1. Read up, Prep up

It’s easy to underestimate the importance of prepping before you start cooking, and you’ll be surprised to find out how much time you can save by following this tip. Before you start out, read your recipe carefully and make sure you have the ingredients and the kitchen equipment you need from start to finish. No more fumbling around the fridge or cupboards while your sauce boils over!

2. Pre-Heat Your Pans and Ovens

This tip applies to all kinds of cooking – pre-heating the pan seals the juices and gives it a nice brown sear from the moment it hits the pan. Not pre-heating your pan can result in soggy food or vegetables that take too long to turn tender. You can tell if your pan is ready if a few drops of water are thrown on the cooking surface “jump” and evaporate.

3. Size Matters

When you are preparing food, it’s important to make sure that there’s enough water for the food to “swim”, especially when it comes to curries. If there’s too much food and too little water, it turns clumpy and starchy. Likewise, take note of your pan size when you’re frying on a pan. Try not to add too many pieces of meat or vegetable that you have trouble flipping the food, which may not cook evenly.

4. Over-Mixing Doughs and Batters

Over-mixing doughs and batters can result in chewy, slightly tough cakes and muffins. Using a good kitchen machine or food processor is an easy way to make sure that you get the consistency you want – just follow the instructions for the right dough or batter texture.

5. Keep Tasting

If you’re attempting a dish you seldom prepare or have not cooked before, it’s probably a good idea to keep tasting your food every step of the way to avoid under or over-seasoning it. Taste early, and often. If you find that you’ve over seasoned your food, try to dilute it by adding a little lemon juice or vinegar to balance out the flavors.

6. Add Garlic at the Right Time

Burnt garlic will turn the most well-seasoned meat or vegetable dish bitter, so when you start sautéing your garlic is very important. If possible, try to use minced or smashed garlic, which is less likely to burn in the pan. If you’re attempting Western recipes, add the garlic close to the end of the cooking process. If you’re cooking Asian stir-fries, which often call for garlic to be sautéed in the beginning, watch carefully and make sure to add liquid or turn down the heat once it turns golden brown.

With these six tips on hand, get ready to pursue your culinary inspirations and impress your family with healthier and smarter cooking!

Traditionalists have always advocated the benefits of using copper instead of commercialized steel. From storing water to mixing up a great stew, copper vessels can pack in extra benefits that are amiss otherwise.

With repeated use, however, copper can easily develop green rust. Due to naturally occurring oxidization, this process cannot be prevented even with the most stringent of maintenance. If you are in despair on how to get the green gunk out, look no further than your ketchup bottle. To get your coppery gleam back, squeeze some ketchup out into a washcloth. Proceed to wipe down all your copper vessels rigorously. Keep in mind that scrubbing copper vessels can create scratches on their surface. Which is why while choosing a washcloth, select one that is most preferably made from the microfiber cloth. Clean and rinse with warm water for a good as new shine.

Clean Silver Jewellery

Similar to copper, silver is also easily tarnished when kept out in the open for a long time. With constant contact to air, it can gradually blacken over time, diminishing its shine.

Most silver cleaners restore shine by eroding a thin layer off the top. Extended use of these cleaners can weaken your jewellery and make it more brittle over time. For a more natural way to combat dulling, try cleaning them with ketchup instead.

Make Instant Gel Pouches

Going out for a family picnic? This hack will save you fussy tantrums and little ouchies from kids. Freeze some ketchup packets overnight to make them into gel pouches that can soothe bruises and bumps.

Additionally, they can also relieve mosquito bites and reduce their itchiness. Due to their semi-solid consistency, they can retain the coolness for longer while being comfortable to use.

Cleaning Car Alloys

It can get hard to slough off dried dust and mud from exterior alloys on cars. Save up on weekly car wash fare by using a bit of ketchup to get the stains out.

Rub on the condiment where the dirt accumulates and leave it on for some time. You can simply wash off the ketchup with warm water and rinse it doubly to make sure it is completely removed. And voila! The ketchup leaves behind a car that looks like it has just rolled out of the showroom.

Emergency Shaving Cream

Now, we realize that slathering ketchup all over your face may not be the most appealing idea. There might be merit to the idea, as tomatoes have been a staple anti-ageing miracle worker since times unknown.

And secondly, they are always easily available, in all sizes no matter where you might be. For some emergency meeting, ketchup can help you save some precious minutes do that you don’t have to rush to the corner store.

