Cooking tips galore

Posted on | March 4, 2010

What? More cooking tips?

Well, really, can you ever have enough? No, I don’t think so.

1. No single purpose gadgets allowed. If it’s taking up space in your kitchen, it needs to be able to do more than just one thing. A Microplane is the best lemon zester, garlic mincer, and Parmesan grater around.

2. I use vinegar and baking soda on ALL of my caked-on food messes. It lifts the stains/food right off my pans every time…

3. Season as you go.

4. Prep all ingredients before hand, so that you can keep pace. Unless you are sure that you can do the prep will the recipe is going. I tend to chop slower than most, so I need extra time with no stress.

5. More like a life tip? If you don’t already– learn to enjoy cooking for one.

6. Don’t be afraid to improvise with flavor combinations. Add in whatever you have laying around or leftover in the fridge. Everything benefits from more vegetables!

7. keep it clean…clean as you go!

8. Start any cooking event with a sink full of soapy water so that you can put pans, etc. in there for a quick soap or long-lasting soak. For me and my tiny kitchen, this is a great help.

9. I dice onion, peppers, garlic, etc. ahead of time and freeze so that I can toss into soups and sauces and save a step. I also freeze fresh herbs in ice cube pans with water. Nothing like the flavor of fresh basil in the winter!

10. Cut the water you use in pie dough with half vodka. For real! You see, water + flour makes gluten, which is what makes pie doughs tough, which is why everyone freaks out about how much water to add. BUT, alcohol *doesn’t* make gluten. So you can use half vodka (which won’t make it taste boozy, although more might), and the rest water, and you can actually use a sane amount of liquid to produce a manageable pie crust, with no freaking out about too much liquid. Sweet! (Got this from Cook’s Illustrated, where else?)

These cooking tips were from readers. If you would like to add to our cooking tip extravaganza, please, please do.

And, hey, thanks!