start with cold water/stock, we'd to try to watch the pot, waiting for it to get up to temp, but then when backs were turned, it would boil over. If the water's boiling hot, it gets back up to temperature fast; then you can turn it to simmer to finish. And then it'll need only an occasional stir, instead of constant watching.

[LauraGrace]

I would disagree with you only about the potatoes. Potatoes should start in cold water or they cook unevenly.

[3sisterspassedby]

Drop cabbage into boiling water, and only cook it for no more than five minutes. That gets rid of intestinal gas. You never got gas from eating raw cole slaw which is basically raw cabbage; have you? Chemicals which you will not want in your intestines are released from the cabbage after five minutes of cooking.

[alkapal]

raw cabbage? i can't say that i agree with you 3 sisters passed by.

[coll]

After cole slaw sits in its brine, it's not really raw anymore. Are you saying to cook the cabbage first? I know people that eat it raw as a snack, but not privy to what happens afterwards.

[lawmann]

I confess that I haven't read all 400+ messages in this thread, so sorry if I'm repeating previous posts. The single most important tip I've used to improve my cooking is always keeping stock on hand. I make stock about once a month and that way always have chicken stock and beef stock in the freezer (and sometimes vegetable). Great for soups and gravies. Another advantage, when making chicken soup I don't have to boil the chicken forever. When based on stock I cook for under an hour and have chicken with some taste and nutritional value left.

[serious]

I never throw away a chicken carcass..I just boil the life out of it and add whatever is calling me from the vegetable drawer. After the fat rises, I freeze or let it sit around in the refrigerator to add to this and that. Freedom from those cans of broth which are never as good as homemade.

[egbluesuede]

I do the same and use my slow cooker for it. Sort of a "set it and forget it" method of making chicken stock.....although it's hard to forget it because it smells so good while cooking.

[Veggie Liv]

One great way to keep that stock extra useful is to freeze it in an ice cube tray. Then you can use a little as at a time as you need it.

[LadyCook61]

I keep Chicken base and Beef Base in the refrigerator. It is handy for when I don't need a whole can or carton of stock for something, just use a tablespoon or more of chicken or beef as needed to the water. For example , if making something with pasta, I can add chicken base to the pasta water after draining the pasta but leaving about 1-2 cups of water for a sauce with the chicken base and whatever other ingredient needed for the sauce. Also the beef and chicken base is good for soups , gravy, sauces.
I defrost crusty bread or artisan bread by wrapping it in paper towel and microwave it til if is barely soft, then slice it as needed , especially for panini, which is toasted anyway.

[gwendolynmarie]

So many of mine have already been listed, this thread is becoming an incredible resource! I'll also include a few more things I've learned:

-Grind spices as need (i.e. pepper, cumin seeds, nutmeg).

-Know your ingredients, where they come from, how far they've traveled, why they are called for in a recipe. Know their expiration dates, if applicable (note that dried herbs can lose their potency, or lend bitter flavors...ugh, old bay leaves). Know your oil's smoking point (the discovery of how delicate extra virgin olive oil truly is forever altered my cooking). Know your flour's protein content.

-Different pans and baking sheets Really Do function differently.

-The importance of sifting flour, when it is called for.

-Building on the patience theme - when frosting a layer cake, if presentation is key, do not underestimate the crumb layer.

-Pay attention to humidity for baking, sugar, confections, etc.

-When frying multiple batches, drain on racks over paper towels on a baking sheet, and place the whole shebang in a low oven to keep it all warm and crispy.

-Rather than grate ginger, use a garlic press.

[rainey]

I would have thrown out my garlic press years ago were it not for ginger. I don't even peel it anymore. I just slice it thin, put the pieces in the garlic press and discard the skins and fibers left in the press.

[the_MU]

I use a microplane for mincing both garlic and ginger. It keeps everything relatively uniform in size and minimizes the ginger's fibrousness.

[c oliver]

I just used it for ginger because it called for it. I wouldn't always use the microplane. Mincing works great also. But it's a good idea.

[wendylouwho]

Another ginger tip: use a spoon to scrape off the skin of the ginger--infinitely easier than trying to cut it off!

[jvanderh]

You don't have to peel it!! The Asians have known all along!

[kaysyrahsyrah]

Bad presentation wrecks perfectly cooked food. Plate everything as if you worked in a restaurant.

[synergy]

So many terrific tips! I'll add 2 that haven't been mentioned at all.
Oven Gloves instead of regular pot holders. Once you use one, you'll never go back to a pot holder. I have 4 of them now.

Reynold's Release foil instead of regular alumunim foil. Nothing, absolutely nothing sticks to Reynold's Release.

[joonjoon]

Don't use crappy pans that you got in college.

[foiegras]

Same goes for pans extracted from a basement and given to you by a relative with strong memories of the Depression ... OK, maybe yours will be good ones.

[LauraGrace]

Unless those Depression-memory-containing pans are cast iron, in which case, your reaction should be elation, tears of joy, and much enthusiastic kissing of the giver! ;)

[sueatmo]

I got a good laugh from this tip. I've thrifted for most of my life, and have seen awful old pans offered for sale. I agree, don't buy!

But I have actually picked up some really good bread pans made of some sort of textured tinned steel. I'm sure they were forties era.

Don't buy old teflon might be a good tip though!

[Peg]

At college I had a cast iron frying pan and a heavy stainless steel saucepan.
30 years on I still use both!

[LauraGrace]

My smallest cast iron is at least 70 years old. Gotta love something like that.

[coll]

SIL has her grandmothers pan, who was quite the cook. Sadly she didn't follow in her footsteps. The pan is worn so thin from previous use that she burns everything she cooks in it, she's not the subtle type. Never saw cast iron that worn so thin, but it was probably from Italy so maybe they're different there . And maybe it was even her mother's before her?

[southern_expat]

The day before a meal with lots of dishes to serve (holidays, mostly) I take out the serving dishes I think I might need. Spread them out on the table, and with my menu, decide which I'm going to want for each dish and label it with a post-it. One more stress reducer.

[dkennedy]

I also pull and label my serving dishes, it is such a time saver on the day of the event.

[Emmmily]

Ginger kept in the freezer grates much more easily and lasts way longer. (Much harder to slice, on the other hand.)

A few drops of nam pla will make a big difference in all sorts of things you wouldn't usually put nam pla in (chicken soup...). Too much nam pla will quickly ruin all sorts of things you wouldn't usually put nam pla in.

[small h]

Does ginger keep its bite if you freeze it? I ask because horseradish and jalapenos definitely do not.

[JoanN]

It does for a while, but in my experience not much longer than a couple of months. And it needs to be very well sealed--air tight if possible. I really dislike the texture of thawed ginger so use the frozen only for grating. Grated frozen ginger has a lot more liquid in it than non-frozen so it's especially good if you're grating the ginger for juice. But you do need a bit more of it to get the same amount of flavor that you would from a fresh piece of ginger.

[pobo]

Got this tip from Cook's Illustrated and it really works - store your pieces of ginger in the soil of a house plant. It keeps it perfectly! For months!

[decolady]

I had the ginger start growing when storing it that way. Made a nice plant on its own.

[Teraesa22]

So agree with the kosher salt! I don't know how to season with regular salt anymore at all.

[joaniesl]

I freeze bagels (those I am not using immediately) as soon as I come home with them from the bagel place. I don't slice or change the bag. Just tightly roll up the brown grocery type bag the bagel person packs th in and into the freezer they go. There after when I want a bagel for breakfast I just leave it on the counter for about 40 minutes.....(enough time to shower and dress) and I have a bagel that is as fresh as the day I brought it home.

[c oliver]

We live in NoCal and bring home two dozen NYC bagels when we're there! I wrap each one tightly in a zipping bag and then put eight in a large zipping bag. They last for months but I wouldn't call them fresh as the day we bought them. 'Course by the time we get them home, they've already been "up" for about a day. But they're STILL WAY better than anything we can get out here.

[c oliver]

Oops, just realized I left out a few words. I wrap each one tightly in plastic wrap and THEN they go in a zipping bag.

[Emmmily]

I keep mine in a small ziplock bag to avoid freezerburn. And you're right about the amount of liquid - great for grating into a pan, making a paste, boiling in stock, etc not so if you're using it straight, since it doesn't have the texture of fresh ginger.

[sueatmo]

To turn down the heat on almost everything. Especially in non stick skillets! But really, use medium heat for almost everything except for boiling pasta. Makes a big difference in the quality of the final dish.

[rainey]

Hardly life or cuisine changing but I rely on these all the time anyway and save a few minutes here and there.

I keep one set of dry measures near the oven/stove top for measuring savories. Never wash them. So long as they're only used for savories a touch of something won't matter and may add a note of mystery. ;> I keep a second set in my baking area. Never wash them either. ...well, not *never* but only occasionally as I feel like it

Never clean up my bread making tools either (dough whip, bread machine bucket, stirring spatula) so long as the dough doesn't have dairy or egg. The bits of yeast, flour and/or sponge that dry out and remain are just that much more aged leavening.

When I have a sourdough or old dough going, I also smear a couple tablespoons on a silpat and let it dry. When it's dry I can crumble it up and put it aside to start a future sponge. When I used to try to keep a sourdough going it was my insurance against losing it over a vacation or marauding dogs or whatever. But It's been years since I did that. Making a new sponge is so easy as long as I have the patience to give it a day or two to ripen or some yogurt to add acidity.

[cinnamon girl]

That's great insurance. After you've crumbled it, where do you keep it? Fridge, freezer, room temp? I've got blobs of sourdough in my freezer (from a Dan Lepard method) and while it's no longer active I still add a blob to normal yeast-risen bread dough b/c it imparts some of the sour tang. Apparently it only remains viable as a leaven in the freezer for a few months.

[rainey]

I've got a vacuum sealer so I seal the stuff up and keep it in the freezer. You could simply use a small jar or anything that's airtight.

I keep my yeast in the freezer too -- a working supply in a glass jar with a screw-on lid and a longer range supply in a vacuum bag.. I'm currently working my way through one of the 16oz. packages that I got from King Arthur *years* ago and that has an expiration date that came up a year ago. Yeast can stay in suspended animation for an incredibly long time so long as you keep it insulated from air and moisture.

[divadmas]

share your sourdough starter around and hopefully you'll have a backup source.

[buttertart]

"He who obtains has little. He who scatters has much." Laozi.

[alkapal]

hey, scatter some dough my way! ;-).

[jayaymeye]

So many good ones stated already, of course.

I think one that really changed my cooking prep/improved care for tools is not to use the sharp edge of the knife for "scraping up" a pile of whatever I just chopped; use the dull edge/other side for that. (A la Jeff Smith/Frugal Gourmet, too...)

Also, as said before, salted water/kosher salt. Changes a meal.

In general, for veggies, I find roasting + olive oil, salt, pepper, and maybe lemon zest/juice is all they ever really need to taste delicious.

[foodmongrel]

For those of you that use hand mixers for mashed potatoes, make sure you get the type with the flat beaters, not the wire beaters. Big difference between making glue and making mashed potatoes.

[egbluesuede]

This has been such a fun thread to read. A few more that came to mind:

If you don't own a good dutch oven....get one. It's much more forgiving if you make mistakes or forget to use your timer.

Know when to break out the "good" olive oil. I use less expensive stuff when sauteeing something, but if you are going to taste the oil raw, use the good stuff

If you want to get better, take notes after every meal. Even dishes I've made several times, I'll write notes to myself on how it tasted, things to try differently next time, and things to watch out for.

Plan ahead. Especially when cooking for company. The more I plan ahead, the better the meal, and the more time I have to relax and enjoy my company.

[girlwonder88]

A drizzle of really good olive oil on top of a simple lentil soup, for instance, is magical.

[monavano]

Ditto for balsamic.

[foodmongrel]

Oh, and taste your dressing on a piece of the salad. And taste the sauce ON the pasta or rice because your sauce may be well salted however once you add the pasta or the rice, it can taste bland...

[pobo]

These are all great tips, many of which I live by (mis en place, sharp knives, salt, tasting, etc.) Another little tip is to add a dab of tomato paste to stock or a sauce, gravy, etc. Just a dab. You won't taste the tomato but you will get a richer, more complex flavor. Some chefs recommend doing the same thing with anchovy paste, but I've been too chickent to try it out.

[rainey]

That's why I always keep one of those resealable tubes of tomato paste in the fridge. So easy to get just a dab and keep the rest available and fresh.

[divadmas]

i keep frozen tomato paste in zip lock. you can break off what you need, freeze in <.5 inch thickness.

[cathodetube]

Or a dash of worcestershire sauce as that has anchovy in it.

[shaebones]

How to make scrambled eggs a la Julia Child. Scramble 2 eggs, fry in a pan ,slowly, when almost done add a splash of cream and a dollop of butter. Creamiest best eggs you ever tasted!!

