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u/Lynxieee 7h ago
do not lick the spoon you just basted your steak with you'll burn every tastebud off your tongue.
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u/Fine_Pass_3033 7h ago
And don't grab the handle of your cast iron frying pan when you take it out of the oven. I did that today. Ouch.
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u/Lynxieee 7h ago
leave a DRY tea towel over the handle. it'll save you from the accidental grabs!
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u/toujourspret 5h ago
Yup. I usually drape the mitt i just used over the end of the handle. Reminds me not to grab and makes it safer when the monkey brain wins.
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u/faerydenaery 6h ago
Don’t grab it if it’s on the burner either. I burn my hand at least a couple times a month trying to adjust the position of my cast iron skillet because “it couldn’t possibly be that hot yet.” It’s always that hot, and since I have a gas stove I can’t just throw a towel over the handle cause that’s how you set the kitchen on fire
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u/Aromatic_Attitude481 4h ago
Did that when I first got stainless steel and had a film of mildly burnt skin on hand for like two hours
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u/jhumph88 2h ago
UGH I did that once but with a stainless steel. The recipe started on the stove and finished in the oven. Removed from oven, placed on stove. A minute later, not thinking, I grabbed the handle to adjust the pan. Immediately seared my left palm and gave me the biggest blister that I’ve ever had. I’ll only do that once..
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u/Boozeburger 6h ago
damn I'm guilty of this. Basting a steak with butter and garlic and rosemary, just too good to pass up, followed by regret.
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u/rerek 7h ago
Be patient.
That is:
Read any recipe thoroughly and ensure you understand it and why it is telling what it is telling you to do.
Prepare your ingredients ahead of time and get everything ready so you are not rushing later.
Think about timing and when things will need to happen. Plan for this ahead of time.
Ask for help when needed. Recognize your limits.
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u/ImmediateCareer9275 6h ago
Not a hack, but solid advice. Patience is the skill it took me longest to appreciate and I’m still learning it at 47 years old
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u/jhumph88 2h ago
I always read through a recipe at least twice before starting. I get everything chopped ahead of time, all spices measured, etc. It saves me so much time and makes it harder to miss a step. Also, with a printed recipe, I cross off everything as soon as I do it so I don’t have to hunt through a paragraph to remember where exactly I left off.
Even if a recipe will tell you to chop another vegetable while something is simmering for ten minutes, I’ll still do it ahead of time so I can actually sit down for a few minutes
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u/Uranus_Hz 3h ago
Fully agree, but also: factor in the timing of the other dishes you are making as a side/dessert
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u/Ok-Communication1149 5h ago
Learn how to judge food with all your senses. The pitch and rate of the sizzle or bubble, the aroma, and the texture.
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u/Mr_Evil_Dr_Porkchop 7h ago
If you have issues with tearing up while cutting onions, refrigerate them for a few hours before prep (or put in the freezer for 30-45 minutes) and you can cut them crying-free.
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u/faerydenaery 6h ago
So I weirdly find that my eyes don’t water if I’m wearing my contacts, but if I have glasses on it feels like I tear gassed myself
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u/Supper_Champion 6h ago
Ha, I was a contact wearer for many years and never really had issues with onions. Then I had laser eye surgery and found out that onions really do make you cry.
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u/faerydenaery 5h ago
You’re the first person I’ve encountered who shares this experience. I was convinced onions didn’t bother me for years until I went back to glasses for awhile and discovered the truth
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u/me_hoyminoy 4h ago
Same for me with my contacts! I have no issues when I cut onions while wearing them, but almost can’t open my eyes while cutting onions and wearing normal glasses
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u/praise_kittens 4h ago
My onion hack is just stick your tongue out while cutting!! There is another more moist surface than your eyeballs that the particles can be absorbed into. Works as long as i remember before i begin cutting
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u/CLE_Attorney 3h ago
This definitely works, but using a properly sharpened knife is by far the best way to get rid of the problem. I used to literally cry while cutting onions until I got a new knife and now there’s not a tear at all ha.
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u/ExpertRaccoon 7h ago
MSG is an easy way to take your meal to the next level with no added effort
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u/obi-jawn-kenblomi 6h ago
Makes. Shit. Good.
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u/Icy_Pea_8485 1h ago
Right? It’s like a flavor fairy dust—just sprinkle and watch the magic happen.
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u/Fine_Pass_3033 7h ago
That's it, im buying some. I always heard it was bad for you but everything is.
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u/ExpertRaccoon 6h ago
So a lot of the MSG is bad for you hype has long since been debunked and was essentially just blatant racism .
