Little tricks and quirks (cooking)

[sonrisa]

While prepping for our modified thanksgiving, I was just thinking about a few things I do that make cooking easier and was wondering about everyone else’s little things. (And maybe even find things that make the thanksgiving onslaught easier).

1) I test baked goods with a strand of spaghetti instead of a toothpick or knife. It’s narrow, always easy at hand in the kitchen and long enough to touch the bottom of any pan so no risk of burning my fingers.

2) I use my snap tea strainer to dust things (with powdered sugar, flour or cocoa). scoop it up. Snap it shut and shake a little over whatever needs dusting. It holds just the right amount for most tasks and is a little less messy than a normal sieve. (I can fill it and set it on a saucer while I plate each dish without it spilling out).

3) when dusting my bundt pan, I often spray and then use almond flour instead of regular flour. It creates a wonderful texture and you never have those yucky smears of butter/flour on the outside of the cake (obviously only for eat at home/no allergy small group get togethers). It doesn’t work with the tea ball, though. Lol.

[Susie]

I do both 1 and 2 also. I'm not sure I have any particularly handy tricks to share though.

[noodleoo]

sonrisa, 1 and 2 are genius! Thanks for sharing. I don't think I have any clever tips to share, sadly!

[nsl]

Those are very handy tips, thanks sonrisa!

I can't think of anything similar to share except that I use a broiler pan filled with a cup of water anytime I bake bread and want it to come out crusty.

[VillainV]

I chop/dice things using the food network method. This is a made-up name for it. But I make horizontal cuts, then vertical one direction, then vertical the other direction. I can chop an onion in like 10 seconds.

I use a “garbage bowl” while I cook.

I have a motion sensor hand soap dispenser at my sink for when I have yucky hands.

I use small ramekins for mise en place.

[moreace01]

+1 for the garbage bowl and ramekins for mis en place.

I also just bought a very large bench scraper and seriously don't know why I didn't do this years ago. It's my favorite tool ever. I used to use the side of my knife to gather up food to toss in the pan. Bench scraper has way more surface area and is so much more efficient.

I have this one - the handle is super helpful: www.amazon.com/OXO-Multi-purpose-Stainless-Scraper-Chopper/dp/B00004OCNJ


Finally - fresh herbs - if I wash them, dry and roll up in a single layer in paper towels, I can get maybe two weeks out of them before they go bad. I'm usually too lazy to do this though. 

[TBM]

I dust my bundt pan with sugar. It gives it a nice crust and releases really well....and raw sugar kind of sparkles.


ETA: This wasn't an original idea, but I finally remembered who to give credit to...Mrs Fields ( of Mrs Fields cookies fame).

I ran into a bookstore and bought a cookbook of hers 20 plus years ago, when my daughter and I spotted her in the Mrs Fields shop at the mall. I had her sign it, and she chatted with us for quite awhile

I don't know that I have made much from the cookbook, but learning to sugar cake pans has been a tip that I have used a lot..

[Deleted]

I use my mesh tea balls for seasonings and spices that I don't otherwise want floating around in whatever I'm making. So things like rosemary, cloves, peppercorns, etc I'll put in the tea ball and then can just pluck it out when the dish is done cooking.

I keep a salt pig and a quick pour bottle of evoo right next to my stovetop because they are two of my most used ingredients.

[ska]

Using a ricer for mashed potatoes. No need to peel potatoes! Cut cooked potatoes (we microwave) in half and put flesh side down in ricer. Potatoes come out and the peel is left behind.

[pinkdutchtulips]

+1 for the garbage bowl

I clean as I cook, what can go into the dishwasher goes there ASAP ! Measuring cups/spoons that get used multiple times get a quick wash/dry

I have multiple cutting boards for raw meats/produce/herbs

I do my mashed potatoes in my KA mixer bc you get a smoother texture and better incorporation of ingredients

[bex1973]

I had to Google "mise en place" so I should see myself out but I actually do this for some recipes as well.

[loira]

I never buy buttermilk because recipes hardly ever call for a whole litre of it. I either make my own using milk and vinegar, or substitute plain yogurt, thinned out with a bit of milk.

[jenny1223]

Whenever I'm chopping veggies, shredding cheese, etc. I always try to plan for a few days in advance and prep for other meals.

I'd heard this one before but just started doing it recently thanks to someone on here I think - shredding chicken using a stand mixer. So much easier!

[gardengal]

For biscuits, I use my food processor to cut in the cold butter into the flour & then freeze it in a bag so that I'm basically ready to go with cold ingredients whenever I want to make biscuits (which is usually in the morning & using a food processor seems daunting before coffee!). I do a few recipes at a go. I basically just need to add leavening and milk, mix, and bake! (I also just cut them into squares in AM)

[litebright]

I agree with @sameoldstory. Having a salt box/salt pig and a cruet of olive oil on the counter make a noticeable difference in quickly accessing the stuff that I use the most often.

We have a salt box with two sections. I put kosher in one side and something different, like pink Himalayan, in the other side.

[DotAndBuzz]

I think half my "tricks" are just using the right tool for the job, and investing in decent (not necessarily professional level, just not super cheap) kitchen basics.

My mom says she hates to cook, but I'm now convinced it's at least partly because her knives suck/aren't sharp, her 45 year old cookware is thin and flimsy, and she doesn't have the proper tools to make even basic cooking not a massive pain in the ass. Like frosting for cakes, or icing for cookies, and even cookie dough - she mixes it all by hand. So of course its a pain in the ass and takes forever! I mentioned one time I make my own, and she's like "well aren't you fancy!" No, I dump powdered sugar, butter, vanilla and milk in the stand mixer, hit go, and its done in like 3 minutes.