[NickMontreal]

Preserve things in mass when cheap and in season. I just made five huge jars of pickled beets and four litres of Seville orange marmalade. Altogether that must have cost me about ten bucks and I’m all set for the year.

Fresh ground pepper is the way to go.

Freeze bananas when they start to turn overripe. They keep well for cakes, muffins etc.

Distilled vinegar is so underused in the kitchen - so many things can do with a touch more acidity to brighten up the flavours. Using other acidic ingredients (e.g. lemons, limes, tomatoes) will do the same, but they add whole new flavour dimension to the dish, which is not always needed.

When making a flaky pastry, work in the coldest part of your house. If possible, don’t use your hands.

Before measuring thick goopy syrups in measuring cups (e.g. honey, molasses, corn syrup, golden syrup, treacle), rub oil around the edges of the cup measure. You’ll be able to pour it all out without having to scoop around and make a big sticky mess.

Buttermilk is awesome, and IS something that’s worth always having in your fridge.

Balsamic is used too much. There are so many other vinegars out there. Try them!

If you want a stock with a nice golden brown colour leave the skin on the onions when you put them in. To clarify, use the old egg white trick.

To make your own cultured cream add a tablespoon and a half of buttermilk or sour cream (which naturally, you should always have in your fridge) to a cup of heavy cream. Leave that at room temperature, covered, for 24 hours.

[YourBestFriend]

whats the old egg white trick?

[Sam Fujisaka]

Beat egg whites until slightly stiff and spread evenly on the suface of the stock. The slight motion within the stock due to the heat will move particles and other impurities around. Those touching the egg white raft will stick to the raft. Remove and discard the raft after clarification.

[NickMontreal]

I have another version actually - beat eggwhites till frothy, add a half cup of the stock (cooled) and whisk vigorously. Dump into the stock as it cooks and remove the scum which rises to the surface. The stock should be clear. If you want it even clearer the process can be repeated with a new egg white.

Don't forget too that there are things which you can do to avoid the stock being cloudy in the first place, such as:

Not allowing the stock to boil, only simmer gently.
Don't cover the pan.
Remove the scum which comes to the surface during cooking.

These are worth doing anyway as not only will they make the stock more visually appealing but they will prevent the stock from having an unpleasant sour taste.

[cinnamon girl]

You can also get a crystal clear broth by freezing a block of your cloudy broth; putting it in a cheesecloth-lined colander set over a bowl and letting it slowly thaw in the fridge. The impurities bind to the gelatin which clings to the cloth. The only drawback is that it takes a long time to thaw. And if you do it at room temp, the gelatin will melt too and it won't work.

A few weeks ago I had a too-cloudy broth and, out of curiosity, made the old-fashioned consomme with the flavoured raft of ground chicken and egg whites. It wasn't as clean and bright tasting as the freezing method. I've never tried just egg whites; I look forward to trying it.

[Caitlin McGrath]

The potential problem with your thaw-in-fridge method is that you are intentionally losing the gelatin, unless I am misunderstanding. Why would you want to lose the gelatin that gives homemade stock its lovely body and mouthfeel?

[cinnamon girl]

Because really you're making consomme which is meant to be crystal clear and thin. Surprisingly, it was no less flavorful than the stock it came from (I held some back to compare). I thought it would be considerably less tasty but in fact I got more pure chicken flavour. There was no difference in texture or clarity btwn the freezer or raft methods. There was, however, a difference in taste bc the flavouring agents included in the raft also flavoured the broth.

[rainey]

I did that a couple years ago when the NYT ran an article on it. It was the most amazing thing I've ever seen. ABSOLUTELY crystal clear. And virtually effortless. And tasty. But it's true that you do lose all the gelatin.

[dmd_kc]

One way to keep the impurities OUT of the stock in the first place is to ignore all that advice about using root ends, peels and so on. Following Bourdain's counsel, I started peeling onions and carrots, and also composting the bottoms of celery. My stocks don't get as cloudy, and there is absolutely no loss in flavor.

Taste an onion peel some time. There's nothing there. And the maybe 3% of the mass of a carrot you lose by peeling it with a peeler is minimal compared to the clarity you gain. Plus, it's your compost pile's gain anyhow.

[bushwickgirl]

The deal with the onion peel is for color, not flavor. The skins contain the vegetable pigments anthoxanthin and quercetin, yellow-brown. What would celery bottoms add in the way of impurities that the stalks wouldn't? The only part of celery I wouldn't use is the leaves, they can add bitterness. I don't understand how unpeeled carrots add to impurities, either, any more than a peeled carrot would. There's more natural nutrients and concentrated flavor in the carrot peel than the actual carrot, anyway. The vitamin A and carotene pigment are not lost during the cooking process, rather, are leached into the stock.

The impurities in stock come more from the bones and fat than the vegetable matter. Boiling causes impurities in the form of scum from the bones and fat to collect on the surface of the stock. That scum gets incorporated into the stock by the rapid boiling action, causing cloudiness.

Starting with cold water, doing the initial simmer to remove impurities from the bones, changing the water, skimming often and very gently simmering the stock will give you a product with minimal cloudiness, then clarify with egg white and crushed shell and you'll have a crystal clear consomme, if that's what you want.

I don't bother clarifying if I'm going to reduce for demi-glace, but I do strain through cheesecloth.

[c oliver]

Wow, all this sounds so hard. I take a whole chicken, put it in my slow cooker, cover with cold tap water, cook on low for 8 to 10 hours or more, removing the breast meat when done, strain through cheesecloth, refrigerate over night, remove the fat layer and I have the most beautiful and delicious stock. I want my stock to taste like nothing but chicken and it does. Easy-peasy.

[bushwickgirl]

I was referring to using veal or beef bones for stock, I don't do the rinse thing with chicken. Doesn't seem necessary.

[c oliver]

But I don't do ANY of those things. No vegetables, no skimming. It never comes even close to a boil in the slow cooker. And I'd stack this stock against ANY. It's that good.

[bushwickgirl]

Well, you wouldn't have to clarify a chicken stock unless you wanted consomme, and there's no hard and fast rule about the vegetables, you get just pure unadulterated chicken flavor, but for a demi glace you want the more complex flavor. I also find chicken stock doesn't foam up the way beef/veal stock does. Chicken stock a bit of a different animal, no pun intended. I think the slow cooker style is a great way to make stock at home, low, controlled heat, no chance of boiling, and I'm sorry I gave mine away.

[divadmas]

newer crock pots cook at higher temps for liability reasons.

[monavano]

Thank you! I was wondering why my (relatively newer) crock cooks too high, even when set on "low".
Fortunately, I have an old cylindrical Rival from my mom.

[karykat]

I like your approach, c oliver. I've done the raft thing, for the experience of doing it. Cheesecloth sounds a lot easier.

[buttertart]

to c oliver:
How long does it take until the breast meat is done? Planning to add a slow cooker to the arsenal once settled in new kitchen.

[c oliver]

Sorry for the delay. This thread got so long, I stopped reading. Somewhere begin two and three hours, it reaches 160.

[SocksManly]

For the record, there's nothing wrong with leaving your stock cloudy, unless it's for presentation. For general home cooking, a simple once through strain with a decent tight metal strainer is fine. Don't even need to do that tbh. All those little floaties are surely good for you.

[grnidkjun]

Patting a chicken dry.. learned this when I was about ten years old.

My mom, a good cook herself, but not real great about showing how to do something.. I determined to use a cookbook I had gotten for Christmas to follow the recipes and make dinner on my own.

She took me to get the ingredients and I ran her out of the kitchen.
She kept trying to come in and "help".
Finally she and my dad stayed in the living room.. when they hear "WHAP WHAP WHAP".
They look up and see water flying everywhere.. she comes in..
I have the whole chicken up in the air by the legs smacking the devil out of it and water flying everywhere.
Mom says "what are you doing?"
I'm so exasperated with her at this point, I point at the cookbook and firmly state "I am following the recipe.. it says to Pat the Chicken Dry, I am patting the chicken dry."
Mom took off laughing.. and finally came back and said "Please let me show you one thing".. and pulled off a paper towel.

*The cook book did not specify use a paper towel to pat the chicken dry.. and patting it on the plate was taking way too long! Holding it up by the legs.. well.. I improvised!

[roster]

Oven roasted root veg, in all variations of potato, carrot, onion with oil, salt, herb, in oven for 20 Min at 400, turn and give another 20 minutes.

Even better indirect grilled on the bbq. Smoky veggies.

[Parigi]

Several posters - me included - have mentioned the importance of patting dry a chicken.
It is even more important to dry a duck thoroughly to get the crispy skin of Peking duck, to the degree that my girlfriend always uses a hair-dryer on the duck.
Looks unbelievably funny besides.

[jvanderh]

Haha. Some people will leave it uncovered in the fridge for a day so the skin dries. Not quite as amusing though. . . .

[HillJ]

The next time you make fried spring rolls with rice paper sheets, add a couple of Tbsp of sugar to your bowl of warm water and stir to dissolve. This helps the rice paper turn golden when fried.

[bushwickgirl]

Good tip. I soak mine in beer, helps with the browing, too.

[makutamonster]

i feel like i arrived late to the party!!

i roll out pie crust between a piece of cut up old cotton (clean) bedsheet. i read it somewhere, maybe here. it works really well and you don't need to add as much flour to prevent it from sticking. also it doesn't stick to the countertop!!!
:)

[rainey]

I keep a couple flour-impregnated cotton tea towels for rolling pastry and proofing my bread dough. A good well-floured towel is a wonderful thing!

NEVER wash it. Even if some wet dough gets stuck, just let it dry and scrap it off. Just keep your towel/s stored in an airtight container or ziplock bag to keep the little beaties from it.

[JerryMe]

What great advise MakutaMonster and Rainey! I dread rolling dough out cuz' I hate cleaning the entire counter. I'm going to try that.

[cheereeo]

I never thought to store my pastry cloth and rolling pin cover in a container or ziploc. And I HAVE gotten those little "beaties" flour bugs living inside it when I go to use it the next time. GROSS. I will have to try it. Normally I just fold it up together in a cabinet. I usually use my scraper to clean all the dough from it and then take it outside and shake it like crazy. You can buy these sets cheaply at Bed Bath & Beyond by the way and even Amazon has them for under $10. Thanks!

[rainey]

$1 apiece for nice cotton tea towels at Ikea. They also have generous sized linen napkins. Nothing better than linen for baking!

[taxidermygirl]

linen napkins for this purpose can be bought at yard sales etc for almost nothing: everyone inherits these and no one wants to iron them.

[buttertart]

From my mother, from her grandmother: "Never sweet without salt". A dash of salt in applesauce, custards, and so forth really brings out the taste, and I add at least 1/4 tsp of salt per cup of flour even if a baking recipe doesn't call for it.

[ChristinaMason]

Yes, this is especially true of oatmeal, cream of wheat, caramel, cream cheese icing, etc.

[coll]

The first time I realized how important salt was, was when I started putting it on avocado before eating plain. I saw a chef doing it, so I had to try, and he was right. He was amazed I used to eat it plain. Now I love plain radishes with salt too, and realize how much it must add to complex dishes without me being totally aware of it.

[2455Bklyn]

I grew up putting salt on my watermelon its delicious.

[rainey]

....and cantaloupe. It's like sending an electric current through the flesh!

[buttertart]

Absolutely, can't eat canteloupe any other way.

[cathodetube]

A mom of a childhood friend always used to serve her melon like that. She put it on every kind of melon too. It seemed weird to me as a little kid but I love it now.

[cathodetube]

Try salted radishes on buttered (good butter pref. French) crusty bread. The French even have a breakfast radish which is very long in shape.

[ennuisans]

When I was a kid, for some reason I took to rinsing off a leaf of Iceberg lettuce, salting it and eating it. Probably ate half a head that way, and I was not a lettuce eater by any means. Fortunately for my health it's a habit I've quit, but salted is still the only way I can eat a raw tomato. And I will try it with avocado since I normally find that too bland to eat plain.

[dinkyd]

Put my boiled potatoes thru a ricer for the best smooth mashed potates then add butter and warm milk.

Dry your meat before browning.

[2455Bklyn]

When frying chicken, fry in hot oil until skin is brown place chicken on a rack, not a sheet and bake to finish. This will make your chicken crispy everytime and never greasy.

[tochowchick]

I'm sure mine are mentioned by others but they are:

1. Dry meat before browning it.
2. Let roasts/steaks etc. come to room temp. before roasting/BBQing.
3. Salt steaks liberally before BBQing.
4. Add Pasta to sauce not sauce to pasta...and cook the pasta a little in the sauce after you add it.
5. Use Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

[coll]

Thought of this last night while making dinner: if you want people to wonder why your food always tastes a little better than theirs even though they use the same recipe...substitute shallots for garlic, leeks for onion and fennel for celery. Subtle enough that no one can tell, it just tastes a little special.

