17 Cooking Tips And Tricks Everyone Should Know

 

Cooking can be fun and exciting, but I assure you that it's only fun for those who know the required and important kitchen cooking tips and tricks.

Knowing these said kitchen hacks and tips is important to make sure your dish is not only well prepared, but also save you a significant amount of time and stress, and also help you cut down on food wastage.

A handful of people have testified to the efficiency of day-to-day application of some cooking hacks, so I have taken it upon myself to find the best cooking tips and tricks to save time and maximize production.

To help you cooking journey, here is a list of some brilliant food tips and cooking tricks you can try out.

17 cooking tips and tricks everyone should know.

1. Never store onions and potatoes together

This may sound odd to you, but it's not ideal to store both onion and potatoes together because the duo will cause each other to spoil faster.

Onions are known to release a gas called ethylene, and when it's stored together with potatoes, it can cause potatoes to sprout and spoil quickly.

Also, both onion and potatoes releases moisture, and keeping them together can create a damp environment that encourages the growth of mold and bacteria.

2. You over salted your food? Add a peeled potato

I personally think this is one of the most important cooking tips and trick for beginners because at some point I time, we all will (or perhaps might have) over salt our food.

Potatoes are absorbent, and are known to act like a sponge, adding potato to an over-salted dish can help absorb some of its excess salt in the dish as it cooks.

How to use potato to reduce excess salt in a dish 

To reduce saltines in a dish, simply peel and cut the potatoes into chunks and add it to the dish. Allow it to cook for several minutes and remove before serving.

You may also mash the potato into the dish to help distribute the absorbed salt evenly.

3. Add charcoal to sour soup to revive taste

Why did my soup turn sour? How do I neutralize sour taste in soup? Well, to answer your question, one of the best ways to revive the taste in a sour soup is by simply adding charcoal in it.

When I say add charcoal to revive sour soup, I meant it. Simply add a little bit of charcoal to the soup when warming it, and remove it after warming, you'd get your food taste back. You should simply write this down, as you won't need to ask "what is the best cooking tips" question again.

4. Add grains of rice to reduce lumpiness in salt 

If you notice your salt is getting too lumpy, add in a few grains of rice to absorb the moisture.

5. Rub tomatoes on your hand to reduce peppering hotness

It's quite normal for one to feel a peppering hotness or burning sensation on the hand after cutting or cooking with peppers (e.g scotch bonnet). 

One of the ways I avoid this is to cut a soft and succulent fresh tomatoes, and rub the juice all over your hand, this will significantly reduce, or even completely remove the hot sensation you feel.

Another way is to scrub your hand with salt and red oil then wash it.

6. Never put citrus fruits( e.g Oranges, lemon etc) in a fridge.

Storing this citrus fruits in a refrigerator will simply degrade the aroma and flavor of these fruits, the same thing goes for tomatoes as well.

7. How to reuse  cooking oil

Wondering how you can reuse cooking oil without tasting whatever was cooked in the oil previously? Simply add 1/4 of ginger in the oil and allow it to fry for a bit. This will remove any remaining flavor.

8. How to remove burnt smell from rice

This cooking trick will surprise you, but when you try it, and I'm sure you'll drop your testimony.

One of the best ways to remove burnt smell from your rice is to add bread to it. Yes! You read that right. Simply split a bread in half, place it on the hot rice and within ten to fifteen minutes, you'll see that it has absorbed all the bad and burnt smell from the food. 

You can also use bread to calm the burning sensation of many foods caused by hot peppers. If you have used the hot pepper in your soup, cut it in half and place it in the soup and you will see how it cuts down the burn.

So when next you're cooking your rice, for example Jollof rice or maybe even Fried rice, don't forget to try out this cooking trick.

9. Use a timer when cooking 

 Using a timer when cooking can help you keep track of cooking times and prevent overcooking or undercooking your food. Set a timer for each item you're cooking and use it as a guide.

10. Use the right tools

 Using the right tools can make cooking much easier and efficient. Make sure you have good quality knives, a good set of pots and pans, and other tools that make cooking easier. Doing this is one of the important and efficient cooking hacks to save time.

You can also use some cooking appliance like a Vitamix to make cooking procedure easier.

11. Use a spoon to peel ginger

To cut down on the time spent cooking, it's advisable to use a spoon to peel ginger. By so doing, you can scrape off the skin faster and waste less of the ginger flesh.

12. Freeze herbs in oil

If you have leftover herbs that you don't want to go to waste, chop them up and freeze them in an ice cube tray with some oil. This way, you can easily pop a cube into a pan to add some flavor to your dishes.

13. Use a muffin tin to make meatloaf:

To make your meatloaf the same size when cooking, one good kitchen hack to try out is using a muffin tin instead of a loaf pan. 

This way, each portion will be the same size and cook evenly.

14. Use a pizza cutter to chop herbs

Instead of using a knife and a cutting board to chop herbs, use a pizza cutter. This method is faster and easier, and you won't crush the herbs like you might with a knife.

15. Use a vegetable peeler to slice cheese

If you need to slice cheese thinly, try using a vegetable peeler instead of a knife. This method works well for hard cheeses like parmesan or cheddar.

16. Use a ziplock bag to pipe frosting

If you don't have a piping bag, you can use a ziplock bag to pipe frosting onto cupcakes or cakes. Just snip off a corner of the bag and squeeze the frosting through.

You can also use a normal nylon to do this, just make sure it's strong enough so as mot to tear during the process.

17. Use a sieve to apply sugar on baked goods

Instead of the regular use of spoons to apply sugar to baked goods, try using a sieve. This method creates a more even layer of powdered sugar and looks more professional.