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
Should You Discard Mushroom Stems?
The stems of cultivated mushrooms should not be discarded; they are the same ingredient as the caps and can be chopped and cooked with them. Only the very botto...
Can You Use Watermelon Rind?
The dark green outer layer of watermelon rind is tough and flavorless, so peel it away; the white layer underneath behaves like squash. It is crisp and neutral...
Why Can’t a Kitchen Scale Measure Very Small Amounts Accurately?
Most home kitchen scales display weight in 1-gram increments, so the margin of error when measuring 2 grams of yeast can be as much as half the amount. The scal...
Is a Turkish Water Glass the Same as a Cup in Foreign Recipes?
No. In Turkish cooking, a water glass is defined as a 200 ml measure, while a cup in American recipes is 240 ml. The difference is close to one-fifth, and in a...
When a Recipe Is Doubled (2×), How Much Longer Does Cooking Take?
If the thickness of each piece stays the same, cooking time changes very little; twice as many meatballs arranged in a single layer on the same tray cook in the...
How Do Pan Measurements Change When You Use a Square Instead of a Round Pan?
Round and square pans with the same labeled size are not equivalent: a 20 cm diameter circle has an area of about 314 square centimeters, while a 20-by-20 squar...
How Can You Turn Leftover Soup into Another Dish?
Leftover soup that thickens as it cools is not a failure; it is a ready-made base for another dish. Thickened lentil soup can become the cooking liquid for bulg...
What Can You Make with Leftover Rice?
Cold rice straight from the refrigerator can do things fresh rice cannot: its grains have firmed up and dried, so they do not stick together when fried in a pan...
How to Use Leftover Pasta in Other Dishes
Instead of trying to restore leftover pasta to its just-cooked texture, it is easier to use it while firm. Pasta that firms up when chilled holds together throu...
What Does “1 Measure” Mean in a Recipe?
“Measure” is not a unit of volume but a ratio unit: it means measuring two amounts with the same container. When a recipe says “1 measure of rice to 1.5 measure...
What Can You Make with Leftover Egg Yolks?
Because egg yolks contain fat and emulsifiers, they are useful for binding, enriching, and adding color: they thicken sauces and custards, deepen the color of p...
Do Flour and Cocoa Measure Differently After Sifting?
The weight does not change, but the volume does. A sieve aerates flour and breaks up clumps; the same flour takes up more space after sifting. That is why “one...