[cathodetube]

Shallots are fabulous. I put them in risottos. I buy them when possible from a French guy who cycles around London on his bicycle with string of shallots, onions (lovely pale pink colored ones called Roscoff) and garlic.

[doughartyc]

my mom was a great cook, but from the 60s era of Kraft products and Campbells soup going in everything. my first real exposure to better cooking was the galloping gourmet--and what i gleaned from that was 'have fun'. next was 'cooking cajun', and embraced his theory of 'this chicken died for you-do right by him', and then emeril. what i love about him is the 'it calls for a cup, if you dont like it use less, if you love it use more' theory. i adore anthony bordain, for his love of simple foods, and thats where i am right now. Simple but pure ingredients, done right. Without campbells soup!

[yummysf]

What I learned from a chef from Sardinia at the Fancy Food show is that simple ingredients make the best food. Basically, he said less is more. He made a pastry dough with flour, olive oil, water, and sea salt and the results were amazing!

[jeffdchef]

Good pots and pans with a lousy stove, are better than a great stove with poor quality pots and pans.

[Emmmily]

This one just occurred to me: spread cream cheese on a bagel or toast BEFORE toasting it. It's easier to spread, and I love the soft melty cream cheese texture. (Obviously this only works in a toaster oven, not the pop-up kinds.) I also like to sprinkle some chopped leeks on the bagel post-cream cheese/pre-toaster, so they get nice and soft in there too. Maybe add a few fennel seeds. Delicious.

[joonjoon]

I personally can't stand when cream cheese on a bagel is melted and hot! To each her own I guess.

[Emmmily]

Personal preference, I guess. I also hate it when you try to spread cream cheese on a hot, just-toasted bagel and the cream cheese melts on contact and just slides around instead of spreading, so you kind of have to smush it in place bit by bit. Cream cheesing before toasting avoids that entirely.

[ChristinaMason]

My mom does this with butter on bagels. The edges get so crispy brown, and the browned butter flavor is amazing. Droool.

[eclecticsynergy]

Absolutely agree: butter bagels before toasting under broiler. Night & day difference!

[TroyTempest]

i keep a bottle of dry (aka white) vermouth in fridge to use for dishes needing wine.

[sparkareno]

I don't think that the vermouth needs to be refrigerated--it is a fortified wine. I just keep mine in the pantry--I go through a bottle about every 9 months.

[JoanN]

It was Gary Regan in one of his cocktail books who finally convinced me I should be keeping my vermouth in the fridge. He says that since vermouth is only lightly fortified, it's subject to oxidation just as any other wine. He says that if it's kept cold, a good vermouth should last at least six months. Unrefrigerated, it will show signs of deterioration in less than a couple of weeks.

[joonjoon]

I dunno about vermouth, but I just did a taste test of old vs. new Marsala, and they pretty much tasted the same...

[TroyTempest]

The experts (and i'm not being sarcastic) over on the Spirits board say to refrigerate it, so i figure it can't hurt.

[coll]

My Beverage teacher, who WAS an expert, said to refrigerate it, and use within 6 months.

[buttertart]

It gets a bit oxidized/maderized-tasting if left on the counter for very long in my experience (rendering it unsuitable for use in martinis).

[cathodetube]

Yes, I would keep it in the fridge too. This has just reminded me of a dish I used to make with tuna and vermouth but I can't remember the recipe. It was made with canned tuna and the vermouth lifted it to a delectable dish. Used it as a pasta sauce. Anyone have any ideas?

[bushwickgirl]

Spaghettini al tonno piccanti, but that recipe doesn't have any vermouth or wine, just garlic, olive oil, crushed red pepper, fresh parsley or basil, and canned Italian tuna in olive oil. Some recipes have tomato but I don't use them.
OR tuna pasta with wine and capers, olive oil packed tuna, capers, onion, olive oil, crushed red pepper, parsley and white wine or vermouth for linguini or spaghetti, simple and tasty.
Is the latter what you were thinking of?

[cathodetube]

No, the recipe I made was a lot simpler than yours. I think it was maybe just onions, butter or oil, and tuna and vermouth. But your second recipe looks delish. I love capers. Will try it. Thanks.

[bushwickgirl]

You're welcome. Yeah, ramp it up with the capers.

[NickMontreal]

Last night was an evening of patisserie revelations:

I tried the following technique, which is meant to make a cake rise evenly (i.e. without a dome forming in the middle that you have to slice off for layer cakes). Take a strip of towel and soak it with water. Wrap it tightly around the cake tin and secure with a safety pin. Bake as per usual.

This worked like a charm. My cake came out totally flat on the surface. Oh but I overdid it and thought if I folded a teatowel over itself four times for good measure it would work... and evidently that was a bit too much insulation, because the sides didn't cook properly. So I had to remove the towel and put it back in the oven for an extra ten minutes or so. However if I had used only one or two layers, I wouldn't have needed to do this. Anyway the result was a beautifully even cake that was a breeze to decorate. No cake sculpting involved whatsoever.

I also tried cutting the cake into two layers using the thread method. (Using a sharp knife, score around the edge of the cake where you would like to divide it into two layers. Wrap a thread around the cake, tucking it into the groove made in the previous step, until the two ends of the thread cross over. Switch hands. Pull so that the loop around the cake slowly decreases, cutting from the outside in. This also worked.)

By the end of the evening, I had a flat, evenly layered chocolate cake, sandwiched and glazed with chocolate ganache, with edges rolled in chopped hazelnuts... I was pretty pleased with myself I have to admit. Definitely going to use these methods from here on out.

[buttertart]

Were you by any chance inspired by la belle dame aux gateaux Rose Levy Beranbaum in these explorations? Her "Heavenly Cakes" is just that.

[NickMontreal]

Actually no I wasn't inspired by RLB I'm afraid... The techniques I found somewhere online. Might have been here actually. The recipe was improvised.

[Caitlin McGrath]

From cake or baking supply shops, or mail order, you can buy cake strips that do more neatly and easily what the soaked towels do. They're aluminized fabric; you soak them and fit them round the cake pans.

Like this: http://www.amazon.ca/Wilton-Cake-Stri...

[buttertart]

Have wondered about those, you have them and like them?

[JoanN]

I've had them for years. Use them all the time. They work like a charm. Rose Levy Berenbaum recommended them in her first book and I've been using them ever since.

[karykat]

I bought a set of these a long time ago but have never used them.

You need to soak them? Or just use them as is?

[Caitlin McGrath]

Soak them in cold water first. That's what makes them work - keeps the outside of the pan cooler, so the center and edges bake evenly instead of the latter baking more quickly.

[NickMontreal]

I actually knew about those, but I figure why go to the expense? This worked so effectively, and you could even make your own strips that could be reused again and again...

[Toronto Fastfoodie]

I can't read through ALL 500+ posts so I am taking a chance that this was not already posted:

How to boil an egg: Put an egg in an empty sauce pan. Fill will cool, not cold water. When the water boils, turn off the burner (I have gas) or if electric, remove from heat. 5 min for perfect soft boiled, 8 min for perfect hard boiled.

[bushwickgirl]

I don't believe that one was posted here, but egg cookery is a frequently discussed topic.
BTW, I like 10 minutes for hard boiled, large egg. To each his/her own, I guess.
You can do a word or case search on the long threads by:

Click EXPAND ALL if the posts are not minimized. Then click CTRL-F (find command) and search for words to see if someone already posted your same tip.

I tried this with the word "egg" and got 90 matches, which are highlighted throughout the thread. So you still have to peruse the thread, but not quite so tediously. It's somewhat useful.

[coll]

I like 10 minutes too, and the biggest trick to getting creamy yellow centers is to plunge into ice water as soon as the time is up, to cool down rapidly.

The CTRL-F trick is great too, I didn't know it worked here until now. Very convenient.

[bushwickgirl]

Credit where credit is due, cheereeo posted it upthread a few days ago, today is the first I had a chance to try it.

[cowboyardee]

For the last year, I’ve been cooking competitively and getting critical feedback on dishes I’ve made. It’s been a great opportunity to better understand how people respond to food, what works and what doesn’t. Some of the items from the following list are things I’ve learned from the experience. Here goes:

Pay attention to which ingredients are best added early on in cooking (cumin, for example) and which are best added at the last minute (basil). And which ingredients produce varied and useful effects when added at different times (garlic).

I should just know my ingredients in general, come to think of it.

I should re-balance acidity and sweetness to taste before presentation just like I do with salt.

Presentation matters. A LOT. It doesn’t have to look like modern art. But food should always look appetizing. And food’s appearance sets up a diner’s expectations –cues them in to what flavors and textures to expect, tells them before their first mouthful that they’re eating quality food (or not).

How I describe a dish matters just as much as presentation. The same dish can register wildly different reactions when called by different names.

Aroma is flavor. Do not take it lightly.

Most bites should have multiple distinct flavors, preferably revealing themselves sequentially. This means take care to keep some flavors separate while cooking, and structurally sound.

I don’t NEED a good sharp knife to cook. Much like I don’t NEED friends to live. Sure makes cooking more fun though.

Textural contrast is usually a good thing.

Never assume my method is the ‘best’ or only good way to cook something. If I want to cook well, I have to do my homework.

[love2bluff]

Haven't seen this one here. When broiling halibut, i always brush it with a very thin coat of mayo after squeezing lemon juice on it. It seals in the lemon flavor and keeps the halibut from drying out, besides giving it a very nice flavor.

[small h]

I concur. I broil bluefish after brushing it with a little herbed mayonnaise and topping it with breadcrumbs. Very little effort, very good result.

[serious]

I have done this as well with fish sometimes adding herbs to mayo.

[sparkareno]

I mix a little dijon mustard in with my mayo before spreading on the fish & then coating in panko--the panko totally glues itself on plus I like the spice that the mustard provides.

[love2bluff]

That sounds yummy. I will have to try it next time I make halibut. Thanks

[HillJ]

Did you know that there are little tabs on the ends of the aluminum foil box that keeps the roll from popping out? Yep! Check it out and thank me later. I recall reading this hot tip elsewhere on the Boards but the a ha moment for all of us the first time we realize this actually exists to make our foil-life easier is worth the share :)

[just_M]

Usually on plastic wrap too. It does make life easier, that is until the foil starts tearing crookedly from a kink on the end....big sigh.

[buttertart]

I absolutely hate that. It's especially bad with store brands of foil it seems - but happens with the name brands as well. Can't they do st about it?

[bushwickgirl]

Buy your plastic wrap and foil from a restaurant supply house, if you can. You need an Federal I.D. Tax number or a friend with one, or a friendly restaurant owner/manager to help out, or see the cooking.com or amazon links below. You can get a variety of widths, from 12" to 24"and from 25' to 1000'. The boxes are much more controllable with a better cuting system and will last a lfetime.

The foil is generally heavier than supermarket brands and the plastic wrap is usually made from polyvinylidene chloride (PVdC) or the newer low density polyethylene (LDPE), and clings as well as Glad, Saran Premium or store brands. It was the old PVC that stuck to everything but is being phased out with concerns about plasticizer transfer into food products.

http://www.cooking.com/products/shprodli.asp?Keywords=plastic+wrap sells 18 x 2000 ' of plastic wrap for under $20. Reynolds, "the" maker of plastic wrap for the industry, sells 18 x 1000' at Amazon, for quite a bit more, but you won't have to buy plastic wrap again for years.

For foil, and I'm sure there's many other suppliers online:
http://foodservice.chef2chef.net/restaurant-supplies-equipment/catering-supplies/Aluminum_Foils/18_Heavyweight_Aluminum_Foil_Roll_Roll_8562.htm
or
http://www.instawares.com/18inches-x-... for a big selection.

[coll]

I'll have to double check, but I think I've seen the big rolls at BJs, in case you don't know anyone in the business. If you want thick foil, make sure to get heavy duty, the regular is so thin that it tears very easily, not good for the freezer (but I haven't used Reynolds in awhile, they may be better).

[HillJ]

The foil and plastic wrap, even the parchment sheets, sold at Costco are excellent quality and the packaging has the side tabs.

[buttertart]

Thanks - I would - and I have in the past - but no space in the present kitchen. Next one there will be, though! (Have seen these at big box stores as well.)

[miranda0]

Has to be taste as you cook. Sounds simple but so many people don't do it.

[coll]

Here's another one: when boiling chicken cutlets, put them in the water, bring to a boil and then shut off the heat and let them sit for between a half hour and hour. Instead of being pale and tough, they are soft and shreddy. Instant chicken salad. I know some like to do the same thing with hard boiled eggs (but 10 minutes I think), but I don't , very happy with those as they are.