Anyways, onto kitchen tricks:
- Cover your stand mixer with a kitchen towel when you're making frosting or cookies (or something where you have a lot of "puffy" materials that are being blended into something). It will keep it from puffing all over when you get it started. I give it a couple little flicks before I remove the towel, and anything stuck to the towel will mostly come off, into the bowl.

- I also freeze large cans of tomato paste in 2 oz (1/4 cup) dollops on a cookie sheet covered in parchment paper. Keep in an airtight freezer bag and then you can grab however much you need for a particular recipe. I have recipes that call for 2, 4, and 6 oz, so this way I don't have to worry about keeping the different volume cans on hand, or wasting any from a larger can.

[cville]

I married well.

[TR]

Nov 24, 2020 15:16:05 GMT -5 cville said:

I married well.

lol yeah my tip was going to be marrying a man who likes to cook and is good at it. He's doing a whole Thanksgiving dinner for just the two of us.

[oregonpachey]

I can't take credit for this because I saw it on someone's IG feed. Keep butter wrappers in a ziploc in the freezer. Whenever you need to grease a cake pan, pull out a wrapper from the freezer.

[aliciaflorrick]

When making espresso or Cuban coffee I freeze the leftover coffee in an ice cube tray. I pop them out and store them in a ziplock for use in espresso martinis or cafe con leche.

[Susie]

In our house we have a pretty strict baking (me) v. cooking (H) division of labor.  I'm totally stealing the salt pig & cruet idea for H's Christmas.

[sonrisa]

Nov 24, 2020 11:00:54 GMT -5 @sameoldstory said:

I keep a salt pig and a quick pour bottle of evoo right next to my stovetop because they are two of my most used ingredients.

This is a sign your kitchen is much bigger than mine. I keep the olive oil on the counter on the opposite side of the kitchen from my stove - but it's such a small kitchen it's always still within arm's reach.

[dirtyred]

Nov 24, 2020 10:50:57 GMT -5 TBM said:

I dust my bundt pan with sugar. It gives it a nice crust and releases really well....and raw sugar kind of sparkles.


ETA: This wasn't an original idea, but I finally remembered who to give credit to...Mrs Fields ( of Mrs Fields cookies fame).

I use sugar with a little bit of cinnamon--a nice little flavor boost.

[dirtyred]

Nov 24, 2020 15:09:09 GMT -5 DotAndBuzz said:

- I also freeze large cans of tomato paste in 2 oz (1/4 cup) dollops on a cookie sheet covered in parchment paper. Keep in an airtight freezer bag and then you can grab however much you need for a particular recipe. I have recipes that call for 2, 4, and 6 oz, so this way I don't have to worry about keeping the different volume cans on hand, or wasting any from a larger can.

I buy the tomato paste in tubes.  It's more expensive, but for me, the convenience is worth it.

[snapoutofit]

When I buy a fresh brick of parm I process it the food processor right way so I always have grated parm on hand. I cut off the rinds and use them to simmer with soups. I also wash/ trim produce right away (except berries) so prep is quicker. I buy 2 dozen eggs and hard boil a dozen to have on hand for snacks or quick breakfasts.

[cereal K]

this is maybe more of a tool vs trick thing, but we invested in a great food processor, so H uses it for almost all big-meal preps.

we also have a sous vide, which we LOVE for mashed potatoes. peel and slice potatoes, vacuum seal with butter, salt, garlic powder, and white pepper. cook in the sous vide and leave them in until ready to mash. add a little more butter and some cream, mash away. (my family likes the lumps!)

vacuum sealer for buying meat in bulk and freezing. we buy ground beef in 5-6 pound packages at costco. H divides up into one or two pound batches, shoves them in a vacuum bag and pushes it flat, like a big patty. even freezing, even thawing. we use a two pound batch for burgers - he takes the rectangular brick out, scores it with a spatula, and walla (lol) - flat, square patties!!

[BlondeSpiders]

I do frozen nuggets of tomato paste as well. I use this kind of ice cube tray: www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/zing-1-inch-round-pop-out-ice-cube-trays-set-of-3/1060880253?skuId=60880253&mcid=OS_googlepla

I also do this with chilis in adobo sauce: blend it into a paste and freeze nuggets of it whenever I need a pop of chipotle. I waste many less cans this way.

[winecat]

Nov 24, 2020 14:26:32 GMT -5 loira said:

I never buy buttermilk because recipes hardly ever call for a whole litre of it. I either make my own using milk and vinegar, or substitute plain yogurt, thinned out with a bit of milk.

Buttermilk also freezes/thaws well.  Give it a good shake after it has thawed and it's as good as fresh.  I like the flavor of buttermilk better in some recipes.  

[pixy0stix]

I pull all my spices and tools out before I start a recipe. I don't know if everyone else does that though. It saves me from having to hunt for what I need right in the middle of putting it all together.

I created my own proofing bread box with a collapsible foam cooler and a seed mat. I've used it twice now, and it works very well. (And it was $60 vs $170 of the commercial box)

[maddiepaddy]

Nov 24, 2020 17:57:06 GMT -5 cereal K said:

this is maybe more of a tool vs trick thing, but we invested in a great food processor, so H uses it for almost all big-meal preps!

Which food processor do you have? I’m looking to replace the shitty 20+ year old Black and Decker that I took from my mom’s house.