Restore Your Hair After Chlorine Swim

Maintaining blonde hair does not mean you have to skip out pool days. The content of pool water can often turn your hair into a nightmare the next day. To combat the effects of chlorinated water, simply let your hair rest in a ketchup mask for some time.  The tomato will get rid of the green while maintaining the integrity of your hair.

Clean Gardening Equipment

For all the green thumbs, this hack can save you loads on the cleansers. Cleaning gardening equipment takes a lot of soap and effort, which are terrible on accounts.

Firstly, with a near-daily usage, the bill for these cleansers stack up quite high and very soon too. Secondly, by using chemical cleaners for your tiny tots can cause them to react negatively. Ketchup can get you the same results at a much cheaper and friendlier use.

Get Rid of Fox Smells in the House

Dog owners can sympathize with the struggle of having your dog go out and come back with skunk smell all over. Rather than cutting down your playtime, you can use ketchup to get the skunk out of your house by using ketchup. Simply put all the clothes that have a peculiar scent in ketchup soak for a while and then throw them in the washer. No more restrictions on visiting the puppy park!

Use a Ketchup Bottle as Cake and Cupcake Topper

While ketchup itself is a godsend, the number of bottles that we throw away is a waste. Convert these bottles into something infinitely more useful by using them as bottles for whipping cream. The nozzle at top is easier to operate than using plastic wraps. The narrow tube can help you to get more precise results and even indulge in more intricate decorating projects. The bottle makes it accessible for the younger bakers in your house as well.

 Use a Ketchup Bottle as Cake and Cupcake Topper

While ketchup itself is a godsend, the number of bottles that we throw away is a waste. Convert these bottles into something infinitely more useful by using them as bottles for whipping cream. The nozzle at top is easier to operate than using plastic wraps. The narrow tube can help you to get more precise results and even indulge in more intricate decorating projects. The bottle makes it accessible for the younger bakers in your house as well.

Put Pancake Mix in a Ketchup Bottle

If you are inspired by all the pancake art circulating nowadays, you can create your own version by using an empty ketchup bottle. The nozzle and elasticity of the bottle come together to form a thin but steady stream of batter. This makes it easier for novices to exercise all of their creative tendencies

source: offbeatbros

CHEESE. I almost never buy cheese at full price. I have to be pretty desperate to pay full price because where I live, when it is on sale you save a LOT! Full price cheese is super expensive. Early on I had to figure out how to freeze cheese to take advantage of these savings.  Cheese IS freezable, but you don’t want to just through a whole block of cheese in your freezer or it will get crumbly and ruined. You want to grate it first, then stick it in a freezer bag.

EGGS. Yes, you can freeze eggs, but no, don’t try and put a whole egg in your freezer. With owning chickens I needed to know how to freeze eggs when I couldn’t keep up with eating them.  To freeze them you crack the eggs, whisk, and then pour into an ice cube tray. Once frozen you can put them in a freezer bag. You can pull one out when a recipe calls for an egg, or you can make scrambled eggs for breakfast.

BUTTER. Butter is another food I really like to buy on sale because full price is not cheap. Butter is super easy to freeze. Just pop it in the freezer as is and take it out when you need it.

BERRIES. Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries – they all freeze well. During the height of berry season we like to pick a bunch, and then after I’ve washed them all (and hulled them if they are strawberries) I lay them on a cookie sheet and flash freeze them. Once they are frozen I put them in a freezer bag. This prevents them from sticking to each other and leaving you with one big, squished blob of fruit.

BANANAS. You know when those bananas are starting to turn brown? It’s a perfect time to freeze them for smoothies or baking! Peel the bananas, lay them on a cookie sheet and freeze them that way. Once frozen you can stick them in a freezer bag and pull one out every time you need one.

ZUCCHINI. Unsure of what to do with all that zucchini you got from your garden? You can grate zucchini and put it in freezer bags. I like to put 2 cups of zucchini in each bag. Then, when it’s time to make zucchini bread I just pull out a bag. You will need to drain off the excess liquid from it before baking with it though.

YEAST. For years I struggled with keeping my yeast active. I would go to bake some bread and it wouldn’t rise. I eventually discovered that yeast actually does better in the freezer. I’m never had a problem since always freezing my yeast.