[lattelover]

Many good tips. Here's one I didn't see - Be sure to read the recipe all the way through at least once before starting and be sure you understand it. Saves alot of grief.

[whs]

Not sure if this has been mentioned (does this thread count as the biggest on CH?), but a truism is: if you screw up a dish, don't immediately alert your audience. Most will never know the difference if they are sufficiently lubricated.

[buttertart]

Boy is that true. I made a cake that was a disaster (reversed baking soda with powder, leading to explosive rising and subsiding), had nothing else to hand to serve for dessrt. Frosted it with whipped cream, everyone loved it and were none the wiser.
This isn't the longest thread but it certainly took off explosively - most posts right away of almost any I've seen. It's a good one!

[Caitlin McGrath]

Sara Moulton used to consel the same on her show: "Pretend that it's exactly what you meant to serve, and don't apologize."

buttertart's cake story reminds me of the time i had planned a tart with a lemon cookie-like crust, lemon curd, and fresh berries for a dinner with my then in-laws. I had made the crust the night before, and it was in the pan, inside a ziploc bag. I went to pick it up to assemble the tart, and the bag slipped from my hand. Hits floor, crust shatters into pieces. I got out some nice glass dishes and layered the cookie crust pieces, lemon curd, and berries. They loved it, and nope, none the wiser.

[buttertart]

Paraphrasing Julia: Remember you are alone in the kitchen!

[Caitlin McGrath]

Julia never had an open kitchen.

[buttertart]

True enough.

[Mestralle]

As something of a flip side to this, I'm the one that brings sweet potatoes to holidays with my in-laws because only about half the family likes them. Last Thanksgiving, I completely spaced out and boiled the potatoes instead of baking them, which resulted in a rather heavier dish (It's a simple dish with sweet potatoes and a caramelized spiced sugar syrp). In any event, I presented my apologies to the sweet potato eaters about the texture, and my brother-in-law expressed his amazement that I used "real" sweet potatoes and not from a can. So while I could have been disappointed that he previously from a can, I decided to blame his inability to tell the difference on the great span of time since he'd last had sweet potatoes before mine and instead take it as a compliment that he was impressed that I did it "from scratch."

[coll]

Lately I use this tip given me by a bayman: Stick your oysters in the microwave for 10 seconds before opening, then they pop right open when you stick the knife in. Doesn't cook them at all, just stuns them I guess.

[KTinNYC]

If the microwaves don't get them to loosen up the spinning on the carousel will!

[JoanN]

I am so pleased to hear that that technique was recommended to you by a bayman. My inability to shuck an oyster (or a clam, for that matter) may be my major kitchen frustration. I've tried for years, bought all the right equipment, and just can't master it. I thought that sticking them in the microwave for a few seconds was my dirty little secret. Nice to know it's approved at the source and I no longer have to hang me head.

[coll]

I figure if anything, maybe it takes care of any germs lurking inside there. Maybe. Anyway glad to know I'm not the only one doing this, and looking forward to some Valentine oysters this weekend.

[saltwater]

Fish does not smell.

Color and texture and temperature balance make a huge difference in a meal/menu.

You can "knead" bread by the stretch and fold method.

Only buy products at a market with high turnover for that particular brand/size. Yes, this means you may need to buy two of the smaller size, if you need the larger.

Lose the wok for stir-frying. Stir-frying on a modern stove works so very well in a cast iron fry pan. Plus, it only takes a minute or two of cooking, instead of 10.

You can cut a lemon, use 1/4 of it, and wrap the remainder in saran wrap and refrigerate to use later in the week. Since lemons around here are over 70 cents a pop, this has allowed me to use lemons!

I agree with so many of the other tips! Lose the iodized salt, for example.

[JoanN]

Can’t agree with you on your “lose the wok” recommendation. For the past couple of months I’ve been cooking in a home that has no wok and have been preparing Chinese dishes in a cast iron skillet. I’m finding it very frustrating. I like the way the oil pools in the bottom of a wok and you can move food into or out of the oil very easily. I like the way you can move food up the sides of a wok to keep it from overcooking. I like the way a Chinese shovel fits into a wok so I can keep large amounts of food moving quickly; using the shovel in the cast iron skillet is very awkward and as a result my food isn’t cooking as evenly.

Don’t get me wrong. I love cast iron skillets, have four of them at home, and use them for nearly everything. But when it comes to stir-frying, Man! Do I miss my wok!

[saltwater]

I agree with you that it is a loss not to be able to push stuff up the side of the wok. It's just on my stove, with those round disks over the burners, it means the center of the wok is not the part that is hot. A perfect ring, part way up the sides, is the hot area. It is like the wok is a "reverse" wok. I've seen burners that are called wok burners on stoves these days, with concentric rings of flames. I bet those work great. Maybe what I need is a cast iron wok instead of carbon steel, but it still would suffer from the ring effect, I imagine. I do much better with the cast iron pan than the carbon steel wok on this stove. But I have to get it hot and do it fast. It can overcook in a flash.

I compensate for the lack of pushing stuff up the side by dumping stuff onto a nearby plate. I have no trouble at all with even cooking in the cast iron, though. But I use a bamboo thing, sort of like a long rice paddle with a angled edge to it. It scrapes well, and so flips the food, but isn't great for removing food from the pan.

Sorry about the loss of a favored utensil! Sometimes you learn something new by that, but usually what you learn is how much you loved the item!

[alkapal]

the flat bottomed wok is an acceptable compromise, i find (i want to put my real wok out on the gas ring i use for the turkey fryer!).

in my dream kitchen, i'd have a commercial wok station, as well as a wood-burning fireplace for breads, pizzas... oh, i must stop this dreaming.

[alkapal]

i have the joyce chen non-stick one. i think the non-stick is pretty fragile though. in googling flat bottom wok, though, i see there are a lot more options. (until we get our big wok stations ;-).

[bitchincook]

This is one reason why I bought a Bluestar stove when I remodeled my kitchen two years ago. It's the only gas stove available in the US that has traditional open burners.

[thew]

fish does smell. it just doesnt smell bad

[saltwater]

Agreed! I should have said, "fish doesn't stink". :-) It is amazing how you can buy fish every year for lent and never realize that fish doesn't stink, because all the fish in your market stinks. I know it is possible to have fish in a freezer case that doesn't stink. I've bought it (in an ethnic market). So why don't the supermarkets do this?

[SocksManly]

Read about half, so without worry of repeating, here's some of what I've picked up in no particular order.

- Pan fry chicken on the stove, deglaze, finish in the oven with some stock, reduce stock for sauce. Very nice thing for a beginner to learn and feel like they're really cooking.
- Rice cookers rule.
- Buy quality cookware one piece at a time, and each piece for a purpose.
- Avoid one-trick-pony cookware, except of course your rice cooker.
- No recipe is too much work - Julia Child.
- Think of the end result visually in your head before you begin.
- Try to master the basics of real cooking. Stocks, tomato sauce, homademade pizza, carmelized onions, soft boiled eggs, etc. It will be a lifelong pleasure and affect how you think about cooking.
- Learn what all the various cooking terms really mean. Sauteeing vs pan frying, sweating vegetables, braising.. Oh... Braising.. How I love you.
- Proper chicken stock uses a lot of chicken. The pot should be mostly packed with chicken. I buy fresh carcasses from a chinese market, 3 for $1!
- Mushrooms on high heat.
- Own a deep freezer.
- Buy cookbooks second hand. Another lifelong pleasure.
- When you eat out, and you try something you loved, don't be afraid to ask how it was made. Don't be surprised if you get a long heartfelt happy explanation, or an invitation to learn from them firsthand. Some people love to share their enthusiasm with you.
- In response to the first post. I warm my milk on the stove in a pot with some crushed garlic cloves and butter in it, then pour that into my potatoes.
- Don't be afraid to eat on the street when visiting other countries.
- Try ingredients you don't like in other forms. For example I hate fresh onions, they make me gag. Yet most of my recipes start with onions. I just cook them until they're soft. If you don't like garlic, try roasted garlic. Etc. Whole other animals.
- Think about texture when you cook. Sunflower seeds are an amazing addition to a salad, for example. A little crunch goes a long way.
- Along the same lines, we eat with our expectations. This is a big one! You expect a piece of toast to be crisp and crunchy for example. If it's not, you're immediately disappointed, even if the taste is right.
- Commercial pasta sauces suck. A lot.
- Try not to be a food snob. There's a time and place to explain how you might have done it better, and it's not always, and you're not always right either. Other people aren't you and like things differently.
- Perfect fried eggs for my taste as has been mentioned - All very quickly - hot pan, little bit of butter, crack egg on flat surface, into the pan, little bit of water around the egg, cover with a lid, and cook for about 45 seconds to a minute.
- Overbuying groceries and cooking extensive recipes can be more expensive than fine dining restraurants. Look for simple recipes on a budget.
- Garbage bowl.
- Watch people cook whenever possible, and think about how you could do similar things at home.
- Cooking is something you'll never stop learning about.

[Parigi]

"- Overbuying groceries and cooking extensive recipes can be more expensive than fine dining restraurants. Look for simple recipes on a budget."
"No recipe is too much work - Julia Child."
Aren't they contradictory?

But I really like much of the advice, thank you. Esp "Try not to be a food snob. There's a time and place to explain how you might have done it better, and it's not always, and you're not always right either. Other people aren't you and like things differently."

[tonka11_99]

I certainly agree about used cookbooks. They are much cheaper.

I sometimes wonder why i buy cookbooks at all though.

I can get almost any recipe free online.

I even copy them off the website and paste them into word documents and then put them in recipe files on my hard drive. I probably have hundreds of recipes on my computer now.

I do like to collect old social and church group recipe books. Some of them are a hoot. I have one from Alaska with recipes for such things as: Moose nose, Pot roast of beaver, whale blubber. I kid you not.

I have one from Arkansas in the 1950's. Almost every recipe involves frying something in lard.

But every once in a while, You will see a recipe for something you tasted decades ago that you had forgotten about.

[tazia]

I'm sure these have already been said but
1. Taste and season your food as you go along. So simple, but I realized I was only tasting the finished product. Not nearly enough for a well-rounded taste.
2. Mise en place. The more I know about the science behind baking, the more important I realize it is to have everything for a recipe assembled and prepared. Chemical reactions start taking place and a minute or two can make the difference between a tender cake with proper volume and a flat cake with coarse crumb.

[eurotransient]

1. Mise is important! I can't count the number of times I've burned butter 'cause I didn't have my next ingredient ready. Sure, it's more little dishes to wash, but it's worth it when your food tastes better.

2. Dry your meats before searing them in a hot pan. This was a total revelation!

3. When you put your meat into a hot pan, DON'T TOUCH IT for at least 30 seconds! HUGE difference.

[oakjoan]

Ditto! Putting everything out before you start making the recipe has saved me from myself. I don't know how many times I've screwed up because I hadn't chopped or measured some ingredient. As I did the chopping, etc., the egg whites I had whipped began to fall and pool at the bottom.

In addition, a really, really careful reading of the ingredients and directions will put an end to the shocking discovery that you were supposed to have mixed certain ingredients together and put them into the fridge overnight....and now it's 4 hours from the time your guest arrive.

[boyzoma]

When cooking ground beef for tacos, chili, stroganoff, etc., once the beef is starting to get brown, use a dough blender to break it up into small pieces. This has been such a huge help in making my ground meat recipies.

http://www.kitchenkrafts.com/product....

[ChefJune]

taste taste taste, and season as you go, not at the end will result in a dish with more warmth and depth of flavor.

[tonka11_99]

Brining pork and poultry before cooking. This is a great technique. I highly recommend it. Cook's Illustrated has some good articles on it or you can google it.

This involves soaking the meat in a concoction of 1/4 cup kosher salt and 1/4 cup light brown sugar per quart of water. If it is pork chops or pieces of chicken a hal hour soak will do. If it is bigger, it will need longer. You could brine a turkey for 6- 8 hours before cooking.

This adds moisture and salt to the meat resulting in much juicier meat. It works especially well on lean meat that you are going to cook on high heat.

[tonka11_99]

Don't fry bacon while your naked!!!!! Ouch ouch ouch. I hate it when I do that!

[tonka11_99]

I'm a southern boy. i like my pork chops breaded and fried with white gravy on the side. This more difficult than you might think. When frying breaded pork chops, The breading gets golden brown before the pork chop is done or you have to use a real thin pork cop that tends to be dry.

The best trick I ever learned was to fry a good thick breaded pork chop for 3-4 minutes on each side until the breading is golden brown then put the pork chops in a 350 degree oven on a drip rack for for a while to continue cooking. The breading stays golden brown and meat finishes cooking.

If you brine the pork chops for 30 minutes before cooking, they will be even juicier.

