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 Do You Balance a Menu for a Large Gathering?
For a large gathering, a menu comes together less from each dish being good on its own than from the dishes complementing one another. Balance hot and cold, mea...
What to Watch for at the Table with Children
When children are sharing a meal, care starts while the food is cooking: set aside a child’s portion before adding hot or strongly flavored spices. Remove fish...
How to Set the Table for Iftar
Plan the iftar table backward from the call to prayer: set the table before the call, have the soup hot at that moment, and place the foods for breaking the fas...
When Should Hot Dishes Arrive at the Breakfast Table?
Set out the cold foods first; while the tea steeps, cook the hot dishes, and bring the eggs and pastries to the table last, after everyone is seated. Some cold...
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...
How to Set Up a Buffet Table
Arrange a buffet as a one-way flow, with guests entering at one end and exiting at the other: plates first, followed by cold dishes and salads, then hot dishes,...
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...
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 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...
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...
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...
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...