cooking tips

http://www.foodnetwork.com/chefs/articles/100-greatest-cooking-tips-of-all-time.html


4. Use a coarse microplane to shave vegetables into salads or vinaigrettes. You can create an orange-fennel dressing by adding grated fennel and orange zest to a simple vinaigrette.
Paul Kahan

7. Cook pasta 1 minute less than the package instructions and cook it the rest of the way in the pan with sauce.
Mario Batali
Iron Chef Americ


20. Homemade vinaigrettes have fewer ingredients and taste better than bottled ones. No need to whisk them: Just put all the ingredients in a sealed container and shake.
Bill Telepan
Telepan, New York City


21. For an easy weeknight meal, save and freeze leftover sauces from previous meals in ice cube trays. The cubes can be reheated in a sauté pan when you need a quick sauce.
David Burke
David Burke Townhouse, New York City


26. Acidity, salt and horseradish bring out full flavors in food.
Michael Symon
Iron Chef America


29. Recipes are only a guideline, not the Bible. Feel comfortable replacing ingredients with similar ingredients that you like. If you like oregano but not thyme, use oregano.
Alex Seidel
Fruition, Denver

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/chefs/articles/100-greatest-cooking-tips-of-all-time.page-3.html?oc=linkback

39. Smash garlic cloves inside a resealable plastic bag with the back of a knife. That way, your cutting board and knife won't smell.
Laurent Tourondel
Brasserie Ruhlmann, New York City

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/chefs/articles/100-greatest-cooking-tips-of-all-time.page-4.html?oc=linkback

49. My grandfather taught me this tip: After you drain pasta, while it's still hot, grate some fresh Parmesan on top before tossing it with your sauce. This way, the sauce has something to stick to.
Giada De Laurentiis
Giada at Home


56. Taste what you make before you serve it. I'm amazed that people will follow a recipe but not taste the dish to see if it needs more salt, pepper or spices.
Brad Farmerie
Public and Saxon+Parole, New York City


58. If you're cooking cauliflower, add a bit of milk to the water with salt to keep the cauliflower bright white. Shock it in cold water to stop the cooking and then serve.
Michael White
Marea, Osteria Morini and Ai Fiori, New York City


59. When grinding your own beef for burgers, grind in some bacon.
Sean Brock
McCrady's, Charleston, SC

69. Use a cake tester to test the doneness of fish, meat and vegetables. It's my secret weapon — I use it in the kitchen to test everything.
Daniel Humm
Eleven Madison Park, New York City

71. To optimize the juice you get from a lemon or lime, roll it hard under your palm for a minute before juicing. (Or — never say I told you this — microwave it for 10 to 15 seconds.)
Patricia Yeo
Lucky Duck, Boston

72. For perfect vegetable soup, start with diced carrots, onions, peppers and tomatoes sautéed in oil or butter before you add any liquid. This brings out the taste and caramelizes the sugars.
Shaun Hergatt
Juni, New York Cit

73. Have your mise en place ready: Do all of your cutting of vegetables and meat and make your sauces before you start cooking.
Richard Sandoval
Zengo, multiple locations

79. Don't be too hard on yourself — mistakes make some of the best recipes! Keep it simple.
Sunny Anderson
Cooking for Real

80. Fry eggs the Spanish way: Get a good quantity of olive oil hot. Before you add the egg, heat the spatula (if it's metal) in the oil first. That way the egg won't stick to it. Add the egg and fry it quickly, until it gets "puntillitas," or slightly browned edges.
José Andrés
Think Food Group

Heat a metal spatula in a skillet with hot olive oil.

metal spatula

82. Want to know if your oil is hot enough for frying? Here’s a tip: Stick a wooden skewer or spoon in the oil. If bubbles form around the wood, then you are good to go.
Aaron McCargo, Jr.
Big Daddy’s House

 85. Cook with other people who want to learn or who know how to cook.

Laurent Gras
New York City

86. Cook more often. Don’t study; just cook.
Masaharu Morimoto
Iron Chef America

87. Make sure the handle of your sauté pan is turned away from you so you don't hit it and knock it off the stove. It happens all the time.
Jonathan Waxman
Barbuto, New York City

93. Whenever you cook pasta, remove some of the pasta-cooking water (about 1/4 or 1/3 cup) just before draining. When you add the sauce of your choice to the pasta, add a little of the cooking liquid. This helps sauce to amalgamate; the starch in the water adds body and a kind of creaminess. An old Italian friend of mine instructed me in this finishing touch early on, and I would never, ever leave it out. It makes all the difference.
Nigella Lawson


92. To help keep an onion together while dicing, do not remove the root.
Jean-Robert de Cavel
Jean-Robert's Table, Cincinnati

Slice off the pointy stem, then cut the onion in half through the root; peel.

Put each half cut-side down; make horizontal cuts parallel to the board.

Make vertical cuts, starting close to the root end; do not slice through the root.

Holding the root end, slice across the vertical cuts; the diced onion will fall away.

97. Always start with a smokin' hot pan!
Cat Cora
Iron Chef America