[3sisterspassedby]

I'm so glad to see someone say, "I'm a southern boy." These yankees don't know how foreign they sound. At another site, I had to ask someone what saute means. I also asked about kale before I realized how closely kin to a collard it was. If I had known that, I would never have bought the crap. These were gardeners that I was talking to, and then the gardener had to tell me about collards, but I had read enough. After that it just became amusing. Do you have advise on how to cook "real" peas? Which is your favorite? Blackeyed or pinkeyed?

[fayehess]

Sear.

[soycocinera]

Mise en place!

It's actually a lesson I learn over and over again. If I ever burn something it's always because I've run to get another ingredient, and I hear the voice of my chef professor as if he were next to my ear again, yelling "Mise en place!"

I think I should get it tattooed on my forearm. : ) ...no, seriously.

[tonka11_99]

I use a lot of roux for things like white gravy or a sauce that I want thickened. My roux takes a while because I want want mine a very light peanut butter color a yellowish brown rather than white. I don't make a lot of bechemel which needs white roux.

Anyway I got tired of spending 10 minutes making roux so the other day I mad a big batch of roux. A cup of flour and 1 cup butter (2 sticks) sauteed together. It made about 12 ounces of roux. I put it in the refrigerator and every time I needed to thicken a sauce I put a couple of tablespoons in it. If you wanted to make full on white gravy you would use 3 tablespoons per cup of milk.

So far I like the results. It's worth the time because all you have to do is make a big batch when you are making some anyway.. I do have to liquify it in the microwave. It is, after all, half butter.

[COOKCOOKS]

I also make roux ahead of time. I put it on a cookie sheet or a shallow pan lined with parchement. After cooling put it in the freezer for a while. Take out your roux slab, chop it up into and keep it in a jar in the refrigerator. Just shake out what you need right into the pan/pot.

[mattwarner]

Two concepts:

-Mise en place: It makes everything so much easier when you can just grab a small bowl and throw it in. About a year ago, Ikea was discontinuing a product line that included small bowls that are perfect for this, and I'm so glad I picked up a dozen of them!

-Touch food! I started cooking when I first moved out only using fingertips. Touching my food - pinching salt, grabbing greens, palm-measuring spices - really helped me understand what I was putting into my food. That perspective has helped me to get in touch (no pun intended) with what's going in, how fresh it is, how it relates to the amounts of other foods, how it compares to other dishes.

[tonka11_99]

I have several. Most have already been mentioned.

Don't fry bacon without a shirt on.

Trust your taste buds and season accordingly

sear your meat to intensify flavor

you can bake the steak to get it to the doneness you like without charring the outside after searing in a pan.

"Better than Bouillon" beef base and chicken base are far better than bouillon cubes and enhance broths for gravies and pan sauces.

Braise in an enamel over cast iron dutch oven.

Home made stocks are far superior to anything else.

[Aravisea]

This is easy: carry-over heat. I stopped constantly overcooking everything from meats to eggs to veggies when I learned about that!

[sonia darrow]

Do you mean the way things keep cooking for a few minutes after they've been removed from the heat source? Or are you referring to something else?

[alkapal]

the way things keep cooking for a few minutes after they've been removed from the heat source

[divadmas]

its different but i use a ceramic cooktop and it holds heat so well i can cook white rice by just bringing to a boil and turning off heat, leave for 15 minutes.

[serious]

Leftover carcass of roast chicken is a far better starter for chicken stock than raw chicken.

[monavano]

+1 on the chicken carcass. I always freeze mine now to make stock. The most recent stock had 2 carcasses and 4 bone-in thighs. The herbs and lemon that was still in the chicken cavity really flavored nicely. All that flavor that bakes into the chicken eeks its way into the broth.
So good.

[Passadumkeg]

Rather than freeze the carcass, I plop the carcass into a pressure cooker, let her rip, strain the double cooked carcass and freeze the broth. It takes less space in the freezer and is ready to go when I need it.

[tonka11_99]

Warming plates by wiping a little water on them and putting them in the microwave for 30 seconds. Always so much nicer when the plates are warm.

[Fahzz]

Tongs.

[Querencia]

To use a French whisk when making gravy, cream sauce, or any sauce---it takes the lumps out like magic.

[3sisterspassedby]

This has actually happened to me more than once in my life. I boiled an egg and left the room to do something else and forgot about the egg. When I got back to the forgotten egg after much water had boiled out of the pan, I responded with the most natural reaction that almost anybody would do; I turned the heat off immediately and thought that was enough. When I cracked the hard boiled open, I discovered that part of the egg was not even cooked. It was the part that had been above the water level. Eggs don't always roll around when they are boiling. Sometimes they stay in place. There are two ways to avoid this. One is to cover the egg completely with water before the boiling begins. The other is to nudge the egg around with a spoon or fork when the heat is turned off. Who would have thought of such a thing? Well now I have.

[al b. darned]

I don't know how I missed this thread!

The best tip I received was actually two, but were related.

The first was something was, "Cook by ear and bake by the book." The other was, "Relax. Most cooking Is pretty forgiving and don't be afraid to experiment."

[MARISKANY]

When you're frying you have to stay in the kitchen.

[serious]

ditto on broiling.

[John E.]

I haven't read the enitire thread so forgive me if this thought has already been posted. The most imortant cooking tip that is simple that makes the most difference in the results in cooking good food is proper seasoning. Food that is either underseasoned or overseasoned but is otherwise cooked correctly is not a successful dish.

[eclecticsynergy]

Seasoning in layers changed my cooking style and improved the results noticeably.
Don't remember where I downloaded this quote from but it's been very helpful:

"Layering works especially well in longer cooking stovetop recipes like soups or braised meats. Let's use a pot of chili as an example. Start by browning the meat. Drain it and then add chopped onion and bell pepper. After cooking and stirring for a few minutes, add the first layer of spices.
Use about one third of the amount of seasonings you think will use for the whole recipe. Sprinkle it over the meat and veggies and mix it in well. This meeting with the heat of the skillet heightens the initial flavor as well as deep-seasoning the base ingredients.
The second spice layer will go in with the liquids. In the case of the chili, add another third of the spices with the tomato sauce and beans.
Simmer as long as desired and then add the last layer of seasoning about 15 minutes before the cooking is through. This final layer brings a certain brightness to the dish."

[eclecticsynergy]

Quote is from The article "Season In Layers" by Sandra Bowens

[daydream]

Thank you so much for this one!

[eclecticsynergy]

Whole article here:

http://www.apinchof.com/layers1020.html

[ZenSojourner]

Two things:

when making Indian Railroad Chai, use cheap mamri style (CTC) tea, not the expensive Darjeeling or Assam or what have you tea leaves.

When cooking with tofu, squeeze out moisture, dry fry, and marinate.

[TroyTempest]

While not technically a cooking tip (more of a recipe shortcut, i guess), nowadays when i make enchiladas i make stacked enchiladas, not rolled. Saves a LOT of time.
For a real quick dinner, use Hatch canned enchilada sauce.

[Quill]

Use instant espresso coffee as part of a dry rub for roasted and grilled meats.

[GraydonCarter]

Tip: Grill sober and when you barbeque, keep your eye on it.

[yumyumyogi]

Everything is thicker than water: Infuse more flavor into grains (beans, quinoa, bulgur, etc) by cooking them in stock instead of water.

I never buy chicken parts, only whole chickens. With a single chicken you can get at least 2 meals (for 2), plus the carcass for stock.

Something learned from a sous chef I once worked with: Always finish off soups with a little acid, whether it’s a Jerusalem artichoke soup with rice vinegar, a black bean soup with lime, or a lentil soup with lemon. It will make the flavors pop and brighten up any soup.

As a salad lover, this changed my life: Wash leafy greens ahead of time, spin dry, and store in airtight containers generously lined with paper towels (and save used paper towels to wipe off excess oil after seasoning cast iron pans). The most useful has been to have a tub of baby spinach ready on hand to toss into soups and scrambled eggs.

[leahjanes]

I read through the entire thread and I think these haven't been mentioned.

1. Always have music on when you cook. Makes the food taste better. Engages your senses.
2. Cooking Thai food has made me understand balance and harmony. Balance sweet, salty, spicy and sour. This is true in all cooking, not just Thai.
3. Acidity is as important as salt. You need at least 3 different kinds of vinegar at your disposal, and preferably a bunch of fresh citrus as well.
4. The moment you start taking food too seriously is the moment where you need to truck on over to McDonalds, order a large fries and take yourself down a notch.
5. Only use white plates. They make the simplest food look like a masterpiece.

[leahjanes]

Also, I forgot one.

6. Cook with shallot. More complex than onion, milder than garlic, makes your food taste like a French chef made it.

[divadmas]

toasting nuts really adds flavor.
been keeping nuts in freezer but not sure if thats better

[dcrf]

Making my own stocks

[mynamehere]

1. Have handy a set of cheap, crappy steak knives that you can throw in the dishwasher for those times when you need a serrated tool for just one quick, inconsequential cut or to slice the plastic off something. Saves having to dirty/hand wash/damage your good knives.
2. Keep the freezer stocked with cubes of lemon and lime juice—and, separately, their zest—for when you can't run out for fresh.
3. The onion trick. Dicing an onion by chopping it in half vertically, laying on the cut side and making three or four horizontal slices, then a series of vertical slices, then just dicing away in a matter of seconds. The first time I was shown this I remember thinking, "this will change my life." And it has.
4. Fire is you friend. A cooking instructor once told me that the biggest mistake home cooks make is being afraid to use enough heat. She was right.
5. Miracle Whip is not a sign of moral weakness.
6. Just do it. Newbie cooks are scared. (I know.) Experience is the only thing that will make one confident, and later, brave.
7. Knowledge is power. Reading Chowhound helps make you confident and brave.

[bear]

Great tips, except for maybe the Miracle Whip.

[JerryMe]

Ha Ha! #6 - Miracle Whip is indeed on the $$

[sonia darrow]

"4. Fire is you friend. A cooking instructor once told me that the biggest mistake home cooks make is being afraid to use enough heat."

Having lived with a few inexperienced cooks who think that the dial is always supposed to be on High, I might have to disagree with you there.

[Cynsa]

Do you make polenta in the rice cooker? you can skip the constant stirring!

[monavano]

I've been sticking with quick cooking polenta. Bob's Red Mill comes together in 8 or so minutes (if that). Actually, I find Bob's products truly superior and rewarding as the quality makes them easy to work with.
Well, that and a really good heavy-bottomed pot!

[John E.]

If there is just one thing that every cook should know it is to season as you go and to season your food enough. That's one of the biggest differences between restaurant food and home-cooked food, the seasoning. Seasoning food is probably the most important cookiing pointer I learned from my mother.

[The Chowhound Team]

We removed some 'I didn't know that' and 'I do that, too' replies that didn't add any new information from this thread, just to try to keep the length down a little, as people are having trouble opening it.

[sushigirlie]

It is often vitally important that things be DRY. This is crucial for anything involving sauteeing or frying, because water releases steam at 212 degrees -- much lower than the temperature at which you want to saute and fry things. This makes the difference between great stir fry and crap stir fry. As lots of others mentioned, it's the key to browning (for the same reason). It's also crucial for things that are stuffed and/or rolled, like parathas, for fairly obvious reasons (except to me!). Use kitchen towels, paper towels, blow dryers, fans, whatever -- just make sure your ingredients are totally dry when you need them to be.

[linguafood]

Mmmk. It's been a while since I posted here, and I don't really want to read everything that's been added in the meantime... BUT. I recently 'discovered' or rather, started using a pasta cooking method that I really like.

Which is really just finishing the pasta in the sauce. Undercook by a minute or two, drain, and throw into whichever sauce you got going. I find the sauce and pasta meld in a way they don't when you just mix them up on the plate. I never do it any other way anymore.

OK. Just had to share :-D

[buttertart]

Thanks, Lidia! ;-)

[linguafood]

Any time, Sandra :-D

[buttertart]

Grr boeses Maedchen.

[Whosyerkitty]

the ONE tip? Getting back to the OP ;-).
BE PATIENT!!!

[clint1245]

I think I'm going to try that out.

[AdamD]

Be organized and prep everything ahead of time.
Use the proper tools, but understand that more expensive does not always mean better.
Use the best and freshest ingredients you can afford, but understand you can make delicious food with less expensive ingredients.

[clint1245]

Season more
Use a good instant read thermometer
Get meats close to room temp without leaving out of fridge too long before cooking
REST MEAT and account for growing temp in resting period
DONT BE AFRAID TO EXPERIMENT WITH RECIPES (unless baking use caution)
Keep spoons handy to taste as you go.
READ CHOWHOUND FORUM

More then one but will take anyones cooking to the next level

[I used to know how to cook...]

Hello everyone!

Here are a few...

