Whether your idea of cooking is choosing what toppings you want on your pizza or you like to cook dinner while watching Rachael Ray, you can benefit from knowing these chef tips. These kitchen hacks will help make your food prep a little easier.
Here are 10 great kitchen hacks used by top chefs.
1. Make lots of stock and freeze itThe next time you whip together chicken or turkey stock, make as much as you can and then separate the leftovers into plastic bags. You can freeze the stock for several months, and you'll have a base for future dishes ready to grab when you need it.
2.
Ignore the package directions
To get the perfect pasta texture, cook your noodles one minute less than what the package calls for. Then let them simmer in the sauce to finish cooking.
3.
Get rid of garlic odorsIf you're cooking with garlic, rub your hands all over your stainless steel sink to remove the odor before washing with soap and water.
4.
Steady does it
Keep your herbs from flying all over the place by first sprinkling a bit of salt on your chopping board.
5.
Use a wooden spoon to control spills
When water in your cooking pot starts to boil so that bubbles can reach a wooden spoon inserted in the pot, the spoon will pop the bubbles, making the water retreat back. Many bloggers have tested out this tip with mixed success. It doesn't hurt to try though, so feel free to stick your spoon on top of your pasta noodles the next time you are cooking.
6.
Bake your eggs in the oven
Getting the perfect hard-boiled egg can be tricky. If you leave them on too long, they will
explode. If you do not leave them long enough, you get a runny mess. Instead of boiling your eggs, place eggs in the space of a muffin tin. Cook at 325 to 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes, then douse the eggs in ice water.
7. Protect your fingers from knivesIf you don't have a knife block and want to avoid accidentally cutting yourself, put the pointy part of the knife in a wine cork before placing the knife in the drawer.
8. Dry your meatBefore browning your meat, pat it dry with paper towels to remove extra moisture. This will keep your meat from steaming.
9. Keep your cutting board from slidingPlace damp paper towels under your cutting board. The board will stick to the towels and the towels will stick to the counter to provide a more stable cutting surface.
10. Revive stale breadIf you have bread that's gone a bit stale, don't toss it out. Instead douse the loaf in water, wrap it in foil, put it in a cold oven and heat it up to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake for 15 minutes.
