The lock-down may be loosening up in some
places around the world, but the hobbies we've picked up still remain
firmly within our grip. One major quarantine activity that many people
picked up during the lock-down was baking and cooking. Creating
delectable delights (or attempting to) based on family recipes,
professional recipes, and others that you can find on the internet has
never been so popular.
As with all new skills, the initial phases
often come with laughable failures, but practice makes perfect. And if
you really want to take your cooking skills to the next level, you
should keep these clever tips in mind. They will not only help make sure
your meal comes out tasty, but they can also help reduce your clean-up
time!
1. A little sugar goes a long way
If you’re making a dish heavy in spices and
tomato sauce like Chili or spaghetti, the acidity content will likely
be high. Just adding a teaspoon of sugar will drastically reduce the
acidity of your dish.
2. Use all the broccoli
When you’re making a dish that uses
broccoli, the common method of making use of it is to cut off the stalks
and leave the stem. But the stem is equally delicious and nutritious.
Just cut it up into smaller pieces and toss it into the pan.
3. Baking with recipes
If you’re baking, recipes are the law. Of
course, you can experiment and try new things, but following the recipe
can help you avoid disasters like sunken souffle and burnt bread.
4. Cooking with recipes
Unlike baking, which is heavily based on a
formula to ensure the consistency of your baked goods, cooking doesn’t
need as much precision. You can use recipes like road maps and tweak
them to your flavor preference.
5. When the blade falls
Any chef will tell you, a knife that’s
falling is a knife without a handle. If the knife slips out of your
hand, you and everyone in the vicinity should take a step back away from
the drop zone and let it fall before you pick it up. You’re much more
likely to cut yourself trying to catch it mid-air.
6. Try scissors instead!
Any fan of street food has probably seen
chefs cutting meat with scissors. This actually makes the cuts cleaner,
leaves less of a mess, and it’s quick! Many types of meat, vegetables,
and dough can be cut with scissors, and it’s also an easy way to cut the
crust off a slice of pizza.
7. Electric or gas stove?
It's not so much a question of which is
better, it’s about keeping in mind the temperatures. Most electric
stoves run hotter than gas stoves, so a high setting in an electric
stove will burn your dish while the same setting on a gas stove will
sear your dish quite nicely.
8. Salting is an art
Depending on what you’re making, the time
at which you add salt can drastically change the flavor of your dish.
Check existing recipes just to learn whether the dish requires salt to
be added early or later into the process of making your dish. Also,
avoid adding salt to the pan directly from the container or a spoon. Let
it go from your hand to the pan in small measured amounts.
9. No salt? No problem!
In case you run out of salt on one
frightful and unexpected occasion, don’t panic. Fish sauce or soy sauce
can both work well to add saltiness to your dish and also give it an
umami flavor. Since the flavor is concentrated in both sauces, a small
amount is enough which will also reduce the sodium content of your dish.
10. Scraping with knives
After chopping vegetables, the easiest way
to gets every bit of your chopped veggies from the chopping board into
your pot is by scraping them into the pot using the back of your knife.
Never use the sharp end of the blade as it will make the blade dull.
11. Frying with olive oil
It’s not advisable to fry items with olive
oil, though it can handle relatively high temperatures. Extra Virgin
Olive Oil has a very low smoke point so it cannot be used for frying or
heated too much. Too much heat will cause Extra Virgin Olive Oil to
break down.
12. Pasta perfection
Making pasta is relatively simple. You boil
the pasta, strain it, and add it to a delicious homemade sauce. The
next time you’re making pasta, add a little bit of the pasta water used
for boiling the pasta to the sauce before mixing it. This will ensure
that, when you mix it, the sauce sticks to the pasta better and enhances
the flavor.
13. Heat the pan
Whatever you're planning to cook on the
stove, from pancakes to chili, here’s one rule you should always
remember: never put any ingredients in a cold pan. Put the pan on the
stove to heat while you prep the ingredients. Always start cooking your
dish on a hot pan.
14. Keep your towel close
A towel is your best friend in the kitchen,
for quickly drying wet utensils or cleaning surfaces when needed. To
make sure you can keep your hand towel handy, simply slip it through a
belt or tuck it either between your belt and pants or into the inner
lining of your pants. This will ensure it’s close to you in case of any
spill or emergency.