For whipping cream, put the cream and the beaters (or whisk if that's what you use) into a METAL mixing bowl. Put it in the freezer until the cream is frozen maybe 1/2" around the edge. Then whip. No more hot kitchen whipped cream failures. Use heavy whipping cream.

The bowl I use is an enamel one I've had for at least 35 years. It's the same bowl I use for the Hershey's cocoa + baking soda + oil + boiling water business that starts the recipe for the absolute fudgiest brownies in the world. Takes maybe 5-10 minutes to get it in the oven. Just be sure you use Hershey's cocoa...

Next tip is DON'T listen to your 40-something kids when they try to get you to buy "new" "modern" cooking stuff and get rid of that terrible old bowl. Trust me, they'll learn soon enuf!

If you're going to grind meat, cut it into cubes and put it in the freezer for 15 minutes or so. Then the friction from grinding won't melt the fat and gunk up the grinder. Saves having to dismantle the thing and clean it out before you can continue.

Last one is a new one for me. Today I was grinding chicken for meatballs and decided to put in the parsley and onion in the middle of grinding the chicken. Worked great! I didn't have to chop up the onion or mince the parsley.

Speaking of parsley... Rinse the whole bunch, cut off an inch or two of the stems, stand it in a container of water (jelly glass or some such), drape a plastic bag over it and put it in the fridge. It will stay perfectly fresh for weeks. Matter of fact, the parsley I used today I bought right after Thanksgiving. True.

The same concept applies with asparagus and artichokes. Cut off the bottom end, stand the stalks in water and leave it until the next day. Then cook it.

Buy a can of Baker's Joy. It'll save you a lot of grief, especially with bundt cake pans and tinned German molds.

Cut up your butter/Crisco and put it in the freezer for a while before you make your pastry. The Julia Child food processor method is very good.

Ganache. You don't have to fool around melting the chocolate. Just heat your heavy whipping cream in the microwave. With a skewer in the cup to help prevent boilovers. Watch carefully, you just want it to begin to boil up. Pour the cream over your chocolate. Leave it alone for a few minutes. Then stir, stir, stir until it comes together.

Hope my post isn't too long. I read through the entire thread and didn't see these tips.

Lucy

[alkapal]

apparently, lucy, you STILL know how to cook. i enjoyed your post. although it was lengthy, it was substantive and not blathering. thank you!

[I used to know how to cook...]

Thanks, Alkapal.

How nice of you!

Lucy

[noodlepoodle]

I microwave sliced fresh mushrooms on paper towels just until they give up their water then squeeze them just a little and then I fry them up in butter and they brown nicely and quickly without that moisture you always get in the frying pan.

[buttertart]

That's a very good tip, thanks!

[coll]

I only just learned to cook mushrooms with nothing added until they give up their water, I do it in the saute pan but this is even easier. It really makes a nice difference.

[LorenM]

A mushroom trick I learned from a chef in a restaurant I worked in was to add in an almost imperceptibly tiny amount of cinnamon to a mushroom dish (I think he used1/100th of a teaspoon in about 4 gallons of mushroom soup). I was fairly certain I wouldn't taste any difference because the amount was soooo tiny. I tasted both with and without side by side and while I couldn't detect any discernible cinnamon flavor, the soup with the cinnamon was much more earthy, deep, mushroomy and delicious. I was truly amazed. The trick is to not overdo it.

[coll]

Thanks for the idea, I love adding cinnamon to just about everything.

[mickeygee]

it works well in chicken soup too - just enough to bring out the other flavors. I do it all the time, especially if i'm in a pinch and am opening a can of soup for lunch.

[biglinguist]

...or nutmeg. Try it!

[goddessofDEATH]

When Frying Bacon I add a bit of Water .. It boils away the fat then allows the bacon to crisp up faster.

I also Keep the lid on onions when I want to caramelize them .. Then when they are soft and clear .. I take the lid off and let them brown.

[noodlepoodle]

Grating garlic cloves with a microplane. Just slam the cloves with a knife on a cutting board, peel and grate right into the pan. I will never mince again.

A dough scraper to scoop up diced veggies from the board directly into the pan.

Leftover tomato paste in a plastic bag in the freezer. Break off a piece when you only need a little.

Fresh lemons stored in a glass jar in the fridge. They keep really well. Got that tip from MFK Fisher.

I get my canned white tuna at Costco and it comes in a big chunk in the can which I always use for tuna salad. I used to spend a lot of time grating three cans of it with a fork and then chopping the celery for the salad...blah...blah..blah... until one day a sudden revelation--why not use the food processor. Hah! It worked great, a few pulses along with cut up celery and it was ready for the bowl and the mayo.

[alkapal]

mary ann esposito ("ciao italia") doesn't even peel the garlic cloves -- letting the microplane retain the sticky garlic peel.

i need to use that lemon tip -- just for a cut lemon or a bunch of whole ones?

[cathodetube]

I couldn't use the whole garlic clove if it has the green center. Was taught by a chef to always remove that part so as not to affect the taste of whatever dish you are using it in. I cut it out and then just usually crush the two halves with the blade of the knife.

[alkapal]

i'm pretty sure that mary ann esposito and lidia bastianich (maybe) don't bother with removing the green shoot. to me, it just seems like it would be a little milder, and while i used to remove it, i don't anymore -- as long as it is very tender.

if it isn't tender (which also means the garlic is getting old), and the shoot is getting "long in the tooth," then the flavor of the whole bulb has probably been affected (because it gives nourishment to the shoot).

i don't do the microplane trick, because i don't have one. someone recommended a wood rasp from home depot will be a sharper stand-in, so i may have to get that. like i need some other gadget or tool in my kitchen. ha!

[jvanderh]

huh. It certainly does look just like a microplane . . .

[buttertart]

That's where the company got started, with woodworking tools. Somebody went "Aha!" and started using them in the kitchen. I love them for citrus zest because 0 pith gets grated with the zest.

[jvanderh]

interesting!

[noodlepoodle]

Alkapal, I've never had a problem with the green center in the garlic. The French chef that used to cook on TV with Julia (his name escapes me) said the green center wasn't a big deal. But I think old dried up garlic with the green center might be an issue. I usually toss it when it's past its prime.

I wonder about the wood rasp getting a bit rusty when it's used a lot in the kitchen, after all it's not made to be used with moist things like cheese and veggies. It might be a little harder to clean too. Might be worth an experiment.

[buttertart]

Jacques Pépin. I don't bother with the sprout removal rigamarole either.

[noodlepoodle]

Alkapal, have a tall glass canning jar (old) and I put whole lemons in there with a little piece of paper toweling at the bottom to collect moisture. I can usually put two in there if they're not very large and maybe a piece of cut up lemon. Any combination that will fit. It's surprising how long they last. Much longer than the crisper in a bag.

[DaisyM]

Salting a rib roast (or steak) and sticking it in the fridge, uncovered on a baking rack in a tray 24 hours before I'm going to make it. Bring the meat to room temp before cooking.

I'm still amazed what a difference it makes.

[greenish]

I learned to do that from the CI roast beef recipe. I've aged a roast 4 days before cooking it. The flavor definitely intensifies.

[DaisyM]

We'll you've influenced me to at least try two days next time. Of course, I only do this once a year!

[pine time]

I've also done this with a whole roasting chicken. Looked sadly parched when I took it out of the fridge, but roasted beautifully & tasted great.

[Maggie Larkin]

i used to be a nervous cook, always checking & stiring food instead of just letting it be & i would follow recipes to the T, my mom convinced me to just ease up. that simple. it has let me branch out a lil.

plus not to over season food

[thatsacrunchy]

never ever ever toss the fat from roasted chicken or turkey or duck or goose or what ever meat you like. the best flavor comes from that fat and seriously must be used to make matzoh and dumplings and where-ever you want to have super flavor be the basis of what you are making. a little goes a long way. do a few more crunches and enjoy your meal.

[daydream]

If I could give each one of you a gift certificate to your favorite restaurant, I would!

Thank you, thank you, thank you. I'm a novice cook and this thread has been bookmarked and many of the tips have been copy and pasted to a Word doc.

All I can really add is that I'm Greek and my yiayia is teaching me how to make baklava and spanikopita. Filo works best when you work quickly and don't manhandle it more than absolutely necessary.

And this is probably news to none of you, haha, but a salad spinner CHANGED. MY. LIFE. ! I've been using this simple Oxo one for about two months and it's amazing. Dressing coats every piece of our greens and it actually makes salads taste better, or so it might seem!

[Jadore]

Whoa, this post is a treasure-trove, and that's just from doing a quick skim!

Mine:

Always cook with the seasons, learn to freeze what you can, and learn to appreciate what you can't. Nothing beats a sun-ripened, fragrant tomato during the summer, not even San Marzanos! Winter pears are a treat, and all the strawberries and raspberries popping up right now in spring make me blissfully happy. I'm trying to get into the habit of making my mother's gorgeous chunky summer tomato marinara and freezing it, and making strawberry preserves to last all year. Otherwise, EAT IN THE MOMENT!

A piping hot pan and a cool piece of meat = a perfectly seared crust every time.

Freshly cracked black pepper and a variety of salts, from kosher to sea, make your food better with virtually no extra effort, as opposed to pre-ground pepper and table salt.

Homemade stocks are always worth it. Like exercising, nobody ever regrets the time and effort it took to do it afterward!

Mise en place is the key to sanity in the kitchen.

Music makes food turn out better. ;D

Nothing will EVER beat a quality set of knives. I'd actually give up my beautiful Le Creuset ovens before I'd fork over my knives, and I love my LCs! A sharp, beautiful knife that fits well in your hand will never, ever let you down, and it makes the work go faster and easier.

Freeze your flour to keep it from going rancid, or, gulp, allowing dreaded weevils from getting in!

Ramekins are for so much more than creme brulee. Buy a few inexpensive ones and use them to hold ingredients, or even just a little salt and pepper, and be amazed.

Ina taught me to always fluff flour before measuring, to use room temperature butter and eggs for baking, and to use a little coffee in chocolate recipes to intensify the delicious flavor.

When making whipped cream, put the beaters and the bowl you'll be using in the freezer, and take them out right when you get the cream out of the fridge. It makes better whipped cream for me every time.

LET MEAT REST BEFORE CUTTING! I didn't know this when I cooked my first steak, and I learned the hard way!

Let pancake batter sit for a few minutes before actually cooking it; my pancakes are picture-perfect when I give my batter about 5 - 10 minutes to just hang out.

Keep practicing, keep watching other people cook, and keep experimenting! You never know when you'll stumble upon something ingenious, or just delicious.

[twyst]

What a fantastic thread. Spent a couple hours reading it all and Im not sure there is very much left to add!

While learning Scott Conant's tomato basil spaghetti recipe I came acros a good rule of thumb from him

"The last thing you add will be the first thing you taste"

[somervilleoldtimer]

I can't remember if I already replied, so maybe I'm duplicating myself, but here's a great tip I got from a 'hound:
Always fluff up your flour with a whisk before spooning it into a measuring cup. Flour compresses a lot during travel!

[gentlyferal]

The water (or other liquid) for bread should NOT be hot-coffee temperature when you add the yeast; it should be more like baby-bath temperature. Once my mother showed me that, I was able to get bread to rise :)

[helou]

When cooking for company be sure ot have one element of each course prepared before you get on to more ambitious complicated dishes.

[Moedelestrie]

Fry eggs at med-low for tender eggs high heat makes eggs rubbery.

[helou]

Something clicked on my computer while I was typing my reply and I didn't get to explain my reply. Cook, or have available, a basic food for each course (poach some salmon fillets, stick a brisket in the oven, cook some basmati rice with some lemong grass thrown in - yummy, buy some nice pre-washed salad greens in a bag, bake some brownies from a mix - you get the idea), before you get started on those memorable foods that will have everyone at the table begging for seconds and asking for the recipe.
I used to get very bogged down preparing 2 or 3 amazing side dishes or dessert or main course, and then had to race to make sure I had a nice rest-of-the meal. Once I've got an appetizer, soup, main, side, (even a simple salad, just as long as there's *something*) dessert, available that's when I get started on the WOW things I want to make.
Things happen - the oven won't work, potatoes tuned bad - need a supermarket run, husband's car emergency so I have to pick him up, kids forgot to take their hockey sticks and need them for practice (I know, I know, I'm overly enabling of lax behavior). At least when company shows up you'll have something to serve them besides home made baklava for which you made your own filo, clarified the butter, shelled and chopped the nuts yourself - but not mucfh else!
Obviously if your fancy dishes can be made in advance so they're ready, so much the better; then you skip the basmati rice :-).

[coll]

I always go one step further, and have leftovers of a nice meal from a day or two before, just in case. Something along the line of meatballs, or a pot roast, just something/anything so the pressure is off. Don't think I ever needed it but psychologically it helps.

