Online kitchen hacks are a dime a dozen these days, but a few tips and tricks are so useful that they make it into people’s family hacks that are passed down through generations of home cooks.
The truly legendary tips are the ones that teach you techniques or methods that save both time and effort. Having fun in the kitchen is all about eliminating the frustrating parts and enhancing the overall cooking experience.
Below are five of the most simple, yet highly effective, cooking hacks that you will wish someone had told you sooner:
Peeling Garlic
Adding garlic to food adds not only tons of flavor but also numerous health benefits due to its bioactive compounds. It can help reduce the risk of heart disease by lowering blood pressure and cholesterol.
However, cooking with garlic, and all of its tiny jackets, can be frustrating. Reduce the frustration by using the flat side of a knife to press down on the clove, and then peel the skin off. Or soak the cloves in hot water for a minute or two to loosen the skins before sliding them off.
Nutty Butter
One of the simplest ways to elevate any dinner recipe is to brown the butter component.
Browning butter gives it a deeper, nuttier, more intense flavor than clarified or melted butter. Traditionally served with fish, it can also be used to enhance veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, or Brussels sprouts.
It adds an incredible depth of flavor to baked or savory dishes and is not difficult to make – continue cooking melted butter until it is toasted and the milk solids have caramelized.
Sharp Knives
Having sharp knives in the kitchen is essential.
Not only do they make cooking and food prep more precise and efficient, but they also enhance kitchen safety.
Sharp knives provide increased control over whatever you are cutting or slicing. A dull blade requires more pressure and force to cut through ingredients, and using force can be dangerous.
Invest in a good quality sharpening stone to effectively sharpen knives and other cutting tools, with precise control over the sharpening experience.
Sharpening stones extend the lifespan of blades and offer superior edge retention compared to other sharpening methods.
Avoid Overcooking
There is one surefire way to ruin a dish every time, and that is by overcooking it.
One of the worst culinary cardinal sins can be avoided by using a simple timer. This small tweak in your cooking process will stop tough steaks or mushy veg in their tracks!
If you have multiple things on the go, download an app to help you keep track of all those cooking times.
Read Recipes Properly
Lastly, this may come as a surprise but so many people do not read recipes properly before attempting them.
We are all busy and are always looking for ways to shave time off meal preparation, but reading the recipe thoroughly before cooking is crucial.
That gives an understanding of the ingredients required, the preparation process, and cooking times. The last thing you want on a weeknight is to discover halfway through the recipe that it requires overnight marinating.
To End
Cooking and culinary arts are an innovative feat of human ingenuity and imagination combined. Hopefully, these five tips will help you achieve the professional kitchen prowess that all home cooks strive for.
