Great Cooking Tips

Looking for ways to save time? Save money? Save food waste? When it comes to cooking, there are always ways to improve how we work in our kitchens. Top chefs often discover new ways to bring more to the table with new tips and tricks as they experiment and learn from fellow chefs. Below are some great ideas that just may improve your way of navigating your kitchen and cooking techniques.

1. Buy spices whole. Whole spices have better flavor, last longer, and cost less.

2. Pat your meats dry. This removes moisture, allowing them to more easily sear.

3. Top your salmon or other fresh fish fillets with yogurt or oils. This will keep the fillet moist and flaky.

4. Use white vinegar when poaching eggs. This will help give you perfectly poached eggs.

5. Freeze fresh ginger and grate it when needed. It's easier to grate frozen and it will last longer being frozen.

6. Save your bacon grease. Use this grease to saute garlic, onions, and other vegetables. Store it in the refrigerator in a sealed container for up to 12 months.

7. Use olive oil as a seasoning, but do not cook with it. Olive oil has a low smoke point and it leads to burnt food and a smoky kitchen.

8. Use reverse taring. This is also known as negative weighing. Instead of placing a bowl on your scale and weighing your ingredient, do the opposite. Place your ingredient in its container on the scale and remove the weight you need (the scale will show a negative weight).

9. Add an extra egg to cookie recipes. This will make your cookies bake up soft and fluffy, and they will still taste fresh even after a few days in the refrigerator.

10. Store leftover tomato paste in the freezer (in a baggie). If you do not use the entire can of tomato paste, it won't last long in the refrigerator, so freeze it.

11. Make up some jam or compote with fresh fruits, especially berries, that are about to go bad. Place the jam or compote in the refrigerator or freezer and thaw when ready to use.

12. Save your vegetable scraps and freeze them. Then use them later to make vegetable stock.

13. Mince and freeze fresh herbs that are about to go bad. Then just pull them out of the freezer and thaw them to use.

14. Add moisture to your food when you reheat it in the microwave. Sprinkle water, milk, or another liquid that will go well with your leftover flavors then warm in the microwave.

15. Use coffee instead of water in chocolate cake recipes and brownie recipes. This will enhance the flavors.

16. Toast your spices before adding them to your dish. This will enhance the flavors in your dish.

17. Use a lid to make the perfect over-easy eggs. This helps steam the whites faster.

18. Scrape up your chopped vegetables with the blunt side of your knife. This will prevent dulling the blade.

19. Use a hand mixer to shred chicken, so easy!

20. Sear your meat a little longer. When searing meat, if it is sticking to the pan, just wait a bit longer. Once the fat from the meat is released, it will be easy to turn over.

21. Add a tablespoon of butter to your tomato sauce recipes. This will give the sauce a richer flavor.

22. Use cinnamon and nutmeg in cooking. It enhances flavors in dishes like chili.