[GraydonCarter]

I once went to a good friend's house for dinner and she had made stuffed poached squid. When she served it, it smelled awful, and tasted even worse. We all just sat there chewing and chewing, unable to swallow, but refusing to insult her, and finally she just got up and removed our plates without a word.

We ended up having peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for dinner and had a good laugh.

Lesson 1) have a backup plan - something besides peanut butter, and 2) don't experiment unless your guests are good friends.

[bear]

Great story, Gray!

[cioccolata]

Mixing up the cookie dough a couple of days before baking. The flavors really meld together so much better that way.

[pine time]

But be sure to let the pre-made batter come to room temp before baking, otherwise you'll have cookie hockey pucks that didn't spread. Ask me how I know! ;(

[EKJunction]

For a lighter or souffle' style omelet ,prior to separating - leave the eggs out the night before .If you live in or near the tropics ? Just an hour will be safe and still yield the desired result.

[Zereh]

Save those hard cheese rinds and use them to help flavor your soups! You can usually even purchase rinds at cheese counters just for this very purpose.

I swear that is what pushes my Minestrone over the edge from good to great. I've taken to throwing them into tons of different soups (lentil, potato / leek, mushroom, chicken noodle, creamy asparagus / zucchini / broccoli) all with great success.

[JasFoodie]

Despite what my mom always told me, that powdered stuff in the green kraft box is not parmesean cheese. Not sure what it is, but it's not parm. Use the real stuff. It's more expensive but a little will go a long way.

Save a little of the pasta water to mix in with the sauce that's going with the pasta. The starch in the water thickens the sauce just enough to get it to cling to the noodles and give it that lovely mouth feel. After learning this trick even plain ole spaghetti and some jarred ragu or prego tastes good.

Have a few go to dishes that you can whip up with little effort and thought in your repertoire and always keep the ingredients for them on hand. This really helps with the last minute 'I don't know what to make for dinner' moments where you might otherwise give in and head out for fast food or order a pizza. I can make 3 different pasta dishes in less time than it would take me to get to McDonalds and back with dinner.

Explore some of the unfamiliar items in your grocery store or farmers market. If you didn't like them prepared one way don't give up right away. Try atleast one or two other ways before writing it off. More likely than not you'll discover you enjoy it. Also, explore ethnic markets and stores.

Food doesn't have to be expensive to be tasty. Some mighty tasty meals can come out of your kitchen using cheaper cuts of meat, and just a few basic ingredients.

And most importantly - learn how to use garlic. Whole cloves for a sweet garlicky flavor. Diced up fine for a strong pungent flavor. Learning this helped me understand why sometimes my food seemed overwhelmingly garlicky and other times just had a hint of the flavor while using the same amount of garlic each time. I admit, I used to be lazy about mincing it and would just smash it up a bit and toss it in.

Another garlic trick I just picked up last week. Infuse the oil you're cooking your meal with with a few cloves of garlic. Smash them with your knife and drop into a cold pan with some olive oil and gently heat until the garlic starts to turn golden and translucent in the middle. Remove the garlic and heat up oil and cook dish as normal. The garlic flavor infuses into the oil but removing the garlic means it won't burn. Then smush the softened cloves and toss them back into the dish before serving. The layers of garlic flavor are amazing.

[maydaycolorado]

just remembered another great tip...during the holidays, when space on or in the stove is at a minimum, make your mashed potatoes early in the day. Boil the potatoes, mash them in your usual way with your favorite ingredients only use less liquid. Pour them into a slow-cooker set on low or warm and leave them there until you are ready to eat...the moisture from the lid will drip onto the potatoes keeping them creamy (which is why you use less liquid to begin with). Stir and serve! They come out creamy and warm and delicious and you didn't have to take up room on or in your stove!

[walker]

Maybe not everyone's crock pot will do this .. I have a newish All-Clad and I tried this last year, low setting and the potatoes became too hot, crusty on the edges, even tho I kept stirring and did add more liquid.

[John E.]

A while back in a discussion on crockpots I came up with a theory why you had the problem that you did. Years ago there was a low and high settings on slow cookers. Then came the keep warm setting. More recently it seems the slow cookers are getting hotter. I think the USDA has mandated that slow cookers have a higher temperature than they used to so they keep food hotter than the danger zone of lower than 140 degrees. This means keep warm is now low, low is now high and high is really high.

I would kind of like to do the mashed potatoes ahead and keep them warm in a slow cooker but I make 25 pounds of mashed potatoes using an outdoor propane burner. It would take at least 3 crockpots and there is not enough counter space.

[megjp]

I didn't read all 750+ posts, but my one tip is to LEAVE THINGS ALONE while they're cooking sometimes. I was terrible for fussing, but I'm reforming myself and to great effect.

[eight_inch_pestle]

Some hard-skinned items that everyone recommends peeling with a paring knife peel quite nicely with a decent vegetable peeler. Butternut squash, for example, peels faster and with much less waste with a veggie peeler.

[raisa]

1.Rest steak/roast before slicing.
2. Meat won't brown if not dry.
3. Chilling the dish before baking ensures crisp, smooth brownie top.
4. Pan has to be really hot otherwise the mushrooms will stew and lose their moisture.
5. Heating up the bowl before ensures thick mayo in moments.

[jvanderh]

Interesting! The empty dish, or the dish with the brownie batter in it? I never knew that about mayo. For some reason, I haven't been able to get it to thicken unless there's a little mustard in it.

[raisa]

Empty dish. I actually found the idea in a thread somewhere here. I just put the baking dish into the freeze while I prepare the batter and pour the batter in the chilled dish. The brownie top becomes really crispy. The mayo tips belongs to Julia Child. For me the easiest way is to put the empty bowl in Microwave for 20 second or so and then start making mayo in it.

[jvanderh]

Thank you kindly :-)

[raisa]

You are welcome :)

[sandylc]

Isn't the point to sauteeing mushrooms to yes, lose their moisture? That's the whole point. You know they're done when they stop steaming off the moisture. They're gushy if you don't cook off the moisture. Am I wrong??????? (Hot pan is O.K.)

[kubasd23]

If you want them to brown, they won't if they're sitting in all that moisture. It's the same reason you don't salt them til the end.

[sandylc]

I was always taught to use a really hot pan to cook the moisture off, and then they will brown. No overcrowding of the pan, or it won't work.

[John E.]

You are correct. The OP that you first replied to on the mushroom subject is a bit confused..

[RetiredChef]

Because there are over 150 types of edible mushrooms that are used in kitchens throughout the world and they are NOT ubiquitous in their application or in their preparation, there really is no "one" correct answer, and in fact both of you are correct in what you claim.

When dealing with the common cultivated mushrooms (white button, shitakes, etc) it is possible to brown them before they begin to lose moisture by using a ultra hot (smoking hot) pan and not crowding the pan. The mushrooms will begin to caramelize before the temperature drops and the moisture starts to get released. Another example of a browned whole mushroom would be a Portobello, either whole or cut into thick slices, again cooked over a very hot pan or a grill it will caramelize without releasing much moisture.

[monavano]

*Fresh tarragon in homemade stock*
This year, as in other years, I've taken the turkey carcass, wings and any other bones available and made stock. I had lots of fresh herbs leftover from Thanksgiving, including tarragon, so what the heck?
OMG, terrific. There's this note of licorice that is umami-ish and makes you want to just fill a bowl and drink the whole darn thing.
Give it a try!
ps.... also added a nob of crystalized ginger and will do that again too.

[jvanderh]

mmm. I bet that would make good pho.

[synergy]

I love tarragon and will try this next time! I typically put my turkey stock fresh dill and fresh parsley...the more, the better.

[RetiredChef]

Here is my one:

Acid is the most overlooked flavor component; it enhances and balances the flavor of food and adds depth. I have several misters by the stove with different vinegars in them and many times a simple spritz of sherry wine vinegar on scallops just as they are finishing brings out a whole new dimension to the dish.

*** And a few runner-up's

Use the best/freshest ingredients you can
Hot food on hot/warm plates cold food on cold plates
Salt your food
Season and Taste as you go and most importantly taste Everything before you serve it
Sometimes simple is best
Fresh Herbs
Zest
Shallots
Farmer's Markets are your friend as is your garden
Sharp Knives
Using alcohol in food adds great depth and complexity
Mise en place
Plan all courses around ONE theme (Thai, America, Indian, French, Brazilian etc) the food blends better.
Fresh baked bread makes a meal
Do not refrigerate tomatoes, peaches, onions, garlic or potatoes, their flavor and texture become compromised.
Brown your meats
Recipes are only guidelines - try to create your own as much as possible
Grill over hardwood's
Allow meat, eggs and butter to warm up before you use them
Do not overcook
Let Meat rest before carving (30 minutes is not a long time to rest)
White pepper
Caramelized onions
Use fresh juice(microwave you fruit for 10-15 seconds and it will yield twice as much juice)
Fresh stock
Cook seasonally
Use Metal skewers for grilling, not only don't they burn but they act as heat conductors helping to the cook the meat more evenly.
Learn Ratio's
Buy a microplane
Then buy whole Nutmeg (I probably put nutmeg in more things than any other spice)
Brine
Chicken fat has tons of flavor in it
Splurge on a good stove/oven(s)

[bear]

Great post, RetiredChef. Thanks.

[kubasd23]

I agree, great post. With regards to your first point, there was an article in a magazine (Gourmet, Bon Appetit) a while ago, about the 5 most underrated ingredients or methods (you can tell my memory is very hazy on this). Anyways, one of them was acid. They went on to say that it could greatly reduce your salt usage as well as adding that brightness you can't really get elsewhere. It is totally true and was a revelation for me. I now have a bevy of different vinegars with the misters you mention, and my cooking is definitely better for it.

[jvanderh]

In the spirit of 'huge difference,' garlic oil. Lots and lots of garlic, cover completely with oil, bring to a bubble, turn down and simmer for at least 10 minutes. Separate the liquids from the solids and store both in the fridge or freezer. The taste doesn't suffer with pre-sauteeing the garlic, and, to boot, the heating and cold storage mean you're unlikely to give yourself botulism. It cuts a good five or ten minutes off of almost every meal I cook. Since I wash and chop produce when I get home from the market or store, I can often throw a meal together without even dirtying a knife.

[chrissym]

So many good tips here! Don't think I saw these:
Save your parmesan (or other hard aged cheese rinds) to add to stock or soup for flavor.
Fish keeps cooking after you take it off heat, so be careful to not overcook.
Rubbing geranium leaves gets the garlic smell off your finers.

[gregsamsa]

Don't be a typical DUDE and feel like when you grill you have to stand there doing something, especially if "doing something" means flipping and pressing, flipping and pressing. Close the damn thing and go have a beer. Flip it once and leave it the hell alone.

[gotcholent]

10 seconds to peel an entire head of garlic..... Crush the head with the palm of your hand to break apart cloves. The guy in Saveur's video places the garlic cloves into two metal bowls, i happen to like my 1qt pot with lid. Put the cloves inside and shake the $%#&! out of them for like 5 seconds....that's it, everything separates! The difference between freshly peeled garlic and anything else is night and day.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0d3oc2...

check this video to see what i mean.

[alkapal]

gotta try that!

[sandylc]

Me, too!

[02putt]

That is so cool. I use fresh garlic all the time but especially a lot of garlic when canning. This will definitely save a lot of time.

[travelerjjm]

One of the first and important things I learned was that cookbook recipes are not 100% hard and fast. Authors use what they have in most cases and substitutions may even work better than the recipe in the book. Oh, and adding more of something like vanilla can make a dish much better than whatever the author did. Similarly, spices and herbs and other things may be weaker or stronger than those the author used, so you need to think for yourself a bit when using a recipe.

[COOKCOOKS]

It took a while to realize the cookbooks are MINE and I can write in them if I want to. I put notes and stars on the pages of recpes I try. Also, I have learned to copy the recipe from the book and put it onto the refrigerator with a magnet. It keeps your books from getting dirty and the recipe is at eye level for easy reading.

[COOKCOOKS]

Chow ought to make a book from this board - it is amazing!

I am a MAJOR recycler BUT I use small paper and/or plastic cups for mise en place when having a dinner party. It can save a ton of work and mess, especislly if it is one with several dishes with lots of ingredients, just discard when empty.

I make a lot of roux at once (two cubes butter, etc) then cool and chop fine. Keep in a jar in the refrigerator and shake out what you need.

I use my microplane for ginger, garlic,and nutmeg, as well as cheese and chocolate.

Make freezer jam. It is sooo easy, takes about five minutes, and the recipe is inside of every box of pectin. It is the difference between fresh fruit taste and the taste of something that has been cooked to death.

[noodlepoodle]

Cookcooks, please enlighten me about the make-ahead roux (your recipe). I find that intriguing.
Thanks.

