No matter how much you think you know about cooking, there’s always more to learn. That advice can come from anyone — professional chefs, amate*rs, a co-worker, your mom — if they like to dabble in food, chances are they’ve got something to teach you in the kitchen.
People on AskReddit offered helpful cooking tips that no one usually talks about.
Good luck with all those sharp tools and hot ovens!
1. Acid
“This isn’t a secret or anything, but I think a lot of folks don’t realize how important acid is in a lot of cooking. When you’ve seasoned something perfectly but it still tastes like it’s missing something, it’s usually acid. A bit of citrus juice or vinegar will take it to the next level.”
2. Amen to this one
“Clean while you cook!
Got five minutes while something is simmering, was a few items. Got 30 seconds, throw all scraps in the trash. Then when you’re done the final clean won’t be as bad.”
3. Clockwise cooking
“If you’re searing a bunch of little things in a pan, like scallops, set them in the pan in a clock-like circular pattern. That way, you’ll be able to easily keep track of where to start flipping, and then you can just move clockwise down the line. Seems obvious, but I was just haphazardly throwing pieces of meat or seafood in a pan prior to seeing this done on a cooking show.”
4. Dad’s gravy advice
“Always use cold water to mix with flour or cornstarch to make your gravy.
It won’t get lumpy.
My dad was a chef & he always stressed this. He hated lumpy gravy.”
5. Time management
“Time is an ingredient. You cannot replace it most of the time (pun not intended) with something else. Especially, you cannot replace it with heat. Going “oh, I don’t have much time, let’s grill this at a higher temperature” is a perfect way to waste whatever you wanted to eat.
Also: Read your recipes completely before you start. It’s a bit embarrassing, but I had to change my menu planning more than once because I only read the ingredients list in preparation and then came to step 1 or 2 .. “Marinate ingredient for 24 hours”. “
6. Blades
“Always scrape the ingredients from the cutting board into a pot with the back of the knife, it will help the blade stay sharp longer.”
7. Good one!
“I like to spray my measuring spoon with Pam before I scoop up some honey. Comes right off the spoon”
8. It’s worth it
“Get a good knife. One good knife is everything. Spend good bucks on it and learn how to keep it sharp (any YouTube tutorial). And never ever lend it or forget it anywhere Wilson :'( “
9. Prep work
“The MOST important tip I can give to anyone is to setup all of your ingredients before you even turn the stove on. Also known as ‘mise en place’ in the culinary world.
Everything. Salts, spices, veggies, proteins. Everything should be on your counter and easy to reach.
It’s seriously probably the biggest thing keeping someone from becoming a ‘meh’ cook into a good one.
Ex. If you want to put chives into your omelet, you obviously dont want to start cutting them when your eggs are already on the pan. You’ll overcook your omelet.
P.S: Wash your hands ya nasties.”
10. Oh my!
“Courtesy of great-grandma to mom:
To get the smell of garlic off your hands, grab your (stainless steel) faucet like it was your man.
😀 “
11. Wing it
“People who don’t know how to cook think cooking is extremely difficult and that you need to rigorously “study” cooking.
Not true. Just follow a few simple recipes to learn the basics. After a couple of tries, you can wing a lot of your cooking.”
12. Onions
“Caramelizing onions takes 45:00 to an hour.”
13. Never enough
“There might be such a thing as “too much garlic”, but I haven’t found it yet.”
14. Got it?
“Cooking is an art, baking is a science.
Play around with ingredients and amounts when cooking.
Follow a recipe when baking.”
15. It’s ok to make mistakes
“F*ck up.
Burn food. Overseason. Have a pot boil over. Make flatbread on accident. Make soggy latkas. Spice that curry up to lava temps. Just learn from it. Don’t be afraid to ruin a meal. Be willing to ruin a meal so it ensures you’ll make a better one in the future.
Nobody bakes a flawless souffle the first time. Pretty much everyone will forget to put eggs in brownies once or twice. I’m sure most people have put too much salt in their eggs, or cooked a steak to a brick. Don’t let mistakes stop you from learning new things, and don’t let the fear of fucking up a meal prevent you from trying new recipes.”
