Favorite Kitchen Tips and Tricks

Happy Friday everyone! How did your week go? We had some gorgeous weather (back in the mid 70s – huh??) I got out for a wine-tasting night with some of my new MOPS friends (best decision I ever made joining that group,) and my little bugger boo and I got some QT in with nature. It was all fun and games until I heard what sounded like chips crunching only to look over and see a leaf hanging out Lincoln’s mouth. Where’s the laugh/cry emoji when you need it? (Honestly I feel like that emoji pretty much sums up my entire life. Which one can you relate to most?)

In anticipation of colder weather ahead, and needing some new indoor entertainment ideas, I also got Lincoln got a bird feeder for the back yard this week. He already loves looking out our family room windows to watch all the “bir” pecking away at the bird seed. Now that was all fun and games until I put the leftover seed bag in a cupboard in our outdoor kitchen and a family of squinnies decided to team up and tear it all to shreds. That called for the streaming tears while screaming emoji.

#mybad

Anyway, I’m really excited to share today’s post! My #1 favorite part of writing IGE is getting emails or comments like, “I made this dish for my husband last night and he said it was the best thing I ever made him!” Sweet, sweet small victories! Another thing I love is sharing kitchen tips and tricks I’ve learned along the way that make cooking and my life in the kitchen a little bit easier. Every “I’ve never heard/seen/thought of that before!” makes me shout a little hooray! in my mind.

Usually I sprinkle tips within the step-by-step instructions of a blog post, so they can get buried. That said, I decided to comb through the IGE archives and round up all my favorite tips from over the years. I’d love to hear your tips, tricks, and even kitchen hacks that you swear by too, so leave those in the comments section.

Hope you enjoy, maybe learn a thing or two, and have a great weekend!

Tip #1

Scoop leftover tomato paste into a plastic baggie, separate into portions with your fingertip, and then freeze flat. Break off a chunk the next time you need a little for a recipe (same goes for chipotle peppers in adobo sauce.) Since tomato paste is so sticky it’s easier to scoop it into a bag then into a ice cube tray. 

Tip #2

Chop big pieces of lettuce quickly and easily by zipping through them with a pizza cutter right in the salad bowl. 

Tip #3

Clean a microwave faster and easier by nuking 2 cups water in a microwave safe vessel for 2 minutes then wiping down the insides with a clean cloth. Add a wedge or two of lemon to the water for some real cleaning power!

Tip #4

Freeze soft cheese like fresh mozzarella for 15 minutes to make it easier to slice or shred. 

Tip #5

To easily strip kale leaves from stems, grip the leaves at the thickest end of the stem then pull the stem out with the other hand (kind of like stripping fresh thyme leaves from the stem.) 

Tip #6

To stuff cupcakes with filling or colored frosting, cut a cone from the top with a small knife at an angle. Cut off the cone from the lid, fill, top, and then frost! 

 

Tip #7

No need to peel garlic cloves if you have a garlic press. Just pop the whole clove in the hopper, press, and then remove the empty peel.

Tip #8

Easily slice big-leafed herbs like basil and sage by stacking, rolling, and then slicing across into ribbons. 

Tip #9

To prevent quinoa from falling through your fine mesh sieve while rinsing, run the sieve under water first to create a barrier between the quinoa and mesh. 

Tip #10

If your grill’s got a little gunk on it and you can’t find the grill brush, crinkle up a big sheet of foil then rub it along the grates before lighting the grill.

Tip #11

To ensure chicken breasts cook evenly from top to bottom, place the chicken on a cutting board then cover with Glad Press’n’ Seal or saran wrap, and then whack it with a rolling pin or meat mallet until the chicken is the same thickness.

Tip #12

Always peel hard-boiled eggs when they’re freshly cooked. If you refrigerate with the shell on then try to remove it later it’s nearly impossible to peel. 