SOUP BROTH. Soup broth is so easy to make, and once you make it you can keep it in the freezer so it’s available at a later date for when you are making a big pot of soup! I use mason jars or plastic containers. Be sure to keep your mason jar lid a little loose while freezing to keep it from breaking. I’ve broken more mason jars than I can count by not doing this.

HOMEMADE PIZZA. We eat pizza on a weekly basis here. Do you know that you can make the pizzas ahead, freeze them, and pull them out when it’s time to eat? It’s a perfect solution to prevent ordering pizza when you have a bunch of them in your freezer and all you have to do is pull one out when you are ready. I also included freezer instructions in that post.

MUFFINS. I have yet to figure out how to have enough muffins left over to freeze once the family gets through them, but, if you are the kind that has muffins on the brink of going stale before you can eat them, pop them in the freezer. The same can be done for things like banana and pumpkin bread.

PASTA SAUCE. You can freeze pasta sauce in freezer safe containers or freezer bags. I like to lay the freezer bags down flat and freeze them that way. Then you can pile them up on top of each other to take up less room in your freezer.

PANCAKES. This is another food I like to freeze flat on a cookie sheet and then toss them in a freezer bag. You can actually take the pancakes out and put them in a toaster to heat them up!

SPINACH. I struggle to get through the bag of spinach before it starts going bad. You can blend up spinach with a tiny bit of water to get the blender moving, then pour it into ice cube trays and freeze. This is perfect for smoothies which is really my main way of using spinach.

ONIONS. You can dice your onions or slice them into rings, toss them into freezer bags, and away you go! Be sure to not dice them up too finely or they may turn to mush. You want to freeze onions in a thin layer, so lay down your freezer bag when freezing so that it will freeze flat.

MILK. You can freeze milk, but if your milk comes in a jug (ours is in a bag over here in most of Canada:) ) be sure to pour some off the top to prevent the jug from busting as it will expand when it freezes.

FLAX AND CHIA SEEDS. To prevent your little seeds of nutrition powerhouses going rancid before you can get through the bag, toss them in the freezer and store them in there.

HERBS. Freeze fresh herbs by chopping them up, mixing them with a little bit of water, and tossing them in ice cube trays. Once frozen just pop them out and store them in a freezer bag.

NUTS. Again, another food to freeze to prevent them from going rancid too quickly.

RAW MEAT. We often buy discounted meat like chicken, beef, and pork, that is going to expire the day we purchase it. We toss it in the freezer and it stays good until we need it.

AVOCADOS. Avocados tend to get mushy after freezing, so if you are going to freeze avocados then it is best to use them for dip, dressings, or smoothies. Blend up the avocados and mix in some lemon juice and stick it in the freezer. You can also freeze avocados diced or halved with lemon juice, but since your avocados are going to be mushy anyways, pureeing them before freezing makes more sense to me.

TOMATOES. Yes, you can freeze tomatoes, but again, this is another food that will come out mushy from the freezer, so if you are freezing them you want to use them for sauce or salsa or something like that.  Basically, frozen tomatoes are great to cook with, not so great to just eat raw. This is a great option if you have a garden and are waiting to have enough tomatoes to make sauce from. If you are wondering how to freeze tomatoes, you can just toss them into a freezer bag until you have enough to make a batch of sauce. You can freeze them with our without their skins on. Freeze them in a freezer bag.

SAVING MONEY BY FREEZING FOOD

Knowing what foods freeze well can go a long way in helping you prevent food waste in the kitchen, and therefore saving you money! You don’t need the biggest sized freezer either for this kind of thing. We have just a smaller cube freezer that has worked well for us over the years. Even the freezer attached to your fridge can help you save money if you use it efficiently.

Cutting incorrectly
We all love the “chop-chop-chop” sound knives makes against the cutting board. But check the volume of that sound. Chopping is not a high-impact sport. If your knife is sharp, you shouldn’t have to work that hard.

The solution: Use a rocking motion to cut, keeping the knife tip in contact with the board as much as possible (this also reduces the odds of injury). And don’t scrape the edge of your blade across the board. If you want to use your knife to gather up that lovely little pile of freshly minced garlic, use the back of the blade.

Letting food pieces dry on your kitchen knives

Don’t procrastinate on post-meal cleaning.

“Knives should always be rinsed and washed immediately after use. When food dries onto your knife, you have to work much harder to scrub it off,” Palafox says. “Scrubbing your knife can compromise the sharp edge, and, more importantly, can be dangerous.”