[COOKCOOKS]

I use 2 cubes butter and a little more than 1 cup flour. Cook until desired color then cool some. put into a shallow pan lined with parchement and refrigerate. I chop fine and keep in a french canning jar in the refrigerator.

[JerryMe]

CookCook - I'm with you on recycling. I use paper squares of wax paper. Much less waste

Microplane works for so many things!

[COOKCOOKS]

I do something simalar useing butcher paper when appropriate. I only use the cups when I am having a dinner party. I have from 1 oz to 16 oz cups and everything in between. If you are making something like an asian dish with many, many ingredients. The cups take up a lot less space and they are better for wet veggies, and of course liquids.

Waxed butcher paper if very cheap and so are the holders they go on. One roll @ $20 will last you eaons. You can get it from a restaurant supply place. I have had one on my walls for years and use it for many things.

You can also use it as a sort of mise in place. Sift dry ingredients onto it and you can funnel them right into your mixer. If you are not using it for a while fold and tape shut, you can write on the outside what it is. I do this when I have a lot of baking to do the following day or am making sevral batches of the same recipe. You can do all of the ingredients at once for all of them and keeps you "kits" together.

I also put it on top of my cutting board if I am slicing something extremely messy. Sure the paper might tear a little but oh what a mess saver.

I line cookie sheets with it to freeze roasted peppers, home (half) dried tomatoes, portions of pre-cooked meals, fresh meat protions (so I can buy in bulk) etc then put that into the freezer. Once frozen the stuff comes right off the cookie sheet and goes into a labeled ziplock bag and into the freezer again for later use.

I always buy the marked down bell peppers and roast them for later use. Roast, clean,and freeze flat. It adds another layer of flavor to your recipe, saves a ton of money, and you always have them on hand.

[hkl74]

Letting beef, poultry and pork come down to room temp. before cooking. Also, letting it rest for a minimun of 5 minutes depending on the cut/size.

[blaireso]

Getting back to the OP, I'm a baker and I guess the most valuable tip would be to calibrate your ovens, and leave a pizza stone in the bottom to stabilize the temp as the oven cycles on and off. When we moved to the present house, I found my ovens were as much as 20 degrees off. No biggie for pot roast, but another story for meringues, cakes & pies. Taste as you go is pretty basic and smart. Oh yeah, hot pan, cold oil, food won't stick. Mostly ;)

[bitchincook]

I use cheap white paper plates instead of dishes for my mise en place dry ingredients. This saves me from struggling to fit a lot of bowls or plates in the dishwasher.

[Passadumkeg]

Moving back to New Mexico I had to relearn how to cook at 6800 ft., where water boils at 178 degrees and baking calls for differing the proportions of levening agents. A 10 min. hard boiled egg takes 20 min. here.

[sandylc]

One that should be obvious, but somehow isn't always:

Before removing a pan from your stovetop or especially your oven, plan a place for putting it down!!! A cooling rack, etc. Nothing worse than standing in the middle of the kitchen holding a hot-as-hell pot and have no place to put it down!

[woodstock1708]

When using parchment paper, crumple it up into a tight ball, then smooth it out. It keeps it flat and easy to shape.

[02putt]

When you have to use chicken or beef drippings for a sauce I put all the drippings in a bowl and add a handful of ice cubes. After 5 minutes all the fat has risen to the top is easily scooped out. The really neat thing about this is that the ice cubes for whatever reason do not melt so you sauce is not watered down.

[katydid13]

Press down hard on a clove of garlic with the flat side of a knife to loosen the skin. What a time saver!

[lovessushi]

Best tip was a general one...someone told me "Pay attention when you cook." That means don't talk on the phone, don't do other things besides cooking - just focus on the cooking. Though hard to do, I do find that makes me obviously focus more, and my cooking comes out better in the end. Perhaps this is a good tip for those of us that don't multitask well :)

[Wtg2Retire]

I don't believe I saw this one posted. I use white, cheap paper plates to put between each piece of stacked enameled cast iron skillets, etc., to keep them from being scratched.

[ski_gpsy]

I’d have to say that the most important kitchen tip I learned is having a well thought out Master List whether I'm doing an elaborate gathering or an intimate dinner. I work best from a list that includes the time each dish goes into the oven, when the wines are decanted, candles are lit, etc. I find that the more details I include on my list, the more efficiently my kitchen runs and the less stressful/more enjoyable my cooking experience is.
-And of course; mise en place is essential.
-Since I generally have several dishes being prepped or cooking in different places around the kitchen I have the recipe for each dish right next to it (or taped onto an overhead cabinet, or the wall).
-Having one side of the sink filled with soapy water makes cleanup easy and keeps counters free of dirty bowls, utensils, etc.
- For mise en place I use anything disposable I can; paper plates, waxed paper, cupcake liners for spices.
-I have several of anything I use frequently, like numerous sets of measuring spoons so that when one Tablespoon spoon is coated with oil I can grab another, instead of having to stop and wash during prep or cooking. Also tongs, rubber spatulas, slotted spoons, wooden spoons, whisks, flexible plastic chopping mats, measuring cups - liquid & dry, and even meat thermometers (having had a digital one die on me during cooking was a near disaster). My rule is; If I use something in the kitchen frequently, have more than one on hand.
-Invest in a 6qt or larger stockpot or french oven that is either enameled iron, hard anodized, or tri-ply clad all the way up the sides. If you’re making something deep like soup or a stew, you want the sides of the pot to conduct heat throughout the whole pot. If the only heat is coming from the pot’s bottom, the stuff on the bottom of the pot can scorch while the stuff on top doesn’t cook thoroughly, unless you stand over it stirring frequently. A good quality stockpot/french oven in my opinion is worth the investment if you put alot of effort into your cooking.
-I love having perfect rice easily which is why I use a rice cooker (it can also be used for other cooking applications if needed). I also keep frozen packages of good microwavable white or brown rice, in case we run out during dinner... 3minutes - excellent rice!
-As in every restaurant kitchen, ALWAYS have a kitchen specific fire extinguisher. Be smart, know where it is, and know how to use it.
-My absolute favorite thing in my kitchen is the foot pedal* I included that turns the sink faucet on and off. It is indispensable. It’s like having a third hand when you’re cooking. You see them in restaurant kitchens, hospitals, doctor’s or vet’s exam rooms. They’re not as expensive as you’d think and they’re easy to install (see photo). And once you have one you will never have another kitchen without one.

So those are the kitchen tips I know, and as far as the cooking tips I've learned, most of them have been posted on this invaluable thread (doncha just love Chowhound!). But forgive me if I double post some I didn’t see...
-Any vegetable that can be roasted tastes infinitely better than boiled or steamed. And grilled is even better. So if we're firing up the BBQ I throw on as many veggies as there is room for, saving any extra for later.
-I’ve found that adding 1-2Tbs Sherry to many dishes instantly takes them to “gourmet”. I add it to soups, stews, quiches etc. Sherry adds a rich flavor like wine does but more mellow, almost nutty.
-Same goes for spicy heat. A touch of cayenne or hot sauce adds a zing to soups, stews, quiches, salad dressings...so many recipes. Done right, it not only makes the dish brighter and more flavor layered, but also amps up our metabolism and makes us burn calories. A secondary benefit!
-And as others have mentioned, adding acid (citrus or vinegars) at the end of many dishes really brightens them.
-My new favorite salt is Himalayan Pink. Has the same savoriness as Kosher but much softer, more subtle, umami.
-Frozen peas added to appropriate dishes like certain soups, stews or curries immediately before serving gives fresh color and visual interest along with texture and a delightful pop!
-For steaks the way I like ‘em, I go with steak house restaurants' rule of "keep 'em cold". I salt with Lawry’s Seasoning Salt (has just enough sugar to caramelize and crust) and place on a paper towel on a plate and put in the fridge for at least an hour to thoroughly dry. Then I put the steaks in the freezer for 20minutes before grilling. This way the steaks can stay on the hot fire and get a good crispy char on the outside because of the longer time it takes to cook the inside.
-Most invaluable tip for entertaining; Choose as many recipes as possible that can be made in advance.
-Best cooking advice; Watch America’s Test Kitchen on PBS.

*Photo; Foot pedal for sink faucet

[sandylc]

Great post! Sounds like you do some wonderful entertaining! Do you live near me? :-]

I, too, make a really complex master plan before any big event. It includes a grocery list, menu(s), recipes, and detailed cooking/other chores schedules. On the menu I note what serving dishes I will be using as well.

[ski_gpsy]

As for serving dishes sandylc, I am absolutely in LOVE with Temp-Tations serving and bakeware. Its ceramic just like those treasured handpainted ceramics that cooks have been using for centuries. It conducts and holds heat beautifully, its glazed and practically non-stick, comes with a metal serving holder (see an example in the photo below), and so many recipes can be mixed directly in the dish thereby eliminating dirtying mixing bowls, pyrex to bake in, then something pretty to serve in. You mix in it, place it in the oven or microwave(!), and serve it hot to the table in it's own metal basket/trivet. It looks lovely on my table, keeps everything warm (ceramic), goes into the dishwasher(!) or it comes with a plastic lid so you can put the leftovers straight into the fridge! Puhleeze, does it get any more multi-tasking than that???

I have roasted chickens in it, hams, made stews, casseroles, lasagnas, baked cakes, pies, quiches, stuffed mushrooms, cabbage rolls, peppers and on and on. And then served them directly to the table! All in one dish - mix, bake, serve, store the leftovers in it, microwave 'em the next day, then finally, put it in the dishwasher!!!

So along with always looking for recipes that can be made ahead, I also look for things I can make and serve in my Temp-Tations.

Lately I've been seeing other bakeware manufacturers copying the idea of selling ceramic bakeware with metal serving holders and plastic storage lids. I haven't tried any, so I can't speak from experience about them but If any Chowhounds have, please share.

[sandylc]

Those are beautiful.

[coll]

I WANT A FOOT PEDAL!!

[dkennedy]

I have a foot petal on my prep sink (I am lucky enough to have two sinks in my kitchen) and agree it is great for those times when your hands are tainted with raw meat so you don't have to touch the handles. But if you don't have room for two sinks, it is not feasible to put one in as you can't adjust the water from hot to cold. My .02 cents.

[coll]

Thanks for the info, now I feel a little better. I still want one, but will have to wait for a bigger kitchen I guess.

[ski_gpsy]

With a foot pedal you adjust your water temp the same as you normally would on any faucet, and then you use the pedal to turn the water flow on and off. Does your prep sink not have hot water, only cold?

[caseyjo]

I made a master list like the one you described for Thanksgiving last year. It was the second time I've been responsible for the bird and most of the dishes, and the first time I did Thanksgiving in my apartment. Everything went so smoothly, and I was able to actually enjoy spending time with my guests. So, I'm seconding your master list (which, in my mind, goes hand-in-hand with mise en place).

[DebbyDoesDessert]

Use the best ingredients you can afford.
Preheat your oven.
Take a minute to toast nuts and seeds before adding them to your recipe.
Chickens like a bath and a nice massage before going in the oven.

[susansilver]

Three Words:

Mise en Place

[sueatmo]

Agreed! Makes cooking a dish so easy. Organizes your thoughts, and your ingredients.

[JonasOftoronto]

The biggest thing I learned is in applying heats.

There is just no reason to rush with high heat most of the time (eg soups and braises) and then I learned when & how to use higher heats and how to apply them (timing). Some people boil bake or blacken the flavor out of everything.

Respect for how each piece of cookware functions (Steel, enamel, iron or non-stick alum.) A worn stove with distorted or cheap pots is hard to control cooking with.

Heat is CUMULATIVE - moderate heat does build up steadily over time based on the efficiency of the equipment. But then there's occasion for searing and browning (Maillard reaction) and reducing and deglazing etc - all require mastering heat, rate of evaporation etc.

Applying heat well is the secret alchemy for food.

[raff]

Brown, THEN braise

[JonasOftoronto]

Right, it is interesting watching Julia Child patiently brown all sides of a pot roast very well before attempting to add anything else to the pot. I like that she repeats nearly the same process with beef stew (using big chunks of round) - and then declares this is pretty much the "master recipe" for ALL stews, veal and lamb shanks, etc etc.

So simple yet crucial to do it right.

[helmswoman]

That the technique for gravy was the same as for a basic white sauce. It changed my life. No more gluey gravy and it comes out perfect every time.

[RelishPDX]

Didn't see this one posted yet: Use a potato ricer to squeeze the liquid out of blanched or cooked spinach.

Picked that up from a reader submission to CI eons ago. Bonus: If you do it in serving-sized portions, this method yields a perfectly round disk of spinach you can butter or sauce to place beneath the protein on the plate.

Those pasta ladles with tines all around the edge work great to pick up spinach out of the water and plop it right into the ricer. No having to dump the pot of water first.