Most of these tips probably exist elsewhere on the Internet, but I wanted to create a page of my own cooking tips. It's all useful, sometimes obvious advice that I've picked up here and there or figured out for myself.
Use as little water as possible when boiling vegetables to prevent them from losing flavor.
Use as much water as possible when boiling pasta to help prevent it from sticking. Stirring it well and often will also work. Adding a small amount of olive oil to the water will not work; the oil will only rise to the surface of the water.
Add vegetables/pasta to water only after it is boiling.
When making pasta, stop boiling the pasta 5 minutes before it's supposed to be done and cook it in the sauce. The sauce gets infused in the pasta.
Add a tea bag of Lapsang Souchong to soups and sauces for a deep smoky flavor. (Don't forget to fish the tea bag out before serving.)
Unwaxed, unflavored dental floss will work well to slice cakes into layers and to cut cinnamon buns, etc.
For whiter, fluffier rice; add 1 teaspoon lemon juice to 1 quart of cooking water.
When cooking hamburgers, poke a hole in the center of the patty. This will stop the hamburger from rising in the center it will be more evenly cooked. Also, do not press down on patties to make them cook faster; this will only make them lose their juiciness.
Searing meat does not seal in the flavor. It can caramelize the sugars on the surface of the meat, adding flavor, but cooking meat at a high temperature will dry it out.
Whipped cream will retain its fluffiness if you use confectioners' sugar instead of granulated.
To keep potatoes from budding, place an apple in the bag with the potatoes.
When measuring molasses/honey/etc., coat your measuring cup or spoon with a bit of oil so it will slide out easily.
To remove the smell of garlic or onion from your fingers, rub them against something made of stainless steel, like a sink basin or the side of a knife. You can also wash your hands with salt.
When making blueberry muffins (or any muffin with fruit, chocolate chips, etc), place the blueberries in a bowl with a dash of flour, then shake the bowl to coat them evenly with the flour. This will prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the muffins when you bake them.
Meringues:
- When whipping egg whites, first wash the mixing bowl with white vinegar. The whites will fluff much faster and stay fluffier longer.
- Nothing that touches the egg whites should have water or oils from your fingers on it.
- Use the freshest eggs possible, and leave egg whites to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before whipping.
- Use the finest sugar possible, and add it as gradually as possible.
- Never let any yolk get into the whites. You can use a piece of the eggshell from which the yolk came to scoop out any yolk that accidentally got into the meringue.
- When whipping egg whites, always start your mixer on medium-low to medium speed. Beat till foamy, and then increase the speed to medium-high and then high. This will strengthen the foam and allow high peaks to form.
- A teaspoon of cream of tartar, cornstarch, vanilla (recommended), or vinegar added to the eggs and sugar before mixing will help stabilize the foam.
- Don't use plastic bowls; they can retain oils from previously mixed or stored items and deflate the meringue.
- Don't make meringues on humid days; humidity causes meringues to be sticky and chewy.
- Leave hard meringues in the oven after baking so they will cool slowly and not crack.
- Refrigerate meringue pies in a cake dome.
To keep guacamole from going dark, either put the avocado stone into the finished guacamole (remove it just before serving), or sprinkle a few drops of lemon juice on top.
Sprinkle a little lemon juice over mushrooms to keep them from going dark.
For added flavor, bake oats before using them in oatmeal cookies, quick breads, etc. Place them in a pre-heated 300°F oven for 10-12 minutes before adding to the dough.
To melt chocolate with little mess (if you do not have a double boiler), place the chocolate in a Ziploc bag and place in very hot water. Remove the bag and knead it every 5 minutes until the chocolate is melted. Once melted, knead the bag and then cut a small hole in the edge.
If your eggs are stuck to the carton, wet the carton to free the egg.
Filling the ice cube tray with hot water will result in clear cubes.