Tip #13

Place dough that need to rise in a bowl over a heating pad set to low for even, consistent heat.

Tip #14

Use measuring cups or a cookie scoop to pour out pancakes, muffins, cupcakes, etc to ensure they all come out the same size. 

Tip #15

Pierce hard squash with a sharp knife two or three times then microwave for 1 – 1-1/2 minutes to make it easier to slice open and deseed. 

Easy Kitchen Organizing Tips

• Stash plastic bags in empty paper towel tubes, hanging bag holders or even fold them so they take up less room yet still convenient to grab and go. Find plenty of projects on this page.
• A crock can be used to hold frequently needed utensils and set on the counter for easy access (wooden spoons, spatulas, soup ladles, etc.). Also helps keep the large utensils drawer better sorted since less is packed inside (dividers or shallow baskets come in handy here). Can also hang a wall basket to stash lightweight larger items.
• Store a hand mixer, its beaters and attachments into a basket before tucking away into a cupboard. No more fussing with wrapping cords, digging around for attachments-everything is neatly tucked in the basket. This works for all kinds of small appliances and their attachments (electric knives, food choppers, electric juicers, etc.). (Source: Marilyn Bohn).
• Spices can take up a lot of precious space–get them off the shelf and up on the wall. Mount a spice rack inside the pantry on a wall or hang a narrow basket shelf inside the door (not over the stove, heat degrades the quality of stored herbs and spices).
• A well stocked and sorted pantry will save time, money and effort. See Beginner Guide to Pantry Pride for helpful information. Fabric totes, plastic bins, big glass jars can be used as containers. Also see Martha Stewart’s list of How To Stock Home Essentials.
• Consider stashing measuring cups right in the bins along with the sugar, flour, etc. If you have big bins, consider sticking the sifter right in with the flour too. Great trick and no more digging for lost measuring cups!
• Use shallow tubs and boxes to contain like items in the refrigerator (idea from Susiej). Just pull out the tub and grab what’s needed (condiments box for relish, etc.). No more digging through the fridge trying to find that elusive jar of mustard!
• Keep pouches of dry soup mixes, seasonings, etc., in small bins (empty margarine tubs work great) or baskets…now they’re neat & tidy in one place.
• Insert kitchen reference charts and favorite recipes in clear plastic sleeves then hang on the inside of cupboard doors for easy access. They can easily be wiped clean and frequently referenced info will be right at your fingertips.
• Pack lids for plastic containers or Tupperware in a clear tub or large ziploc bags so it’s easy to see just where the required lid is…no more rampaging foot loose and fancy free!
• Get the knife block off the counter by installing a magnetic bar along a back counter wall–will hold knives securely. A magnetic bar can be installed on the pantry wall to hold small tools (screwdriver, pliers, etc.) or make a hanging tool organizer found on this page.
• Lazy susans are a great tool to store like things together and you’ll know just where to grab what’s needed.
• Cup hooks: Affix to the inside of cupboard doors and on pantry walls. Hang things like measuring spoons, large bbq & kitchen utensils (with straps or holes for hanging), trivets, etc.
• Ziploc bags neatly carry small like-items (like twisty ties, corn cob handles, etc.) then stash all the bags together in a basket or tub.
• Utilize the space underneath cupboards by installing a paper towel or plastic wrap holder, knife holders, etc.
• Charts or magnets will nicely track food items in the freezer…you’ll be able to keep on top of what should be eaten soon (less to throw out).
• A bamboo steamer makes an ideal countertop food container, stash bulbs of garlic, onions, shallots, and other items that don’t require refrigeration and need ventilation. (Source: Martha Stewart).

Kitchen Tips and Tricks That Nobody Told You About

If you’re anything like me, you spend a lot of time planning meals and preparing food, making all of those helpful kitchen tips and tricks that save you time (and your sanity) worth knowing! And so, I have rounded up some of the best kitchen tips that just might have you saying “Why didn’t I think of that?”. I certainly wish I had known these a long time ago!

