100 WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR COOKING

TOOLS

• Get a good chef knife that fits your hand, and keep it sharp.
• You don’t need a whole set of knives; along with the chef knife, get a paring knife for peeling vegetables and fruits and a serrated knife for slicing bread.
• Liquid and dry measuring cups are different. Liquid ones have a spout. Use the flat-topped ones for measuring baking ingredients.
• Using an electronic thermometer helps prevent dry or raw meats caused by overcooking. Cook to temperature, not by time.
• Cooks need a wooden spoon with a flat side to stir, a whisk to beat eggs, and a silicone spatula to scrape bowls.
• Use a Microplane® to zest citrus and grate garlic and ginger.
• Calibrate your oven with a thermometer.
• Nothing is better for browning than a cast-iron skillet.
• Buy quality cookware, but you don’t need an entire set. Basics: 1-quart and 3-quart covered saucepans, 10-inch skillet, (enameled) cast-iron gumbo pot, and a 6- to 8-quart pasta pot. Add pieces as needed: maybe a 6-inch nonstick skillet for your breakfast egg?
• Watch thrift stores to find heavy ceramic (e.g., Pampered Chef) baking pans.
• For next-level baking, get a tare scale, which weighs the container, then the ingredients.

PROTEINS

• Trichinosis is rare in the U.S. Cook whole pork cuts to 145 degrees, and ground pork and beef to 160 degrees.
• Cook hamburgers until no pink shows.
• Prevent the green ring around hard-cooked egg yolks. As soon as they are cooked, transfer eggs to a bowl of ice water. Refrigerate when they become cool to the touch.
• Eggs are easier to peel if they’re at least a week old.
• Cook a chicken breast or two quickly and evenly by poaching in a skillet.
• Save wing tips and bones of rotisserie chickens for broth. Add half an onion, a celery stalk, a carrot, a bay leaf and some black peppercorns. Cover with water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for at least an hour. Don’t stir. Strain and refrigerate. Remove fat from the top the next day, then freeze.
• Save shrimp and crab shells. Cover them with water, then bring to a boil and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Strain, then freeze to be used in pastas, soups and sauces later.

FRUIT & VEGGIE TIPS

• A sautéed chopped onion enhances any boxed or canned entrée or side dish.
• Remove the bitter green sprout from garlic cloves.
• If chopped onion is too strong, rinse it with cold water.
• If you live alone, buy the biggest potato to bake. Remainders reheat well in the microwave.
• Cook spaghetti squash in rings instead of halves to yield more “spaghetti” and to lessen cooking time.
• To seed a tomato, cut it across the middle and hold over the sink. Gently squeeze, then shake.
• Use a grapefruit spoon to remove seeds from cucumbers and to scrape seeds from hard squashes.
• Rinse herbs and lettuce with water, then shake off the water and spread them on a dish towel. Roll up and let sit until ready to use.
• Line salad bowl with a paper towel; remove towel before adding dressing.
• A minced fresh chile is the secret ingredient in many chefs’ dishes and gumbos. Add with onions.
• If chopping vegetables in the food processor, start by dropping garlic (or a fresh chile) down the tube while the processor is running, to mince in seconds.
• To remove the skins of peaches or tomatoes: Drop each into boiling water for 10-30 seconds, or until the skin splits. Transfer to an ice-water bath and the skins will slip off.
• Grow a fresh herb or two in a pot and place it in a sunny spot. Garlic chives reseed, grow all year and can be used dozens of ways, such as a substitute for scallion tops.
• Lemons and limes yield more juice at room temperature. Or you can heat them for 15 seconds in the microwave to soften.
• Buy pure frozen Minute Maid lemon juice to use for lemon-less emergencies.
• Freeze extra peeled or minced garlic. Or puree 1 part garlic with 2 parts oil and freeze in an airtight container.

NEVER

• Put good knives in dishwashers.
• Refrigerate tomatoes (until they’re sliced).
• Never leave the kitchen with a broiler on.
• Leave a knife in the sink.
• Cook anything for the first time for company or a date.
• Be afraid of failure.