Cleaning your kitchen knives in the dishwasher

The best tools to keep your knives clean and in mint condition can be found at the end of your arms. The typical dishwasher detergent is very abrasive (to dislodge those extra bits of mac and cheese off your plate) and the jets spray hot water powerfully, which makes the dishwasher a no-fly zone for knives, Palafox says.

“Hand-washing is best since the dishwasher can dull knives,” Crowley says. If you must pop them in the dishwasher, “don’t put them in the utensil holder of your dish rack, as this can dull the edge and put pressure on the tip. It also makes it more likely that someone will cut themselves while they’re putting the dishes away.”

Putting kitchen knives away while they’re still wet

Similar to your cast-iron skillet, be sure to towel your knives off before storing.

“The humidity causes the knives to rust. Wash by hand, then dry immediately to prevent dullness and rust,” Segura says. Give it a thorough dry, then slip into a knife sheath if you have one, Merlin recommends.

Using kitchen knives for non-cutting duties

Sure, it’s quick and easy to slice open a cardboard box or plastic bag with a kitchen knife, but that doesn’t mean you should do it. These non-food slices can dull or harm your knife in an instant. Stick to basic scissors—not your kitchen shears— for a safer and smarter option.

Letting the knife get dull
A dull blade can actually be more dangerous than a sharp one, because it’s more likely to slip. If a knife slides across the surface of a tomato or onion before cutting in, you know it’s time to be sharpened.

The solution: Plan on sharpening your blade every six to 12 months, and honing it in between.

Using the wrong cutting board
Any cutting board or countertop that’s hard enough not to be damaged by a knife—granite, concrete, marble, glass, hardened acrylic—is hard enough to damage the knife. Think of it this way: Something’s gotta give, and you don’t want it to be your knife. (The verdict is still out on bamboo.)

The solution: Always use a cutting board, and stick with traditional hardwood as the best first choice. Plastic boards are gentle on the knife blade, but gouges left by the blade can provide a home for bacteria. So if you go the plastic route, be sure to disinfect the board thoroughly after use.

Storing knives improperly
Keeping your knives in a kitchen drawer, where they can bang up against other utensils, can damage the blades—as well as pose a hazard to anyone reaching into the drawer. Knife blocks are pretty and space-efficient, but grease and dirt can get trapped deep inside them and then transfer to your knife blade. Just be aware that it’s not the safest place to store your knives, especially if you have young children in the house. Bostic recommends keeping your sharp knives in a drawer with a lock to keep them out of sight (and reach) of little ones.

The solution: The best way to store your knife is on a magnetized board—it’s a space-saver. If you use a knife block, be sure to keep it clean. If you must store your knives in a drawer, buy some plastic knife guards to slide over the blades when not in use.

Storing kitchen knives floating in a drawer.

Crowley and Palafox both prefer to store their knives on a magnetic strip adhered to the wall.

“The knives can perch right on the strip, so you don’t have to worry about them getting banged up in a drawer or cutting yourself when you’re rummaging around. Also, they look cool all lined up,” Crowley says.

“Knife blocks are fine, but when you buy a knife set, it often comes with a bunch of random knives that you don’t need, so we typically prefer to assemble our own sets, and store them either on magnetic strips or in a universal knife block.”

Using your knives for odd jobs
A chef’s knife is impressive—whether you’re talking an 8-inch or a 10-inch blade. And it’s tempting to use it for something other than its intended purpose. Do not, for example, use a chef’s knife to cut through chicken bones or frozen foods. If you ever find yourself sawing with your chef’s knife, stop immediately and choose a different tool. And as tempting as the pointy, delicate end of your paring knife may be, do not use it as a screwdriver!

The solution: Choose the right tool for the right job, always.

source: tasteofhome – eatthis

1. Brown eggs are more nutritious than white

Nope. Surprisingly enough, the color of an egg shell differs depending on what type of hen laid them. For example, White Leghorn chickens lay white eggs, while Plymouth Rocks and Rhode Island Reds lay brown eggs. Some chicken breeds, such as the Ameraucana and Lushi, even lay blue or green eggs. This is not an indication of how nutritious the egg is, it’s simply genetics.

2. There’s no way to tell if eggs are old if you lost the carton

Believe it or not, you can test if an egg is old or expired by observing its buoyancy in water. Place an egg in water—if it sinks to the bottom, they’re very fresh. If the egg floats, however, it’s gone off. This happens because over time air passes through the egg shell into the egg (they’re very porous).