A few of these “secrets” I know I will use often (like fishing out broken egg shells and freezing leftover sauces). Whether you’re a workaholic who barley has time to open the fridge, a busy stay-at-home mom, or are in the running for your own show on The Food Network, I think you’ll find a few hacks here that will make life easier!

1. Grate Cold Butter

I haven’t tried this little trick just yet, but I love the idea! Your stick of butter has to be close to frozen for it to work, and you must work fast to keep it from melting, but the grated butter is perfect for adding to flour before baking biscuits, scones, muffins, etc.. It also makes the butter melt much faster, so if your butter is too cold to spread, consider grating it first and then topping toast, veggies, or a baked potato!

2. Egg Freshness Test

I eat too many eggs for them to ever go bad, but this sure is good to know. I got so excited when I saw this, I dug into my fridge to test it for myself. My eggs seemed to be 4-6 days old — good enough! You’re probably wondering how this works, and yes, there is some science behind it. Eggshells are porous, allowing air to slowly get in over time. As more air enters the egg, it gets lighter and lighter, which explains why it will eventually float.

3. Freeze Ice Pops The Smart Way

I don’t know about you, but I’ve always called these things Otter Pops! I grew up with a freezer full of them in the summer. I especially loved the jumbo ones I could get from the ice cream truck that circled my neighborhood. Our scissors were always sticky with melted popsicle syrup. Too bad I didn’t think of this then!

Essential Kitchen Tricks and Tips Part 2

13. USE A SCALE FOR BAKING

There are two reasons to use a precise scale when baking: accuracy and efficiency.

Using volumetric cup measures is extremely inaccurate for compressible foods like flour. Depending on your scooping or sifting method, a cup of flour can weight anywhere between four and six ounces. That's a difference of 50 percent! With a scale, on the other hand, you know that your cup of flour is exactly the same time after time, giving you better, more consistent results. On Serious Eats, our standard cup conversion is five ounces of all-purpose flour per cup.

A scale will also save you clean up! Rather than using different cups to measure out every ingredient, just place a bowl on your scale, and measure directly into the work bowl as you go. For instance, when making a pizza dough, I know I can add 1 kilogram of flour, 700 grams of water, 25 grams of salt, and 10 grams of yeast and have a dough that will behave exactly as I expect it to, all with only a single bowl to clean.

14. THE MICROPLANE IS YOUR FRIEND

Microplane graters are great for taking zest off of citrus fruit. They're also great for grating ginger. They're great for grating garlic (I haven't owned a garlic press in years). They're great for creating a blanket of grated cheese over your pasta or pizza. They're great for grating whole nutmeg. They're just great. You can be great too, but you'll need a microplane to get there.

15. MAKE YOUR VINAGRETTES IN SQUEEZE BOTTLES

How do I ensure that I get enough salads in my diet? By always having some great dressing on hand in a ready-to-dress squeeze bottle in the fridge door. The easiest way to do this is to write the recipe directly on the side of a squeeze bottle, drawing lines for each ingredients. Whenever I run out, I don't even have to pull out my measuring spoons or cups.

For instance, to make my Soy-Balsamic Vinaigrette, I add some garlic, chopped shallot, dijon mustard, and a pinch of salt and pepper to the bottom of the bottle, then fill the canola oil to line one, the extra virgin olive oil to line two, the balsamic to line three, the sherry vinegar to line four, and soy sauce to the top. Put the lid on, shake it up, and we're ready to get dressed.

16. BUY DELI CONTAINERS WITH MATCHING LIDS

I used to have storage anxiety. Every time I opened up my tupperware cabinet, I knew I'd be faced with a baffling array of containers in all shapes and sizes, none of which would have a matching lid. But no more. These days, I order inexpensive packages of plastic deli-style containers in three different sizes (half pint, pint, and quart) to take care of 90 percent of my storage needs. It's easy to see what's inside them, they're flexible, which makes them great makeshift pourers and funnels, they stack super-efficiently, they're dishwasher safe and reusable, they have tight-fitting tops, and best of all, provided you stick with one brand, they all use the exact same lid.

