17 Clever Tricks That Will Revolutionize Your Cooking Recipes

I always look for clever tricks and tips to enhance my cooking recipes. I make sure I am working in the most efficient way possible in the kitchen. I was having a discussion with Paula Hughes of Chewtheworld.com and she mentioned that she had some tricks she uses. Of course at that point I told her to send me some tips. She was also kind enough to allow me share them with you all. Her mantra is you don’t need expensive equipment to up your game in the kitchen. You also don’t need to have gone to culinary school. All you need is a little extra knowledge and I agree with her. 

 17 clever tricks that will revolutionize your cooking recipes.

1. Prevent food from sticking to your kitchenware

Who doesn’t love a stainless skillet? So you understand the frustration when peppers start melding to the bottom halfway through your cooking.

• Add some more oil.
• Don’t pour it over the food- that just creates a greasy mess. Instead, loosen the meat or vegetables using your spatula and push them to one side of the skillet.
• Tilt the pan and add oil to the empty area. 1-2 tablespoons should do the trick.
• Heated oil in any pan creates a slick surface where ingredients won’t stick.

2. Stress-free garlic chopping

Stop struggling with sticky and paper-thin peels. Here’s how to prep that clove of garlic in 3 quick steps:

• Using the tip of your chef’s knife, slice off the roots of the cloves. It allows the skin to peel away more easily.
• Take a clove and put it under the flat side of your knife. Press down on the knife using the palm of your heel, until the clove gives way. The skin will simply slip off.
• Chop up the peeled cloves to the size you desire

3. Create slender, elegant strands when grating vegetables

It’s annoying when the food processor turns your vegetables into short, stubby pieces. That’s not what you want for your slaw or salad.

Here’s how to do it right:

• Cut your carrots, apples, or whatever you’re planning on grating, into pieces that are as wide as the feed tube.
• Stack them on their sides in the tube, instead of putting them vertically.
• Turn it on. You’ll love the results in your cooking recipes.

4. Ripen your bananas in 30 minutes

Put unpeeled bananas on a baking sheet. Place them in an oven set at 300F. This is a crazy cooking trick, but it works perfectly. The heat brings out the bananas’ sugar. Bananas cannot be overly green when using this method.

5. Get back that crystallized honey

Simply place the container of honey in a bowl of hot water. Alternatively, you can take off its lid and microwave it in 30 second-intervals. It will get it back to that luscious drizzly taste that you love.

6. Getting the greens ready fast

How do you remove the tough stems on kale, mustard greens, chard and even collards? You don’t have to cut them out with a knife. Just “zip-off” the leaves. Hold a leaf at the thickest part of the stem with one hand. Using your index finger and thumb, inch the leaf and pull it off the stem.

7. Stop your herbs from going limp

It can mess up your cooking recipes. Treat the herbs like flowers. Trim the stems and put them in a glass of water. If you won’t be using them soon, cover the glass and herbs in a plastic bag and store them in your refrigerator. No more soggy, wilted salad greens!

8. Add texture to your salads

You just have to salt them. It’ll make the dressing pop.

9. Keeping your baked goods fresh

Usually you just munch up holiday cookies and bars immediately after you buy them. What happens when you want to store them for your camping trip, or send them as a quick gift?

Maintain their freshness by wrapping the entire package in a plastic wrap. Protecting them from air will keep them moist and retain the chewy feeling.

10. Keep fried food crispy

Don’t store your fried chicken or shrimp directly on a plate. The trapped heat will create steam and just make everything soggy. Use a cooling rack, It allows air to circulate, thus maintaining the crispy crunch.

11. Use a small strainer for citrus fruits

It’s better than having to pick out the seeds from your recipe. Keep it close, so that when you cut the lemon or lime you can quickly squeeze it through the strainer and into the pot.

12. Make the seasoning stick to your food

When cooking recipes like roasted vegetables, how do you make the seasoning to stick? Oil, salt and roast—in that order.

13. Make your own breadcrumbs at home

Do you want homemade breadcrumbs to make cutlets, meatballs, or add some crunch to your casseroles?

• Cut up your bread loaves into chunks, then pulse them in the food processor till you get fine crumbs.
• Place them on a rimmed baking sheet in the oven at 350 F for 5 minutes.

They’re ready. You can store them in your freezer for close to 6 months and use in your cooking recipes.

14. How to season your cast iron pan

Every kitchen has this classic pan for their cooking recipes. It’s great for searing and frying. Seasoning it seals and smoothens the iron. That way, it will handle your food delicately. Most pans are pre-seasoned. Some need re-seasoning.

• First wash it using a stiff brush and hot, soapy water.
• Rinse it and dry it thoroughly.
• Apply a coating of vegetable oil evenly on the inner and outer surface of the pan (you can use a paper towel).
• Place the pan in your oven and bake it at 350F for an hour. Let it cool before you remove it.

15. Your lemons belong in the fridge

They’ll last longer there, and you’ll always be able to add fresh lemon juice to your dressings and cocktails.

16. Store leftover tomato sauce

Most times you just need a couple of splurges of tomato paste. What if you have more than enough for your pasta sauce or chili dish?

• Put it in your ice-cube tray in portions the size of your tablespoon.
• After they become solid, store them in a plastic freezer bag. When you need them later on, add them directly to your recipe. You won’t need to thaw.

17. Skimming fat

Part of healthy cooking is getting rid of excess fat in the food you eat. This includes your stew, soup or sauce. You can repeatedly skim food from your soup as it simmers. But that’s long and tedious.

Here’s a better way:

• First make the soup.
• Then transfer it to a container and cool it off in the refrigerator. The fat will rise and solidify.
• Take a spoon and lift off the fat. You can now reheat the soup whenever you’re ready to serve the meal.

 

Author Bio:

 

Paula is the founder of ChewTheWorld, where she and her associates blog about the best food recipes, tips & tricks, and finest tech that will help you make exquisite food in your home. ChewTheWorld is concentrated on the taste, the joy of cooking, and making the most out of it. On the other hand, also a mother of two where she balances between her passion and her biggest joy in life.