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 Remove Baklava from the Tray Without Breaking the Pieces
After the baklava has absorbed its syrup and rested, run a knife through the pre-baking cut lines again all the way to the bottom, then lift the first piece fro...
How to Cut and Serve Baked Dishes Neatly from the Pan
For a baked dish to come out of the pan neatly, let it rest first. In moussaka, baked pasta, or savory pastry fresh from the oven, the sauce and cheese are stil...
How Can You Serve Several Dishes Hot at the Same Time?
To serve several dishes hot at the same time, do not cook them all at once; schedule their finish times around when the meal will be served. Start the dish with...
Why Does Bread Dry Out Quickly at the Table, and How Should It Be Served?
From the moment bread is sliced, it loses moisture through the cut surface; moisture protected inside the loaf is exposed to the air in the slice, and it begins...
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...
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 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...
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 Keep Tea Coming at a Large Gathering
For a large gathering, tea can be kept coming by brewing in rotation with two teapots: while one is served, the other brews, so every cup gets fresh tea. Keep h...
How to Carve a Whole Roast Chicken at the Table
Let a whole roast chicken rest before carving, then separate it at the joints: guide the knife through the gap in each joint rather than cutting through bone. P...
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...
How to Ladle Soup into Bowls Evenly, and Why Stir from the Bottom?
Before portioning soup into bowls, lower the ladle to the bottom of the pot and stir, because heavy pieces settle at the bottom of soup as it sits while fat ris...