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 to Look For When Buying and Using Canned Legumes
When buying canned chickpeas, beans, or cranberry beans, the most important sign is that the can is not bulging or dented; even slight bulging may indicate that...
Why Is the 200 ml Measure in Recipes Not Standardized?
In Turkish cooking, the “200 ml measure” is not a standardized measuring tool. It comes from the ordinary 200 ml measures (household drinking glasses) used at h...
How Do You Make a Homemade Spice Blend?
The basic rule for making a homemade spice blend is to toast the spices whole and then grind them, rather than mixing pre-ground powders straight from the jar;...
How Do You Choose the Right Pot or Pan for a Dish?
Choosing the right pot or pan comes down to matching it to how the dish cooks: long-simmered dishes call for a heavy-bottomed steel or cast-iron pot, while quic...
How to Fix Mushy Rice or Bulgur Pilaf
Pilaf can turn mushy if too much water is used for the amount of grain or if frequent stirring releases too much starch. The first step is to drain excess liqui...
What Goes with Olive-Oil Dishes?
A fresh slice of bread is the best accompaniment to olive-oil dishes, helping balance the richness of the sauce. Dishes like olive-oil green beans, leeks or stu...
Why Do Beans and Lentils Stay Hard, and How Do You Soften Them?
When beans and lentils stay hard no matter how long they simmer, the usual culprits are hard, mineral-rich water, adding salt or acid too early, or simply using...
How Should You Match Red Meat and Offal Cuts to the Dish?
Choose meat cuts for the cooking method: cuts with more connective tissue, such as shank or shoulder, may suit long moist cooking, while tender cuts such as ten...
Why Do Cutting Boards Trap Odor and Bacteria?
Cutting boards trap odor and bacteria because of the fine grooves and nicks a knife carves into the surface over time; these grooves hold onto food particles, m...
How Should Pot and Pan Size Be Matched to Your Stove?
The first thing to check when choosing a pot or pan is whether its base is close to the diameter of the burner it will sit on. A base noticeably smaller than th...
How to Ripen Unripe Fruit at Home
To ripen unripe fruit, place it in a paper bag and fold the top loosely closed. Ripening fruit releases ethylene gas, and the bag helps keep it nearby, speeding...
How to Choose and Clean Oyster and King Oyster Mushrooms
When choosing oyster mushrooms or king oyster mushrooms (portobello), look for caps with flat edges and no surface moisture. The thin gills beneath an oyster mu...