Sunday, May 11, 2014

21 Cooking Tips That Will Change Your Life



 



1. Use two bowls to cut corn off the cob without getting kernels everywhere.




21 Cooking Tips That Will Change Your Life



Wrap a small bowl in a paper towel (to keep it from slipping) and set upside-down inside a big bowl. A bundt pan works great for this too, if you have it.




2. Instantly core a head of iceberg lettuce by slamming it down on a cutting board.



 



3. Pre-soak pasta and it will cook in about 60 seconds.




Pre-soak pasta and it will cook in about 60 seconds.


Sounds weird, but it works! Soak the pasta in water in a sealed bag for a couple hours or overnight. Then you can cook it super super fast in boiling water or just add it straight to a hot sauce in a pan and let it finish cooking there.




4. Use a sharp knife (CAREFULLY) to pit an avocado.




21 Cooking Tips That Will Change Your Life



Safest to put the avocado down on the cutting board first, or maybe invest in some rad chain mail gloves.




5. Slice avocadoes right in the skin to make neat cubes.




21 Cooking Tips That Will Change Your Life



Then scoop out the chunks with a spoon.




6. Put a dish towel or damp paper towel under your cutting board to keep it from slipping and wobbling.




Put a dish towel or damp paper towel under your cutting board to keep it from slipping and wobbling.

Emily Fleischaker

Yay for safety!




7. Use a spoon to peel a kiwi from the inside out.




21 Cooking Tips That Will Change Your Life



Cut the ends of the kiwi off, then slide the spoon under the skin around the kiwi.




8. Grate frozen butter straight into pastry dough for fast, even distribution.



 


This is great for pie, biscuits, and anything else where you want to incorporate butter quickly while it’s still cold.





9. Hold cherry tomatoes between two plastic lids to slice them all at once.




21 Cooking Tips That Will Change Your Life





10. Caramelize onions in half the time by adding a little baking soda.




Caramelize onions in half the time by adding a little baking soda.


You can read the full explanation of how this works over at Serious Eats. Love that SCIENCE!




11. Microwave an ear of corn and it’ll fall right out of the husk.




21 Cooking Tips That Will Change Your Life



No silk! Thanks, Ken.




12. Grate ginger with a microplane instead of mincing it.




Grate ginger with a microplane instead of mincing it.


You can freeze the ginger first to make it firm and easy to grate.




13. Coat your cheese grater with nonstick spray for delightfully clean, easy shredding.




21 Cooking Tips That Will Change Your Life





14. Microwave lemons and limes to get more juice out.




Microwave lemons and limes to get more juice out.


Zapping citrus for 15 or 20 seconds helps break down carbohydrates in the fruit and encourages maximum liquidity. Get more info here.




15. Peel a whole head of garlic by shaking it really hard.



 




16. Use an apple slicer to quickly cut potatoes into perfect wedges.




Use an apple slicer to quickly cut potatoes into perfect wedges.


One of those things you can’t believe you didn’t think of.




17. No need to peel potatoes before boiling them; the skin will just slide off once they’re cooked.




21 Cooking Tips That Will Change Your Life



Transfer them to an ice bath when they’re done cooking, then twist the peel off with your hands. This works best with Russet potatoes.




18. Freeze meat to make it easier to slice for stir-fries and stews.




Freeze meat to make it easier to slice for stir-fries and stews.


And jerky!




19. Pit cherries with a paper clip.




21 Cooking Tips That Will Change Your Life



Watch CHOW’s whole video to see how.




20. Whip cream by shaking it in a mason jar.




Whip cream by shaking it in a mason jar.


And if you keep shaking long enough, you can take it all the way to butter!




21. Peel lots of boiled eggs at once by shaking them around in the pot.



 


The shells will get broken up and then slip right off when you rinse them. You can also try shaking the eggs in a closed Tupperware container.


 



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