Quick Cooking Tips and Tricks

Hey guys! I just wanted to make a quick post to share with you what I have learned that has helped me in the kitchen and what I think will help you too. The nice thing about cooking is that, unlike baking, it is not a science. You can improvise. Here are some improvisations plus some other random things I have picked up along my extensive research on cooking....because I like to read and so I read about cooking. I like food. Leave me alone. Now let us press on!

1. MAKE YOUR OWN SOUP. The canned stuff is high in sodium and other nasty things.. Use store bought broth or make your own (I'll post how to do that later). Start by sauteeing onion/carrot/celery (mirepoix!) then add whatever the hell you want.

2. shallots are onions but better. more expensive, but worth it.

3. Buy fresh herbs and chop them yourself. Dried herbs are usually stronger, but fresh herbs are so damn worth it.

• basil: tomato soup, pesto
• rosemary: everything, esp chicken
• mint: lemonade, or put it in rice with some lemon zest
• parsley: great finish for soups

4. Mix sour cream in your scrambled eggs. Instant fluffy eggs. 

5. If you want to use bread crumbs, don't. Use corn flakes. 

6. When you make chili, add dark chocolate or coffee grounds. Awesome flavor. 

7. Leftover spaghetti? fry it in olive oil and eat it on toast or add it to scrambled eggs. 

8. Adding beer or wine to most meat dishes makes them so much better. 

9. If you're cooking with beans, make sure you let them cook long enough to absorb whatever liquid is in the dish. Otherwise they will have the texture of feathers.

10. Research your olive oil, if you use it. A lot of the stuff you find at the grocery store isn't as good as they say it is. 

11. Wash your hands and use separate cutting boards for produce/meat

12. MSG is not your enemy. 

13. If you want to know why restaurant food tastes so much better than whatever you make, its because they use absurd amounts of butter and salt. Even those "healthy under 500 calorie" dishes are loaded with butter and salt. 

14. Watch Alton Brown's "good eats" on youtube. 

15. sea salt/kosher salt is better than table salt. You can control the amount easier. 

16. Make some badass sauces, i.e. deglazing. I go over it in my chicken noodle soup post, but its basically sweating veggies in a pan, removing them, then adding broth or alcohol. 

17. If you aren't on the paleo bandwagon, making a "roux" will thicken any sauce you make. Mix equal parts flour and butter on low heat, add it to soups or add cheese to it to make a sauce. I just explained that terribly, so google it. 

18. CLEAN AS YOU GO. 

19. Invest in a cheap oven thermometer and a meat thermometer. Takes all the guesswork out on when your food is done. Most ovens are completely inconsistent and lie to you about the actual temperature. Plus, cooking poultry and pork can make anyone nervous so knowing its done is a great tool for piece of mind, and most thermometers will tell you what temp each kind of meat needs to be at. 

20. Crockpots are the BEST for busy people. Make something and separate it into ziplock bags for your work week. 

21. Have fun with this! If you like chicken, tomatoes, and potatoes, they will probably taste good together. How about chicken with roasted whole tomatoes and a side of hash browns? You like steak and garlic and pasta and veggies? roast the veggies and serve them over the top of the steak with a good deglazed sauce.