3. The shell is meaningless

Believe it or not, a shell’s thickness is actually a good indicator of egg quality. The thicker the shell results from a hen’s calcium-rich diet, which makes for a healthier hen (and therefore, a more nutritious egg). Another fun fact: shells of smaller eggs are thicker than the shells of larger eggs. This makes them easier to peel when they’re hard-boiled.

4. The built-in tray on your fridge door is the best place to store eggs

False! Egg cartons are specifically designed to prevent breaks and bumps, and they’re the best tool for preventing odors from your fridge from getting into your precious eggs. The build-in tray on your fridge door, on the other hand, is not the place for keeping eggs fresh and tasty. The opening and closing of the door results in quick and frequent temperature shifts, which negatively impacts the egg freshness.

5. Cage-free labels mean hens are happily roaming outdoors

Cage-free hens may still have been raised in confined living conditions without access to outdoor space. This actually can reduce the nutritional value of the egg as hens have a less varied diet. Look for organic, free-range eggs instead.

6. You should always remove the yolk, because, cholesterol

We’re over this myth! The yolk contains valuable vitamins, minerals and Omega-3s, so it simply shouldn’t be overlooked. It’s also low in saturated fat, offers protein, and thought it contains cholesterol recent research notes that cholesterol found in eggs does not significantly raise blood cholesterol levels as we previously thought.

7. You should limit yourself to three eggs per week

Incorporating eggs into your daily diet is part of a healthy lifestyle, according to the American Heart Association. When eaten for breakfast, they help keep you full throughout the morning and offer lasting energy.

8. Eggs aren’t convenient

Boiling eggs at the beginning of the week for grab-and-go breakfasts and snacks simplifies the planning process. But better yet, you can purchase Pete and Gerry’s Hard-Boiled eggs to keep at home or in the office.

9. Egg yolks are always the same color

Next time you crack one, pay attention to the color of your egg’s yolk. A darker, richly golden yolk is one indicator that the egg came from a free-range hen and is subsequently more nutritious. Free-range hens have a more varied diet and typically lead healthier lives.

source: health.com

1. Spice it up

Add spices or chilies to your food for a flavor boost that can help you feel satisfied. “Food that is loaded with flavor will stimulate your taste buds and be more satisfying, so you won’t eat as much,” says American Dietetic Association spokeswoman Malena Perdomo, RD. When you need something sweet, suck on a red-hot fireball candy. It’s sweet, spicy, and low in calories.

2. Eat protein at every meal

Protein is the ultimate fill-me-up food — it’s more satisfying than carbs or fats and keeps you feeling full for longer. It also helps preserve muscle mass and encourages fat burning. So be sure to incorporate healthy proteins like seafood, lean meat, egg whites, yogurt, cheese, soy, nuts, or beans into your meals and snacks.

3. Eat several mini-meals during the day

If you eat fewer calories than you burn, you’ll lose weight. But when you’re hungry all the time, eating fewer calories can be a challenge. “Studies show people who eat 4-5 meals or snacks per day are better able to control their appetite and weight,” says obesity researcher Rebecca Reeves, DrPH, RD. She recommends dividing your daily calories into smaller meals or snacks and enjoying most of them earlier in the day — dinner should be the last time you eat.

4. Swap a cup of pasta for a cup of vegetables

Simply by eating less pasta or bread and more veggies, you could lose a dress or pants size in a year. “You can save from 100-200 calories if you reduce the portion of starch on your plate and increase the amount of vegetables,” says Cynthia Sass, RD, a spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

5. Always eat breakfast

It seems like an easy diet win: Skip breakfast and you’ll lose weight. Yet many studies show the opposite can be true. Not eating breakfast can make you hungry later, leading to too much nibbling and binge eating at lunch and dinner. To lose weight — and keep it off — always make time for a healthy morning meal, like high-fiber cereal, low-fat milk, and fruit.

1.Rescue Rice

Rice can be tricky to get right at the best of times! And if you happen to overcook it, the rice at the bottom of the pot can burn and affect the taste of the rest of the rice. But there’s an easy way to salvage your rice! Just placed a slice of white bread on top of the rice for 5-10 minutes. The bread will draw out the burned flavor and aroma, leaving you with plenty of palatable rice to serve!

2. Give bananas a longer life

Keep bananas fresh for longer by wrapping the end of the bunch with plastic wrap. Better yet, separate each banana. Both tactics block ethylene gases from releasing out of the stem, thereby ripening the fruit too fast.

