They say if you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re in the wrong room. Learning how to use pots and pans takes a lot of time and effort, but having an expert guide you makes it much easier. like your dad. Or grandma.
Recently, a Reddit user u/ whoopsie whoopsie make post On the platform, we ask everyone to reveal their most precious family cooking tips. Sharing is really caring. From making the most of leftovers to adding extra oomph to your dishes, keep scrolling to check it out!
My grandma kept butter wrappers in the fridge and used the leftover butter on them to grease her food when baking. She can’t help but stockpile rappers. Really convenient.
Add a dash of fish sauce to stews and sauces that need umami. It’s basically liquid anchovies.
Sprinkle with sea salt just before or after baking the cookies. Extra salt brings out more flavor and balances the sweetness.
Cook the onions – slow cook the onions (sauté). Then add a tomato, cook that tomato, slow cook that tomato.
Uncle Arthur’s trick is to “be clean while cooking!”
Not sure if that’s a hint, but my Papa Searcy used to microwave bacon in old newspaper…it was always delicious! In hindsight, it’s probably bad for you and you shouldn’t do it.
My family owns a catering business and it started with my grandparents coming to the state from Portugal. One thing I’ve learned to greatly improve my diet is adding butter to my noodles (for fresh pasta like spaghetti).
Add citrus zest for extra flavor and acidity. Especially the sauces/salsa…even desserts!
Add plenty of salt when boiling pasta or potatoes, or when boiling vegetables
I thought it was pretty common to add cocoa powder to chili.
I like adding apple cider to my baked beans and a little cinnamon to my chocolate cake.
Adding a pinch of nutmeg to anything with dairy in it doesn’t taste like nutmeg, but it makes the dairy richer and tastier.
Do not hollow out the bread bowl. Tuck the inner pan down to thicken the bottom. This prevents leaks and stickiness.
If a dish feels monotonous, it is often lacking in acidity. A dash of white Modena vinegar, for example, is the secret to my red sauce, which is acidic in nature.
My mom used to add plain seltzer to her matzo balls…she said it made them fluffier.
When making the meringue, rub a lemon wedge inside the mixing bowl. It works better than cream of tartare and yields a more stable meringue.
Adding Worcestershire sauce, a dash of soy sauce, and Dijon mustard to pan-fried chicken livers will make them apotheosis (don’t forget the caramelized onions, chicken stock, garlic, and mushrooms).
You can avoid watery eyes by soaking a sharp knife and an onion in water. (puts bread in mouth).
Keep in mind that I come from a very Midwestern Scandinavian family.
Always peel the chickpeas before cooking (after soaking in water for 24 hours). This makes for easier digestion and a creamier hummus (never use canned, of course).
You may be using too much flour in your yeast dough. Many recipes say it shouldn’t be sticky. On the contrary, you want it to be a little mushy and sticky before you let it rest.
Also, no flour is used to keep the dough from sticking to your hands.using vegetable oil
Bacon is always better when cooked in the oven. It’s important to put the bacon in before turning on the oven.Preheating the oven will cause the bacon to stick to the parchment paper.
Not only do I add cocoa powder to the chili (perfectly), but I also throw in 5 green cardamom pods. Fish them out after cooking or warn people they’re there. Even after hours of cooking, they are still a strong flavor (not unpleasant per se, just a bit dissonant to chew).
For as long as I can remember, every woman in my family put a large spoonful of mayonnaise in their mashed potatoes (including me).
If you use animal fat instead of oil for cooking, the animal fat can take up more heat.
Instead of milk, vanilla or plain full-fat yogurt is used in French toast bath salts.
Perfect every time.
MSG makes everything better. I add salt to the meat when seasoning it. It also helps make ripe tomatoes pop by highlighting his naturally occurring MSG. Keep this in mind when making tomato salads or tomato sandwiches.
Cooking carrots in bolognese, ragu, or tomato-based/heavy dishes (do it in curries if you have tomatoes) will break down the acidity. does not cause
My wife was stunned to discover that I put lemon juice in my pancake batter after 25 years together.
Moderately aged balsamic vinegar adds depth to just about anything! I’ve been using it for 25 years on literally just about everything, chili, spaghetti, etc. It’s a great addition and you only need a little bit.
Something to keep in mind for next Thanksgiving: If your deviled egg mixture is too runny, adding instant mashed potato flakes will improve the consistency without ruining the texture or flavor. increase.
I use sour cream when making pie crust. very!
There is no green leafy vegetable or legume that cannot be cooked this way.
Fry the onions in the bacon fat. Add red pepper flakes. Add broth. Add smoked turkey necks (or wings if you want meat). Simmer until meat is almost tender, add vegetables/beans and cook until they are done. Season, possibly with adobo.
A trinity of green beans, collards, kale, white kidney bean soup, black beans, lima beans and onions gets you started with red beans and rice. prize.
When cooking, use Rachoi soy sauce instead of salt. It adds more depth and more umami. It’s also gluten-free (most soy sauces aren’t)
When making chicken and dumplings, remove the chicken from the pan before grilling the dumplings and finally stir again! Also, dumplings should be made with biscuits, and canned biscuits are not disgusting. If you simmer gyoza without using dashi stock, the gyoza will be just the right amount of thickness.
For deviled eggs – substitute whipped cream cheese or avocado for mayonnaise. Not only are they more versatile in spices and flavors, they also contain more fiber, calcium and protein than they would otherwise.
A can of condensed milk in mashed potatoes works ridiculously well. It is unsweetened, not sweetened. The shelves are stable, so if you unexpectedly need to make a side, you can make mashed potatoes.
No one here likes American sour cream, so we don’t have it and crema doesn’t work as well.
If you add brown sugar for flavor (not for scientific reasons), you should add a little maple syrup.If you find an extract, use that instead. Punch the flavor of brown sugar without being too maple syrup flavor.
Use “fancy” liquor to add flavor to your baking. If you don’t really drink alcohol, it’s a good way to use them up.
Be sure to taste the roux before adding anything else. You’ll know if it’s out of balance, so you can adjust it before it’s added to the dish or ruins the flavor.
The tollbooth chocolate chip bag chocolate chip cookie recipe is legitimately pretty good in a pinch.
All tomato-based sauces require a pinch of sugar and a little cinnamon.
I added some maple syrup to the peppers.
Sprinkle pizza bread with garlic powder instead of cornmeal.
