8 super-useful kitchen tips you’ll want to try at home right away, part 2
As a teenager, you went completely crazy when your mother gave you handy tips and facts while you were cooking, but if you’re still muddling through like that these days, it would have been useful if you’d paid a little attention. Of course, you’ve already tried our eight handy kitchen tips from recently, and with these eight super-smart kitchen hacks you can turn the tables (again): Mum, don’t throw away that mozzarella water!
Cut the avocado in its skin
Cut the avocado in half and remove the pit (carefully!). Then use a small knife to cut the avocado into pieces, but leave the skin on. Scoop the pieces out of the skin with a spoon. Much easier than trying to cut those slippery avocado pieces on a cutting board, right?
Read that recipe for once
Some people more or less skim through a recipe and then get started. And halfway through, they discover: refrigerate for 24 hours to marinate. Or some kitchen equipment turns up that they don’t have at home. So here’s this childish tip: read the recipe all the way through and make sure you understand it.
Use those squeeze bottles
At wholesalers and sometimes at supermarkets too, you can buy flexible bottles that are usually used for putting mustard and ketchup on the table. Use those bottles to make your vinaigrette: all the ingredients in the bottle, finger over the nozzle and shake away. Use what you need and put the bottle in the fridge afterwards. Ideal! Can’t find a bottle? Shake the vinaigrette in a jam jar instead.
Buy containers like the Chinese takeaway does
A kitchen cupboard full of handy plastic containers, and not a single lid fits. Sometimes the containers turn yellow from curry, or they get musty because they haven’t been used for years, or cracks appear because you put very hot liquid in them, or they take on a life of their own in the microwave. What a nightmare! It’s unnecessary: simply buy a stack of containers with lids from a wholesaler, an Asian supermarket or Xenos, and you’re all set. You’ll never have to go to a Tupperware party again, you can always see what’s inside through the transparent lids, they’re microwave-safe and stack perfectly.
Taste the mince before shaping the meatballs
Wednesday is mince day, so you’ve mixed one and a half kilos of mince with breadcrumbs, herbs, an egg or two and a heaped spoonful of mustard. You make meatballs, cook them in gravy as tradition dictates, and then taste one: you forgot the salt. That must never happen again. Mix your mince, take a small amount and cook it in the microwave or fry a piece to taste. That way, you can be sure your mince is properly seasoned.
Keep your knives sharp
There’s no greater misery than cutting with a blunt knife. Keep them nice and sharp by honing them regularly (yes, that’s what that funny stick in the knife set is for) and taking them to a knife sharpener from time to time. With blunt knives, you’re more likely to have kitchen accidents – they slip off the vegetables and whoosh, straight into your finger – and chopping vegetables is a joy with a nice sharp knife. And above all, never do this with your good knife.
Never throw away Parmesan rinds
Because you can use such a sad little rind to add flavour to your stew. You knew that, right? It works with any dried-out piece of cheese. You probably don’t need the cheese right away, so put a piece in a bag in the freezer.
Use mozzarella liquid to flavour sauce
Do you always drain your mozzarella from the bag over the sink too? Don’t do that anymore, because you can use that deliciously cheesy water to flavour your pasta sauce. It also works perfectly with the salty liquid the feta cubes are floating in. And that herb-infused oil from the seasoned goat’s cheese? You guessed it.
Also read:
- This viral hack helps you cut the perfect slice of cake every time
- Top hack: squeeze a lemon without a knife and without seeds
- This bacon hack is going to make your life better
Source: Serious Eats