3. Save cut fruit from browning

You’ve probably heard that a little squeeze of lemon juice can keep apple slices from looking unappetizing. A mixture of 1 part honey to 2 parts water works much the same way to keep fruit from browning. Ever wonder why this works? The citric acid and vitamin C in lemon juice and a peptide in honey slow down the oxidation process that causes discoloration.

4. Even Cheese Slices

You’ll just need a peeler. After that, instead of slicing cheese with a knife, just use a peeler. The advantage? All of the cheese slices will end up with an even thickness!

5. Quick ‘Baked’ Potatoes

You’ll Need:

• 4 toothpicks
• microwave

Here’s How:

Stick 4 toothpicks into a potato and place it, balanced on the toothpicks, in the microwave for 15 minutes. There’s no need for an oven!

6. Use the float test to check egg freshness

Can’t remember when you bought those eggs? Don’t fret; eggs are typically good well past their expiration dates. But you can always do the “float test” to check their freshness before you ruin dinner – and other food – by adding spoiled eggs. It’s simple: Just put an egg in a bowl of water. If they float, they’re bad; if they sink and lay horizontally, they’re good to go.

7. Freeze herbs in ice cube trays

Fresh herbs add serious flavor to recipes without added calories, but sometimes they spoil before you’re able to use them. Stop that from happening—and take out a step in your sautéing routine—by combining olive oil with herbs in ice cube trays. Simply freeze and pop out whenever a recipe calls for herbs and spices. Bonus: You’ll save money by not throwing away herbs you couldn’t use!

8. Microwave lemons and limes for faster juicing

Zap lemons, limes, or oranges for 15 seconds in the microwave before squeezing them. The fruit will yield twice as much juice. Wondering what to do with freshly-squeezed lemon?

Check out these Amazing Things You Can Do With a Lemon.

9. Use frozen fruits and vegetables.

Fresh fruits and vegetables are the most desirable for cooking because you know they’re quality. Unfortunately, fresh means plenty of preparation by way of chopping and peeling. Cut out that step by purchasing the frozen versions of the vegetables you need for cooking. Most frozen vegetables are flash-frozen when they’re fresh, meaning they’ll still have the same vitamins and minerals as fresh versions without all the extra preparation time. Just make sure you’re getting the plain vegetables and not ones covered with sauces or extra ingredients.

10. Peel potatoes like a genius.

For this one-minute hack, you’re only going to peel one horizontal line around the circumference of the widest part of the potato. Then boil the potatoes until tender and run them under cold water—which is when the peels will easily come right off.

11. Removing an eggshell fragment

This is one of those hacks that I thought wouldn’t work because it seemed too good to be true. I was wrong! Simply use a larger piece of eggshell to scoop up those pesky little fragments. It feels like magic.

12. Use a spoon to skin a kiwi

This trick works best if your kiwi is ripe (not rock hard). First, slice the ends off of a kiwi. Slide a spoon under the skin, and run it all the way around the kiwi, keeping it as close to the skin as possible without breaking through the skin

You’ll be able to slide the skin right off! Then just slice and serve

13. Bring eggs to room temperature quickly

Along the same lines, you can quickly warm eggs to room temp by placing them in a bowl and covering them with very warm (not hot) water. Let them sit for about 5–10 minutes while you prep the rest of your recipe.

14. Prevent potatoes from browning

This is a trick I learned from my mom. If you want to peel your potatoes in advance, simply cover them with cold water to prevent them from browning. Your potatoes might retain a bit more water if they’re left overnight in the fridge like this. But if you’re making mashed potatoes with them, you probably won’t be able to tell the difference.

1. Perfect Steak

Never fry a piece of meat after taking it out straight from the fridge. Leave it for almost an hour or two before you start cooking. And let it come at room temperature first. After then the meal will be fried evenly, regardless of how much you want your steak to be fried. If you want to have a beautiful crust on your steak, first get rid of all the moisture from the meat before frying.

2. Juciest Meat Ever

It usually takes a lot of time to fry a piece of chicken or meat but you can dry it out very easily. Just to avoid this, a lot of European chefs use a very simple trick.

