15 top tips from top chefs so you can set the kitchen alight
Are you a whiz in the kitchen? Or do you make one blunder after another? These tips from chefs will help you create MasterChef-worthy dishes from now on – or at least a decent spaghetti bolognese. Good luck!
The tips were collected on the online platform Reddit. An enthusiastic amateur cook asked professional chefs: what can amateurs learn from you? As it turns out, chefs were more than happy to share their tips.
#1: Suggestion or instruction?
When you’re cooking, the recipe is a loose suggestion. But when baking, a recipe is an instruction that you need to follow precisely.
#2: Make it nice and garlicky
If the recipe says ‘2 cloves of garlic’, use five.
#3: Extra virgin doesn’t mean extra flavour
Don’t fry in extra virgin oil. That more expensive olive oil isn’t a ‘better’ type of oil; it’s an oil with more flavour. But it really isn’t suitable for frying.
#4: Clean up
Clean up your mess. Don’t need that chopping board anymore? Finished with that knife? Wash it, put it in the dishwasher or tidy it away.
#5: Salt or acid?
Many people add salt to a dish when they find it bland. But first try a little lemon juice or vinegar; that boosts the flavour too.
#6: Amy Winehouse
Does the dish call for wine? Then drink just as much wine as you add to the dish.
#7: Let it fall
Not a cooking tip, but a kitchen tip: never try to catch a falling knife.
#8: Time your additions
It matters when you add garlic to your dish. If the garlic goes in at the beginning, you need more of it than if you stir it in at the very last moment.
#9: Tie it back
Tie your hair back. I see people with their hair loose in the kitchen and it drives me absolutely crazy. Where do you think those loose hairs end up?
#10: Shallots
Use shallots instead of onion for a more subtle flavour.
#11: Work isn’t a hobby
Just because you enjoy cooking doesn’t mean you’ll enjoy having a job as a cook.
#12: Pat dry
Pat fish, meat and vegetables dry before frying them. That’s how you get a lovely crispy crust; otherwise, you won’t.
#13: Go easy on the salt
You can always add more salt, but you can’t take it back out of your food.
#14: Keep it simple
Keep it simple. Many cooks go completely overboard with gels, different textures, decorations and crispy bits. Don’t.
#15: Smelling is tasting
The aroma and flavour of spices correspond. Not sure whether two flavours go together? Smell both at the same time and you’ll know.
Read also:
- Coffee first, then breakfast: you’ll regret it
- These tips will help you keep your kitchen really clean
- Freezing cheese? You can, but remember these tips
Source: Bored Panda