I go with Reditainer Deli Food Containers with Lids, which cost under 50¢ apiece.

17. TASTE MEATLOAF, MEATBALL, AND SAUSAGE MIXTURES BEFORE YOU SHAPE THEM

[Photograph: Joshua Bousel]

There might be worse things than spending the time to make a full-blown meatloaf only to discover that it doesn't have enough salt in it, but I can't think of any off hand.

Here's the trick: when making meatloaf, sausage, or meatballs, take a small chunk of your mixture and fry it in a skillet (or even faster, microwave it for 10 to 15 seconds) and taste. Adjust seasoning levels in the mixture accordingly.

18. PARTIALLY FREEZE MEAT BEFORE CUTTING

[Photograph: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt]

Slicing meat to grind or cook in a stir-fry can be tricky even with a sharp knife. To make it easier, place the meat in the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes to stiffen it up.

19. KEEP YOUR KNIVES SHARP

Serious Eats Sweets Site Editor Carrie says that sharp knives are her jam. Having sharp knives is not only safer (your knife is less likely to slip off a vegetable and into your finger), but it just makes cooking so much more pleasurable when you can fly through your slicing, dicing, and chopping tasks.

For most home cooks, sharpening should be done once or twice a year. If you're up for the task, you can get yourself some stones and do it yourself, though most folks will opt to take their knives to a professional. Whatever you do, don't use those awful electric grinding machines which will strip off far more metal than is necessary, wearing your knife down and shortening its useful lifespan.

Even with a sharp knife, you'll want to hone the blade by stroking it across a steel to align any microscopic dings and bends before each use.

20. SAVE YOUR PARMESAN RINDS

Save your Parmesan rinds (or any hard cheese rind) after you finish off the cheese and store it in a sealed bag in the freezer. It can be used to add intense flavor to broths, soups, and stews by adding it to the simmering liquid for 20 to 30 minutes, like in this 30-Minute Pasta and Bean Soup.

21. USE MOZZARELLA OR FETA LIQUID AS THE BASE FOR PASTA SAUCE

Here's one from Serious Eats Overlord Ed:

I discovered a great kitchen shortcut the other night on the Vineyard: using the water some feta cheese comes in as the base of a cheesy sauce for pasta. You pour the water in from the container into the same pot you used to make the pasta while it's still hot, put in little pieces of cheese (I used feta and goat), and presto, you've got a winner of a pasta sauce. Adding a few raw in-season cherry tomato halves and/or some fresh corn kernels shaved off the cob to the cheese sauce and you've got something seriously delicious.

22. STORE GREENS AND HERBS WITH A DAMP PAPER TOWEL

Don't you hate it when you open up the vegetable drawer and spot that plastic produce bag at the bottom that's filled with green slime that used to be herbs? You can extend the lifespan of washed herbs and greens by several days by rolling them up in damp paper towels and placing them in zipper-lock bags with the seals left slightly open.

The paper towels will even give you a built-in freshness indicator. At the first hint of decay, you'll see darker spots of liquid forming on the paper towels. This is a good sign that you should use up your herbs and greens within a day or two.

For chopped or picked herbs, store them in a small deli container with a folded up damp paper towel on top of them.

23. DON'T BE AFRAID OF SALT, BUT DON'T FORGET THE ACID

Oopsie. [Photograph: Jiri Hera/Shutterstock]

We all know that restaurant food tastes great because chefs season things with salt at every stage of the process. You should be doing this at home too!

