Kitchen Cooking Tips and Hacks

Kitchen tips? Cooking hacks? When you think about the history of humanity, and how long we’ve all been cooking every meal in every climate all around the world, it’s wild how modern civilization has over complicated recipes and ingredients.  Certainly there’s a time for perfect, gourmet, 5-star cooking, but most of the time people greatly over complicate cooking.  Generations of people have cooked meals at home with whatever they had on hand, in whatever quantities they had, and successfully fed their families…so if you’re stressed about cooking or always trying to make the perfect dish, relax!  It’s easier than you think.

Ingredient amounts are subjective!

I mean, have you ever considered how many recipes conveniently call for exactly one egg…especially when not all eggs are the same size?  Or how every recipe breaks down into perfect fractions of a cup or table spoon?  There is a science to the ratios of ingredients – that’s another post for another time – but most of the time using “about” the right amount will get good results.  This also means you should feel free to experiment!  Try substituting a little extra baking powder in place of baking soda next time you make cookies, and let me know how it goes!

I should note that there absolutely is a time for exact measurements, and that’s if you need to demonstrate consistent results every time, such as in a restaurant environment.  For day-to-day meals, play!

This is more or less the opposite of what most cooks will tell you, but you’ll get a feel in time for what things need to be measured, and what don’t.  Take the recipe as a really strong suggestion, one presumably tested by someone else, but don’t lose sleep over deviations either.

Fresh ingredients make a difference!

Not just fresh items like meat, vegetables, or breads, but the smaller individual ingredients as well.  All of those spices and baking supplies expire and lose effectiveness, and have a dramatic impact on your final product. Ask me some time about throwing my whole family into a fit because I replaced antique pepper with fresh ground pepper, and everyone was over seasoning!

There is no shame in pre-packaged ingredients!

Having just made the last point, I should add…you do not need to make every aspect of the meal from scratch!  Sure you COULD make your own BBQ sauce for a recipe, or your own tomato soup, or your own homemade ranch dressing, and that’s really awesome!  But when it’s Tuesday night and you want a home cooked meal and the kids are screaming and there’s a pile of papers waiting to be graded…grab the canned stuff and add it to your food. Most people won’t even be able to tell!

Garlic!

Just triple the number of garlic cloves called for in a recipe. Pretty safe rule anytime you’re cooking.

Good cookware is a quality investment!

This point is a little sticky, because it means putting money into your items and this is supposed to be a budget blog. Having said that, you’re also talking about an activity you probably do daily, if not more than that.  There’s no point in being frustrated by sticky pans or uneven heat every time you cook.  I have three knives that I use regularly, all top of the line.  But they stay sharp, cut well, and are easy to clean, so I save a ton of frustration.  On the other hand, I once bought a cheap aluminum grill that fit over two burners on the stove.  Aluminum doesn’t hold heat well, so it was always too hot or too cold, ruined a lot of food, and was hard to cook with!  Make some investments and grow your most common cooking items over time.

Baking Soda is over marketed!

Arm and Hammer ran a brilliant add campaign. In a recipe, baking soda is critical.  As a cleaning agent, it has it’s moments.  For odor control, a little charcoal in a shallow dish does a better job.

Preheat everything!

Do you know why people make jokes about the practice pancake?  The pan wasn’t hot enough yet!  Learning to know when the pan or oven is hot enough will improve everything from your eggs to baked goods.  Don’t treat preheating like a suggestion – how and when the heat is applied affects the chemistry of the food.

While you’re at it, make sure meat selections like steak come to room temperature before you cook them. Think of it like pre-preheating.

Mix ingredients separately!

On that same note, when a recipe calls for mixing ingredients in different bowls, follow it!  Separate mixing can be a simple as helping ingredients blend, to changing how and when chemical reactions take place in the food.

Starting temperature is critical!

Some foods work best chilled, some (like meat) often work best at room temperature.  That doesn’t mean you can’t experiment or work with what you have on a busy night, but bringing those steaks to room temperature before cooking changes cook time and final outcome.

Expiration dates are a suggestion!

I mean, they can be a really good suggestion, but often times they’re a sales tactic by the store, and many stores are notorious fro adjusting or even changing the date on foods.  Don’t just ditch something because the date is expired, potentially ruining your evening meal plans.  It might still be perfectly edible!

The practice of mise en place!

Pre-cutting and measuring all of your ingredients can remove much of the stress of cooking, especially if you do it before a busy night. I often cook when company comes over, and pre-measuring/cutting/portioning everything helps ensure the meal goes quick and flawless.

Don’t trust oven thermometers!

Just get your own – buy a quality hanging thermometer.

Refrigerate your dough!

From cookie dough to bread dough, nearly every recipe increases in flavor if you leave it in the refrigerator for a bit, even up to a few days.  24hrs gives you extra chewy, flavor filled chocolate chip cookies!  It’s also much easier to shape and holds better as it cooks.

Boiling hot water poured over raisins makes them big and plump. Bread left in a bag with hard brown sugar softens it. Rubbing stainless steel gets garlic odor off your fingers. Most people can’t tell the difference in the type of salt in the final dish, only in salt added after cooking.

Everything has a substitution, and these days just ask Google!

That’s a good start, I’ll share more another time. For now, happy cooking, and have fun!