Neat Cooking Tricks/Shortcuts
Do you have good cooking tricks/shortcuts?
(I don't mean semi-homemade shortcuts....)
I recently read an old cooking magazine and find this trick; Microwaving sliced onions before making caramelized onions. This cuts cooking time a lot.
Also works for making mirepoix faster.
My grandma must have many, but I just don't remember :(
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30 Comments:
If I need to melt chocolate for a recipe, I always do it in the microwave instead of a double-boiler. I mean come on, it's the 80's, man!
SqueezeBottle at 3:50PM on 06/04/09
If you want to soften butter for a baking recipe but it's coming straight from the fridge, use the defrost button on your microwave for a bit. It does a much better job of evenly softening than the regular low or high power buttons.
meem21 at 3:51PM on 06/04/09
Kind of similar to your onion trick - I microwave potatoes for about 5-7 minutes (tossed with olive oil, salt, etc.) before roasting them, it also cuts roasting time quite a bit.
@SqueezeBottle - ha:-). I do the same thing, too.
brooke29 at 3:56PM on 06/04/09
Freezing ice cubes of herbs, garlic, or stock has been really helpful for me.
gingercookiewithlime at 4:22PM on 06/04/09
i roll out my sugar cookie dough between pieces of parchment or wax paper and then stack them up, put them on a cookie sheet and wrap the whole thing in plastic. That goes in the freezer until everything gets nice and firm.
to cut, just peel away the papers and go to town with your cutter.
andshewas at 4:32PM on 06/04/09
when measuring oil and honey for a recipe, measure the oil first, then the honey next, which will then slide out easily
derosa at 5:01PM on 06/04/09
And to continue what @derosa said - if measuring just honey (no oil), spray the measuring spoon or cup with PAM.
brooke29 at 5:46PM on 06/04/09
@brooke29, thank you... I'll use that tip!
czken at 5:58PM on 06/04/09
A space saving solution: When you're breaking down vegetables or fruit on a cutting board, pull half the open end of a plastic bag under the board so that you can just scrape peelings and debris right into the bag with no mess or extra cleaning. And you're recycling the grocery bags at the same time.
For getting butter to room temperature: while I'm preheating the oven, I put the butter near the stove so some of the ambient warmth speeds up the process. and in the meantime I get my dry ingredients measured and mixed.
laurelie at 6:13PM on 06/04/09
I feel so much better reading posts by great cooks who do use the microwave as a tool--sometimes, reading Internet posts by foodies who proudly only use the microwave for reheating coffee, I find myself feeling a bit self-conscious...
HeartofGlass at 7:10PM on 06/04/09
reheating coffee - ew!
mrstkach at 7:18PM on 06/04/09
A pressure cooker is the ultimate shortcut, especially for making stock or cooking beans.
buffy at 7:27PM on 06/04/09
I grate whole pieces of fresh ginger (after I peel it) with my food processor and then freeze it in an ice cube tray so I have pre-portioned cubes ready for cooking or making ginger tea (which does wonders for upset tummies and achy muscles.)
swampyankee at 8:42PM on 06/04/09
@buffy- totally agree! and brown rice!
@swampyankee- I used to do that until I became too lazy to do all the preps :-P Now I just freeze peeled ginger chunks, and grate a frozen chunk with a fine cheese grater as much as I need, then return it to the freezer. I love ginger tea!
I tried "cutting curly-leaf parsley with kitchen scissors in a cup" shortcut and it's really quick, but then I realized I almost always use flat-leaf parsley.
hmw0029 at 9:57PM on 06/04/09
Wrapping a box grater with plastic before grating ginger, parm, or anything else. You just unwrap the plastic an scrape your stuff off and don't either lose a bunch of ingredient to the grater, or conversely have to clean it all out of the grater.
MaresyDotes at 1:18AM on 06/05/09
When prepping, I cut/chop/wash extra vegetables and salad fixings for the next day or two's meals. Also make double batches of meatloaf, chili, sauces, etc. and freeze some for a quick home cooked meal.
When cooking pot roast, I make two and take one out about 45 minutes before its done, along with some of the braising liquid. Let cool and freeze. Then when you are ready for pot raost, pop it into the pot along with onions, carrots and potatoes and cook until done.