But here's another secret: balancing acid is just as important as getting salt levels right when it comes to making things delicious. A squeeze of lemon juice in your sautéed vegetables will brighten them up (try them in mushrooms with a dash of soy sauce and you'll have the mushroomiest-tasting mushrooms you've ever tasted). A dash of vinegar can alter your soup or stew from heavy and leaden to fresh and flavorful. I keep several different types of acid on hand at all times—lemons, limes, white vinegar, red wine vinegar, sherry vinegar, and rice wine vinegar for starters—and use them judiciously when the occasion calls for it.

24. USE EGG SHELLS TO REMOVE EGG SHELLS

The empty half of an egg shell is the best tool to extract stubborn bits of cracked shells that have ended up in the bowl. As Niki says, "They're like magnets!"

Essential Kitchen Tricks and Tips Part 1

WHAT KITCHEN SHORT CUTS AM I MISSING?

I have owned a food processor for almost a decade but only recently tried out the cheese grater attachment - and instantly felt like a complete idiot for wasting countless hours of my life grating cheese by hand. I am sure there must be many other techniques i haven't tried that will also make me feel like an idiot: do you have any suggestions?

—Sent by rondertaker

Things to make you not fee like an idiot, eh? I always follow the Dwight Schrute model for not feeling like an idiot: Whenever I'm about to do something, I think, would an idiot do that? and if they would, I do not do that thing.

But what you're asking is more difficult. What are some things that non-idiots do regularly that idiots would not think to do?

I can't claim to be 100 percent qualified to answer that question (my idiocy is still TBD), but I can give you a short list of some of the tricks I find most useful in the kitchen. I'm sure that you guys all have some great tips too, so please leave them in the comments so we can all benefit from your non-idiocy!

1. PEEL GINGER WITH A SPOON

Ginger can be tricky to peel with all its bumps and irregularities. Rather than using a paring knife or vegetable peeler, reach for the spoon. Scrape it against the skin and it'll come right off, following every contour and minimizing waste.

2. GET AN IMMERSION BLENDER

I use my immersion blender more than any other electric tool in the kitchen by a long shot. Whether it's puréeing soups directly in the pot, getting rid of ugly lumps in my cheese sauce, or making mayonnaise or hollandaise in under two minutes, the immersion blender is the tool for the job.

Much easier to clean than a countertop blender or food processor, no need to transport hot ingredients from a pot to the blender jar, and the ability to work with even small quantities of ingredients (provided you have a cup that fits its head properly) make it an invaluable asset.

3. KEEP A SMALL STRAINER FOR CITRUS

I keep a small handled-strainer in my tool crock next to the stove so that I can quickly cut a lemon or lime in half and squeeze it directly through the strainer into the pot. Much easier than picking out seeds afterwards! Oh, and you do keep a crock full of common tools by the stovetop, don't you?

4. USE THAT SAME SMALL STRAINER FOR EGGS

That same strainer can be used to make perfectly shaped poached eggs. How? Crack the eggs into the strainer over the sink and swirl them around gently to remove the excess watery white. What's left will be a tight, egg-shaped egg that poaches up clean. You can use the same trick to make picture-perfect, billboard glamour-shot-ready fried eggs. Check out the video above for more details.

5. THINK LIKE A FACTORY LINE, AND WORK CLEAN

When working with beginning cooks, the most common inefficiency I see is in task planning. Say you've got four onions that need to be peeled, finely diced, and transferred to a large bowl. If you do each of these steps to each onion one at a time, you spend a lot of time moving back and forth between the board, the compost bin, and the bowl, picking up and putting down your knife, and mentally preparing yourself for the next task.

Instead, work like a factory: start by cutting off the end and splitting all of the onions. Next peel all of the onions. Then make all of your horizontal cuts, followed by all of your vertical cuts. Finally, transfer all of your perfect dice to the bowl and clean down your board and countertop before you move on to the next task.

Apply this kind of thinking to all of your tasks and you'll find that the time you spend in the kitchen will not only be more efficient, but also neater, cleaner, and more organized.