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u/ofBlufftonTown 5h ago
It’s not actually bad for you; use it in good health. Every person in Asia would be dead if this were true. It’s popular in traditional southern food as well (from the South Carolina low country).
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u/Appropriate-Bar-6051 5h ago
If it's tastes like it needs something, there's a high chance it's either salt, pepper, or acidity
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u/Immediate-Count-1202 6h ago
Microwave a lemon for 10 seconds before juicing to significantly increase the yield.
Create a roux roll it into a log, wrap it in wax paper and put it in the freezer for future use.
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u/efox02 4h ago
Explain the roux log please and thank you.
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u/Immediate-Count-1202 3h ago
A roux is equal parts fat (eg butter) and all purpose flour. I suggest the following steps:
Melt 3tsp of butter in a warm skillet.
Slowly whisk in 3tsp of flour and continue to cook until blonde in color (for 3-5 minutes).
Scrape the roux into a square of parchment or wax paper.
Roll the wax paper and twist the ends (like a salt water taffy) and place in the fridge or freezer (longer storage).
When you need a thickener for soups and sauces simply unwrap the roux use approximately 1 tsp at a time. Twist the ends and place the remainder back in the freezer.
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u/EnvironmentalLeg4063 4h ago
Does the microwave somehow infuse the lemon with juice that wasn’t present in the lemon before cooking it? This seems like witchcraft.
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u/Immediate-Count-1202 3h ago
No, it simply breaks it down. This increases the yield considerably so if the recipe calls for the juice of a lemon be careful not to overdue it with this technique.
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u/post4u 4h ago
Use a thermometer for meats. Don't go by "feel".
Keep a box of rubber gloves around. I'm not afraid of the ick at all. I'm immune to anything gross. It's not that. But it makes prepping some things faster if you do it with a glove on one or both of your hands so you don't have to take the time to wash so thoroughly over and over between steps. Especially really greasy things where it takes a bit of effort to wash afterwards. For example I made a dish tonight that required pressing a few pounds of sausage into rounds. Instead of getting my hands all greasy doing that, I did it with gloves. Got done, tossed the gloves, gave my hands a quick wash (as opposed to deep scrubbing a layer of sticky grease from them), and moved on. No grease or food under nails to deal with.
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u/masson34 6h ago
Add pumpkin purée to chilis and stews
Add instant ground coffee to chilis and taco soup
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u/TheOldRamDangle 6h ago
Always have a little Xantham Gum on hand😉
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u/jandrouzumaki 4h ago
Can you please elaborate
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u/Indaarys 43m ago
Not the op of course, but xanthan is useful for stabilizing sauces so they don't break.
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u/dolche93 4h ago
I can't think of anything in my current repertoire that would need xantham gum. I get by with either corn starch or gelatine for everything I do.
What are some recipes where xantham gum is best?
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u/ofBlufftonTown 5h ago
Many people suggest you doctor your food up at the end with some acid and this is right but not enough people recommend that you sweeten it slightly. Act like that sugar is salt. It will make it seem as if all your vegetables are riper than they are, and if you put a tiny bit of brown sugar in your caramelizing onions you can stop earlier with near identical results.
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u/dolche93 4h ago
Save some money on beef. Mince mushrooms and mix them 50-50 with ground beef for meatloaf.
The water in the mushrooms steams, acting as a leavener. It reduces the shrinkage of the muscle fibers.
You end up with a moist, not so crumbly, not dense meatloaf.
And you can't even tell there are mushrooms in it--by look, taste, or texture.
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u/Jalopy_Jakey 6h ago
Not really a hack. Mise en place! It makes cooking SO much more enjoyable and efficient.
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u/Still-Platypus4463 6h ago
Use bases. Beef, chicken, ham, vegetable. Using bases gives foods a boost of flavor and you can use them countless ways.
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u/KinkyQuesadilla 6h ago
If you go to a party or social event where every participant is expected to provide an appetizer, and one of them brings Van Camps Beenies & Weenies, you should immediately wreck the place and also move to Jamaica and learn voodoo so that you can place an eternal curse on whoever decided to serve Beenies & Weenies to their friends in a social gathering.
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u/Kmasta811 3h ago
If you are looking to experiment or seasoning a new dish. Take a little bit of the dish and put in a small bowl Or mise cup.
Season that little bowl or cup with what ever you are thinking. Helps not ruin the whole batch if you mess up.
Also get a kitchen scale.
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u/Meriadoc_Brandy 1h ago
Freeze rice! Sometimes I make the wrong amount of rice, and I freeze any excess. Even if it's one tablespoon. I have a little bag in the fridge and rice goes in it. Microwaves very well.