I love using a flexible cutting board. So easy to pour cut ingredients into the pot. I move ingredients with the back ridge of my knife to preserve the sharp cutting edge.
Zip-style bags are the only thing I use for marinating meats. You can usually reduce the amount of marinade by at least half, add the meat, squeeze out the air and it is still surrounded by the liquid. Same for brining.
When making brine, add the ingredients to half the amount of boiling water the recipe calls for. When dissolved and slightly cooled, add the other half of the water- ice cold. Quicker than cooling the entire amount of hot brine.
CJ McD at 12:08PM on 06/05/09
When I am making boiled potatoes I only use water to half-cover the potatoes... they kind of boil/steam at the same time and they usually take half the time as most recipes call for.
I hate overcooked broccoli, so I usually cook it using only the steam left in a pot after boiling potatoes (using the method above).
When making recipes that call for peeled tomatoes - like a tomato sauce - I just peel the tomatoes using a serrated vegetable peeler. Why turn on the stove and boil a pot of water to blanch tomatoes if I can have the same effect without using an once of electricity??
MadelynRodriguez at 12:26PM on 06/05/09
Here are a whole bunch of kitchen timesavers from food bloggers!
Chew on That at 1:10PM on 06/05/09
To soften butter for baking, I cut it into little cubes and spread them out on a plate. I use the microwave for lots of things, but not softening butter.
eeels at 2:23PM on 06/05/09
When buying husked corn at the supermarket, I husk it right then and there, that way I dont have the mess at home!
CATERPILLARGIRL at 2:32PM on 06/05/09
I make Hollandaise in the blender, rather than whisking on the stove top.
I just whirl the egg yolks and lemon or vinegar with the seasonings, and slowly drizzle in the hot melted butter as the blades are running. Viola! Hollandaise sauce with no fuss or muss.
I imagine I am not the only one who does this, but it is still a great shortcut - especially if you make Hollandaise as often as I tend to.
Cheers,
~ Paula
Paula Maack at 2:58PM on 06/05/09
just though of another one.
i freeze little cans of tomato paste, then open both ends, push out the paste, and cut the cylinder of paste into little disks. re-freeze those disks and you've got a couple of tablespoons of tomato paste handy whenever.
andshewas at 4:03PM on 06/05/09
good tricks everyone! I really like the sliced tomato paste idea! :-)
hmw0029 at 5:22PM on 06/05/09
Heheheh, so many microwavers. The Test Kitchen would be appalled ;)
Stufsocker at 5:53PM on 06/05/09
When slashing a loaf of bread before baking, do not be tentative about it.
dbcurrie at 5:57PM on 06/05/09
@Stufsocker I have one more microwaving shortcut :-P
For stir-fry, tofu "steaks" etc, squeezing out water from tofu is important. Wrap the tofu in paper towels and microwave for 3 min. The traditional way (sandwiching tofu between cutting boards and wait...) takes a long time.
hmw0029 at 6:22PM on 06/05/09
I rarely have a bottle of leftover wine, but when I do, I pour it into ice cube trays. Then I either throw it in a hot pan for a quick pan sauce or I use it to cool down my sangria without diluting it.
TheKitchenWitch at 6:28PM on 06/05/09
I live alone and found myself not using all my produce before it went bad. Now I chop and freeze before it gets to that point. I love always basic things like peppers, onions, shallots, ham and green onions on hand. Quick dinners of pastas, pizzas and omelettes are so easy now.
CooksForOne at 12:29AM on 06/06/09
remembered one more- put a small piece of moistened kitchen towel in a jar of hardened brown sugar. All soft and ready to use the next day.
I think the original tip I saw said to throw in a piece of bread, but I don't wan to waste my homemade bread :-)
hmw0029 at 10:17AM on 06/06/09
Save a pot, microwave your corn-
Trim the silk and tough stem. Microwave 1-2 ears for 2 minutes. Turn and microwave 1-2 minutes more. Let rest 2-5 minutes more.
Peel back the husks, wrap a napkin around the husks so you have a handle (like festivals do), butter and enjoy.
CJ McD at 1:57PM on 06/06/09