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
How to Use Pulp from a Juicer
Pulp from a juicer is fruit or vegetable matter with its juice removed but its flavor and texture intact, and it is moist, so use it right away. Carrot and appl...
How to Use Apple and Pear Peels in the Kitchen
Apple peels and cores are rich in pectin. Put them in a piece of cheesecloth and add it to the pot while jam or compote simmers; remove it at the end to help th...
What to Do with Leftover Boiled Potatoes
Cooled boiled potatoes are firmer than they are when hot: their starch reorganizes as they cool, making the potatoes firm enough to hold together when grated or...
Should You Throw Away a Corn Cob?
A corn cob with the kernels removed is not eaten, but it should not be thrown away right away because it still contains corn milk and starch. Scraping it with t...
Can You Add Cheese Rinds to Soup or Sauce?
Do not discard natural cheese rinds that are too hard to eat; simmer them in soup or sauce to release their flavor into the liquid, then remove them. Rinds from...
Should You Remove the Seeded Parts of Tomatoes and Peppers?
The answer depends on the ingredient. The gel around tomato seeds is the tomato’s most acidic and aromatic part; keep it in sauces and soups, but remove it for...
How to Reuse Leftover Roast and Braised Meat
When cooked meat is cooked a second time, its fibers contract further and lose moisture; that is why leftover roast or braised meat turns out dry and tough. So...
What Can You Do with Leftover Dressed Salad?
Wilted, dressed leafy greens cannot be revived in ice water: the salt and acid have drawn water out of the leaves, and ice water will not restore it. This salad...
Where Can You Use Onion Skins in the Kitchen?
The dry outer skin of an onion is not eaten, but it has one useful job in the kitchen: adding color. Onion skins added to meat or vegetable stock turn it golden...
How to Use Pickle Brine in the Kitchen
The brine left in an empty pickle jar carries acid, salt, and spices, so it can replace vinegar in salad dressing, dress potato and bean salads, and serve as th...
Can Leftover Olive and Cheese Brine Be Used in Cooking?
Brine left in an empty jar of cheese or olives can be used in measured amounts in place of salt: olive brine works in salad dressing and olive-oil vegetable dis...
How to Make Vegetable Stock from Vegetable Scraps
Make vegetable stock by starting accumulated raw vegetable scraps in cold water and cooking them at a gentle simmer without boiling. Keep the scraps in a covere...