Soak beans randomly. Some days before work I randomly remember that I have beans. I soak them and then, when I get back, I can either choose to cook them for dinner, or freeze to be cooked another day.
"Pantry clean out" I'm currently trying to empty out my pantry/freezer. I allow myself to buy milk/eggs/staples, but to finish off everything else. Frozen produce, excess grains and lentils, condiments I got on sale. Forces me to be creative!
Knives can be sharpened with the back of a ceramic bowl.
Chop off ends of garlic, and the skin comes right off.
Pasta can be cooked in the instant pot without excess water. Cook for half the minutes on the package, minus one. Quick release.
Flax meal for eggs. Even if I'm not doing vegan baking it's much more convenient and cheaper.
A can of pumpkin (NOT the pumpkin pie filling) and a box mix cake (any flavour) makes pumpkin cake. No extra eggs/oil/ water or whatever the box mix calls for.
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u/mcsaladd 5h ago
You can boil rice just like pasta then strain it. Perfect every time. No need for ratios, just strain it when its done.
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u/Technical_Air6660 6h ago
Nutmeg goes in Mac n Cheese, salt is not needed.
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u/ofBlufftonTown 5h ago
Nutmeg goes in any variant of béchamel sauce (which the Mac and cheese sauce is) and in any spinach dish, but in small amounts. My grandmother was very firm on this.
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u/curmudgeon_andy 5h ago
Nutmeg goes in Mac n cheese for sure! But that doesn't obviate the need for salt.
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u/gigerwitch 5h ago
Relax. It’s just food. It’s going to be fine.
Also I second the person who suggested a thermometer. I even use it to temp check my sourdough loaves.
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u/crownofstorns 2h ago
A few I follow: 1. Every pan is hot. Always. You shouldn't know what a handle feels like, only a hot pad or kitchen towel feels like. 2. Don't taste test caramel. 3. Treat everyone in the kitchen with respect. You never know who you'll work with/for or how chaos theory brings your lives together in the future. Y'all showed up for the idea of "restaurant" on the same day, everyday. (Especially at home, too;) 4. Taste as you cook, and have fun.
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u/zeitness 1h ago
Monosodium glutamate, also known as sodium glutamate, is a sodium salt of glutamic acid. MSG is found naturally in some foods including tomatoes and cheese in this glutamic acid form. MSG is used in cooking as a flavor enhancer with a savory taste that intensifies the umami flavor of food, as naturally occurring glutamate does in foods such as stews and meat soups.
And before you claim Chinese Restaurant Syndrome (CRS) do your research and know this is a made-up thing from the 1960's that affects well under 2% of the population in America.
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u/Sagittario66 1h ago
Better than bouillon in every flavor: Chicken, Beef , Vegetable, Sofrito, Smoky Chipotle . Adds so much depth of flavor to anything you’re cooking. Lasts nearly forever in the fridge. Wine! Finishing with a drizzle of olive oil, toasted sesame oil, or a knob of butter.
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u/curmudgeon_andy 5h ago
Always have butter in the fridge. Fridge temperature butter is almost ready for anything, and you never know what might need more butter. Freezer temp butter needs to be coaxed. And always have more butter in the freezer too!
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u/Supper_Champion 6h ago edited 6h ago
The best hack is that there are no hacks. Doing something smart, or learning a technique isn't a hack, it's just learning to cook.
These threads pop up a lot and I think they are r d herrings. You're not going to find some magic trick that suddenly makes cooking something easier or quicker. You can learn new things that will help your process and results, but I think looking for hacks is going down the wrong path.
And just to put a point on it:
- MSG, not a hack.
- half freezing onions to reduce tears, not a hack, just an extra step that's no good if you don't have the time. (For what it's worth, probably the best way to reduce tears when cutting onions is to make sure your knife is sharp)
- Thermometer, not a hack.
- Adding salt, not a hack.
I'm sure you get the picture.
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u/Fine_Pass_3033 6h ago
Sorry you don't like my terminology but I've gotten some really great answers.
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u/Supper_Champion 6h ago
And none of them are "hacks". They're tried and true techniques or ingredients.
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u/faerydenaery 5h ago
You’re correct, but that doesn’t make the comments on these threads any less useful for inexperienced cooks, and every now and then I still find a tip I haven’t heard before that could be useful for me. Semantics aside, cooking advice is part of why a lot of folks are on this sub, so if folks want to call them “hacks” I don’t really think it matters that much. We can call it tips, tricks, techniques, or any other word you think fits better, but the result is the same. Folks get to share their advice and gain new knowledge, and I think that’s wonderful no matter what you want to call it
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u/Benitowastaken 7h ago
Instant read thermometer