First, they put all the meat in a brine. It is quite easy to make a good amount of brine. Take 3 cups of water and then add 1/2 cup of salt and also add 1/4 cup of sugar in it. Then pour all the brine on your meat so that the liquid will cover it and then put the bowl in your fridge. Never leave that mixture for more than 8 hours and less than 1/5 hour. If you want to cook chicken wings, then the time of bringing should be based on the size of one wing. And do not forget to pat the wings before you start cooking.

3. Flavoring Spices

For the extraction of natural flavors and for enhancing the taste of black pepper in your dishes, toss them in the same pan over medium heat. Keep on toasting them until you feel the fragrance coming out of them. After doing that, use a mortar or a pestle for grinding your spices. You can also exchange black pepper with black peppercorns. If you will add them to your dish you will get an amazing aroma and flavor.

4. Light And Airy Dough

If you want to have the perfect dough take out some butter and eggs from your fridge one night before. This will let both of them come to room temperature.

5. Fish With Delicate Crust

If you desire to have fry fish on the grill, spread on it some mayonnaise and it will give you a delicate crust. Then take a pastry brush, then dip the tip into the sauce and apply some mayonnaise on the fish. After that add some salt to it and grill it afterward. And you will get a beautiful golden crust. Try to use as much fewer spices as possible. Use just salt for the best taste. When the fish is fried apply lemon juice for a more delicious taste.

6. Steak Without Oil

One of the famous chefs, Alain Ducasse has revealed this secret for cooking an amazing steak. At first, the steak is placed at the edge for rendering the fats. This way you will be able to cook the steak in beef fat. And this also creates an appetizing crust on its edges. And this way you won’t require oil for cooking it.

7. Mashed Potatoes

Before making mashed potatoes you should dry them first. After that place those potatoes in a clean half heated frying pan. And then keep them over there until the remaining water will dry out. Do not let the heat fry those potatoes. After they will be dried, you will get amazing mashed potatoes. If you want to avoid hot splashing milk you are making mashed potatoes, then add a little milk to it.

8. Cream Soup

Fry all the vegetables separately in olive oil right before you will start cooking the vegetable cream soup. After that add some water to it. The frying will caramelize all the sugar present in the vegetables and it also enhances their flavor. This will make the dish quite exquisite and delicious. This tip can also be applied to vegetable stew.

9. Pancakes

Whatever recipe you are following to make pancakes, always add two tablespoons of sour cream to the mixture. This trick will make the pancakes more fluffy, tasty, and free of all the cracks.

10. Sugar Is Not For Sweetness

Sugar is the same seasoning as salt. Just add a pinch of sugar to a dish that has pickled or even fresh tomato paste. The sugar will cut down their sourness and will make the meal taste even better.

11. Fried Egg

The components which are required to cook the perfectly fried eggs are butter, a minimum amount of heat, and a thick-walled frying pan. At first, heat up the pan then add 1/2 tablespoon of butter to it. Let it melt slowly but do not let it reach a sizzle. After that break, all the eggs and then cook them for 4-5 minutes. Then add salt as per taste and your fried eggs are ready.

12. Clear Broth

A clear broth is one of the most important components while making soups, sauces, and some other dishes. For making crystal clear broth, at first you should cook the chicken on a lower heat without covering it for around 3 hours. Do not let it boil. And keep removing the studs.

Add parsley, carrots, and celery after you will be done cooking for almost 1.5 hours. While cooking some beef or lamb broth, you may wish to roast vegetables before putting them in the soup. If you want to do that just cut all the vegetables into halves and put all of them in a pan which has no oil. Fry them until a dark brown crust will start appearing on them. After that add them to the broth and your delicious soup is ready to be eaten.

13. Crispy Bread Crust

You might face difficulties while making the crust if you bake at home usually. It either gets too pale or is too thick. Now you can solve this issue very easily by putting a bowl full of water in your oven whenever you bake. The water will make steam and it will do all the magic which will eventually give you a crispy bread crust.

14. Cook Onions Correctly

While frying using a medium amount of heat, then add cooking oil and butter both into the heated frying pan. After that cut all the onions and fry them with salt as per your taste. Salt does three things: It helps in cooking quicker, it helps in getting rid of all the unwanted onion smell, and also caramelizes for adding a sweet flavor to it. If you want to fry onions, just add butter but if you want to avoid the onions from getting darker, go for melted butter.

15. No Need To Get Afraid Of Garlic

The smell of garlic can ruin anything be it a meeting or a romantic date. If you really love garlic then add garlic juice to your dish. This way you will be able to avoid all the unpleasant smells.