ALWAYS

• Read through the entire recipe first.
• Buy the best ingredients you can afford.
• Taste a finished dish. Adjust seasoning if needed.
• Use real butter, vanilla and extracts.
• Remove the bay leaf

SEASONING SECRETS

• Add more garlic.
• Taste as you go.
• Salt brings out the flavor of food. Unless you have a medical reason not to use it, it’s your BFF in the kitchen.
• Measure one teaspoon of salt and place it in the cupped palm of your hand. Remember how this looks and you won’t need a measuring spoon.
• Beans should be salted before cooking. It won’t toughen them; they’ll taste better and they won’t need nearly as much salt when finished.
• For the best-tasting pasta, salt cooking water well.
• Plan ahead: Most one-pot dishes are better the second day.
• Use jarred bases instead of bouillon cubes. They’re more flavorful and dissolve easier.
• A pinch of cinnamon or cloves deepens the flavor of chili.
• Tomato sauces need a little sugar to counter acidity. Or add grated carrots.
• Coleslaw needs a pinch of sugar.
• Olive oil is for salad. Canola oil is for frying.
• Sometimes a shower of fresh herbs is just what a dish needs.
• Experiment with seasoning blends.
• If you discover a missing ingredient, ask Mr. Google what to substitute.

LITTLE THINGS ADD LOTS

• Brighten long-simmered dishes with grated citrus zest added just before serving.
• Lemon juice on fresh-cooked veggies can entice kids to eat them.
• Toast nuts until fragrant.
• Toast whole spices in a dry skillet until fragrant, then grind.
• To brown meats and onions, give them time to cook. Don’t constantly stir.
• When browning more than one thing in a skillet, leave space between pieces or they’ll steam instead of browning.
• A little chopped Italian parsley improves a lot of things.
• Make salad dressing from 1 part vinegar, 3 parts oil and a bit of Dijon mustard to emulsify. (Balsamic vinegar can be used in a 1 to 2 ratio with oil.) Add herbs.
• Better mashed potatoes: Drain spuds, return to the pan and put back on the heat for a minute to remove moisture.
• Refrigerate cookie dough 24 hours before baking to improve flavors.
• Use coffee instead of water in chocolate cake.
• Separate yolks from whites while eggs are cold.
• Egg whites whip better at room temperature.
• Chill beaters and bowl before whipping cream.
• A drop of crab boil improves hot dogs.
• Don’t overload a pizza with too many toppings.
• If you brown onions and browned bits are on the bottom of the skillet, add a little liquid like water or wine. When the liquid and bits are dissolved, you can blend and then scrape that flavor right into the dish.
• Moisture is the enemy of browning. Dry surfaces with paper towels before roasting or sautéing.
• When baking, use the pan size indicated in the recipe.
• Run a dish under the broiler for a crispy top.
• Use broth when a recipe calls for water.
• Water can also mean “wine.”
• Yogurt (whole-fat plain) is a good substitute for milk or mayonnaise. Use a mixture of half mayo and half yogurt to lighten pasta and potato salads.
• Add bay leaves to soups, stews and beans.
• As long as you pay attention, you can crank up the heat.

GET ORGANIZED

• Maintain an inventory of freezer contents on your phone.
• Keep a running shopping list.
• Write a weekly menu, or an outline of entrées.
• Prep all ingredients before starting to cook.
• Fill a sink with hot soapy water and clean as you cook.
• A damp kitchen towel spread under a cutting board prevents slipping.
• Use a reliable encyclopedic cookbook, such as Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything
• Don’t be afraid of failure. Cooking requires practice.

STORAGE & LEFTOVERS

• Vegetables deteriorate in the presence of oxygen. Press air from storage bags just before sealing them.
• Freeze leftover hot dog buns for bread pudding.
• Make extra rice. Freeze portions in sandwich bags; store in a gallon freezer bag.
• Use sweet pickle juice in potato salad and dill pickle juice in marinades and salad dressing.
• Line a soup bowl with plastic wrap and fill it with leftover soup. Freeze; remove from bowl and close up ends of plastic wrap. Reheat in the original bowl.
• Slice and freeze extra French bread to toast for crostini.

BE HAPPY

• If you hate mincing garlic or making pie crust, get the jarred or boxed kind. Real is better, sure, but you’ll be happier and cook more.