6. USE A GARBAGE BOWL AND A BENCH SCRAPER

New York Site Editor Max recommends always having a garbage bowl near your work station. I wholeheartedly agree, and I'd add that a bench scraper is an essential piece kit as well. Not having to walk back and forth to the garbage every few minutes can take a lot of drudgery our of your prep, and nothing's better than a bench scraper for moving large quantities of fiddly ingredients or scraps from point A to point B.

7. FREEZE LIQUIDS IN USEABLE PORTIONS!

Serious Eats Drinks Site Editor Maggie Hoffman says that she freezes wine in ice cube trays and stores them in the freezer, ready to be pulled out one at a time and added to pan sauces and stews, saving you from having to open a whole bottle every time a recipe calls for some wine.

Similarly, if you make yourself a large batch of stock, freeze it in convenient portion sizes in the freezer—ice cube trays and half-pint deli containers are great for this—then transfer them to a plastic freezer bag to be pulled out an used whenever you need fresh stock.

8. FREEZE AS FLAT AS POSSIBLE

One more freezer trick: freeze things flat and stack them. Whether it's soups, stews, or ground meat, the flatter and wider you can get them, the faster they'll freeze and defrost, which not only makes you more efficient, it also improves the quality of the food (the longer something takes to freeze, the more cellular damage it will suffer).

When freezing raw meat, soups, and stews, if you have a vacuum sealer, use it! Otherwise, place foods in heavy-duty freezer bags, squeeze out all the air, lay the bag flat, and use your hands to work the contents into as flat and even a shape as possible.

When freezing vegetables, cut them into pieces 1-inch or less and blanch any green vegetables. Place them on a large plate or sheet tray spaced apart from each other and freeze them solid before transferring to a plastic freezer bag and storing flat.

9. DEFROST MEAT ON ALUMINUM TRAYS

The fastest way to defrost meat is under a cold running tap. But if you want to save water and speed things up a bit, place your meat on an aluminum sheet tray or skillet. Aluminum is a great conductor of heat and will draw energy from the surrounding environment into your frozen meat much faster than a wooden cutting board or wood or stone countertop. You can cut defrosting times down by about 30 percent this way. It also works on soups, stews, and anything frozen flat.

10. SLICE AVOCADOS IN THEIR SKINS

To slice avocados for salads or guacamole, split them in half, remove the pit by whacking it with the heel of your knife and twisting it out, then slice it directly in the skin using the tip of a paring knife or chef's knife. When you then scoop it out with a spoon, you'll have slices ready to go, with less mess than trying to fiddle with slippery peeled avocado a cutting board.

11. BUY PRE-PEELED GARLIC

I might get a lot of hate for this one, but truth be told, I use pre-peeled garlic almost exclusively. I find peeling garlic form a whole head to be a bit of a pain in the butt and usually can't be bothered. The pre-peeled stuff, so long as you buy it fresh, will last for weeks in the refrigerator and despite what some snooty chefs may tell you, it tastes just fine. In fact, I challenge anyone to taste identical dishes made in a triangle test with pre-peeled and whole head garlic and identify the odd one out. Seriously.

12. READ THE RECIPE FIRST

Associate Editor Niki suggested this one and it might sound like the most obvious one on the list. But let me tell you something: back when I use to work for Cook's Illustratedmagazine, part of our interview process for new hires was to have them cook through recipes. Their only task was to read the recipe and follow it exactly as written. You wouldn't believe the number of folks who would start cooking before reading through every step only to find that they were missing a tool they needed at a time sensitive juncture, or that they hadn't divided ingredients properly.

"When prepping ingredients for a recipe, check to see when things are added collectively and combine them ahead of time—saves stress and dishes," says Niki. "Same when thinking about the order of things that you're cooking—can you use the same cutting board if you cut veggies before chicken? Do you REALLY need to have two pans going at once, or can the processes be combined? etc."