Cooking Tips — little secrets from the pros
Why does rice turn out fluffy, why won’t dough rise, why does meat get tough? 2163 tips tested by chefs and the community — sorted into categories and explained one by one.
All Tips
2,163 tips listed
What Extra Kitchen Precautions Are Needed During Pregnancy?
During pregnancy, the hygiene rules in the kitchen do not change; what changes is which foods are served. Raw or undercooked meat, poultry, fish, and eggs, fres...
What Is the Difference Between Hot-Pack and Cold-Pack Canning?
In hot-pack canning, the food is heated first and placed hot into jars; in cold-pack canning, raw food is put into jars and hot liquid is poured over it. The di...
Can You Reuse a Canning Jar Lid?
The jar itself can be reused for years, but the lid cannot. A flat lid with a sealing compound is single-use: during the first process, the compound takes the s...
Why and How Should You Oil a Wooden Cutting Board?
A wooden cutting board absorbs water because its pores are empty; the fibers swell and raise the surface, then contract as they dry, and the board eventually cr...
Can You Freeze Eggs?
Eggs should not be frozen in their shells: the contents expand as they freeze and crack the shell. Eggs removed from their shells can be frozen. Whites freeze w...
Is Cheese Made from Raw Milk Safe?
Some US standards for raw-milk cheese require at least 60 days of aging; this is not a universal safety guarantee. Aging does not prove that pathogens such as E...
What Pressure Should You Use for Pressure Canning at Different Altitudes?
The pressure required for pressure canning changes with altitude, so one setting does not work everywhere. With a weighted-gauge canner, use 10 psi from sea lev...
Does Boiling Spoiled Food Make It Safe?
No. Boiling inactivates most live bacteria, but substances released by some bacteria as they multiply are heat-resistant and are not destroyed by boiling. In ot...
Why Is a Meat Thermometer Washed Between Measurements?
The thermometer probe goes into raw meat and carries the bacteria on its surface. When the same probe is inserted into cooked meat without being washed, it depo...
When Does the Processing Time Start in a Pressure Canner, and How Should the Canner Cool?
The processing time starts when the target pressure is reached, not when the canner is closed. Before that, let steam vent freely for 10 minutes to expel the ai...
Why Should You Avoid Tasting Raw Cookie Dough?
Raw dough poses two separate risks, and one is often overlooked. The first is raw eggs. The second, less familiar risk is raw flour: flour is an unprocessed agr...
Why Don’t Botulism Spores Die in Boiling Water?
Botulism spores survive boiling water because water boils at no more than 100°C / 212°F at sea level, which is not hot enough to inactivate them. The live form...