Kitchen Tips and Tricks - AKA shit Grandma took for granted.

[mindlessobserver]

These are a list of common techniques that seem to be totally forgotten in modern cookery. Figure I may as well share!

1. SAVE THE FAT

All animal fat should be saved, as its a perfect stand in for any recipe that calls for oil or grease. the most stand out example of this is of course, Bacon Grease. Everyone either throws it away, or sops it up with towels. This is a huge mistake. For example, I used Bacon grease left over from one breakfast a few days ago to finish pan frying some green beans, while tonight I used leftover bacon grease to coat the pan currently in the oven making Meat Loaf.

Another trick is when cutting "inedible" bits of fat off roasts, steaks and wat not, instead of throwing those out, put them in a pan with a little water and slowly, slowly boil them. Add a little water at a time, reducing and stirring until the fat is fully liquified (rendered). Cool it off and you have suet, lard, etc. Can be used the same way as all other recipes calling for oil, and is waaaaaay better for you then industrial seed oil. Tastes better too.

Always have some Mason jars on hand to store leftover fat.

2. THE ONLY SUGAR YOU NEED IS GRANULATED AND MOLLASSES

All Brown Sugar is, is a mix of Granulated Sugar and Molasses. All Powdered sugar is is granulated sugar essentially run through a coffee or spice grinder. Big up is Molasses lasts for fucking ever, so just order a 2 gallon jug of it and you are set for the next couple of years. It also makes some amazing sauces, breads, and cakes. Would recommend.

3. YOU DON'T NEED YEAST PACKETS

Yeast grows naturally on the skin of potatoes and apples. Put apple or potato slices (skin on) in a blender, spin it around, pour into the mason jar (that you have, obviously), cover, and let sit for a weak. Once you see bubbles, you have yeast that can be used for all breads and fermentation needs. This is the biblical "leavening" btw. Any fruit or legume will do it incidentally.

4. DON'T THROW OUT THE BONES

Bones and connective tissue are the basis for stock. After the chicken roast is eaten, strip any remaining meat off and use it for chicken salad or something. Then, throw the carcass in a pot of water filled so the carcass is covered. Add salt, seasonings to taste and slow simmer overnight,. The result will be broth that can be used in all recipes calling for it. Simply portion it out in 1 cup packets, and freeze. It lasts forever. Method works for all kinds of bones. So if you had beef ribs for dinner instead of chicken, simply repeat the same process and the result will be beef broth instead. I do reccomend giving the bones a whack though for non bird animals, so the simmering water can get into the marrow and draw out the good stuff and really give your broth some flavor.

5. MSG IS CRUISE CONTROL FOR COOL

Add it to any savory dish. It won't kill you. Don't over do it obviously.

Anyone else have shit every home cook should know?

 

[Ogre Magi]

Look into making brown butter for your recipes. I initially heard about making brown butter for a chocolate chip recipe I made around the beginning of the pandemic, but honestly it can be used in anything that calls for normal butter. You basically cook butter down and evaporate water off of it, giving it a toasty flavor which also provides the brown color. I've heard that it has a similar flavor to ghee, but I've never had ghee so I have no idea how true that statement is.

I am also a huge fan of replacing raw onion for caramelized onion. I learned about the glories of caramelized onion in Alton Brown's French Onion Dip (video from his YouTube Channel) (recipe from his site) and French Onion Soup (old Good Eats clip). Highly recommend both recipes.

 

[PFM]

Here's a really easy one: clean up as you cook so you don't end up with a huge fucking mess after you're full from a delicious meal.

 

[Mordecai "3 Finger" Brown]

Perogies turn out better when you boil them first from frozen, then pan fry them to achieve a golden brown crust.

Boiling them alone leads to a grey, slimy, unappealing texture.

Trying to pan fry them directly from frozen often leads to the innards remaining cold/undercooked.

The same holds true for commercial sausages. Boiling them first allows some fat to separate, while finishing them under the broiler in the oven (during times of the year when the BBQ isn't available) turns their casing a satisfying crunchy brown that would make Nona proud.

 

[JoseRaulChupacabra]

Get a sharp knife and learn to use and sharpen it. If available at your area, a good Chinese brand is Chan Chi Kee. Their knives are famous for durability and is respected even by knife knuts over at CKTG or CKF forums. The steel is relatively mild compared to Japstuff, so don't expect the best edge retention, but the flips side of that is that it does not fucking break. WHACK garlic, portion chicken bones, laser through onions, fillet fish, all for less than the equivalent of $100. The relative heft and front weight balance of the pian knife does the work for you.

They also make solid ladles, spatulas, peelers, etc.

Try to see if you can get your cooking tools from a commercial kitchen store instead of the department store or mall based cooking stores. Items will often be cheaper and more durable.

Learn to sharpen properly. It's not just rubbing until sharp as such recklessness can only bring false sharpness that does not last. Don't underestimate it - it's a sublime art, but very useful.

Oh, and speaking of sublime - salt and pepper. Using just these to make stuff delicious is an odyssey.

 

[thejackal2]

Know the smoke points of your oils and adjust your saute accordingly. Peanut oil has a high smoke point and is great for pan frying things that you want a better crisp on, like potatoes or tofu. Olive oil is good for saute of garlic and other small veggies you want to carmelize like onion. In general: hot pan, hot oil. Let the pan get hot, add oil, let the oil get hot, add your ingredients. "Deglaze" is just a fancy way of saying save the little bits of stuff that get stuck to the pan for flavoring in whatever you're making. This is usually added to stock or the juices from what you cooked to add a savory flavor.

Most grilled meat needs to sweat. Do not cut it open until its been out of the grill for 10-15 minutes. This is key to getting a perfect char on the outside and a perfect medium rare on the inside, especially on good thick cuts.

If you're making pasta salad, run it under cold water immediately after straining. This will prevent it from over cooking and will keep it from sticking together.

Parchment paper and a sheet pan is the best way to consistently cook bacon.

 

[VeteranOfTheRetardWars]

Genuinely, if you have a large spice rack and collection of various sauces and seasonings, experiment when you cook for yourself, and just do that enough we’re you develop a good sense for how things work together you will make your own meals so much more enjoyable.
For example, you are short on time and need to make yourself a quick dinner. You have basic ingredients, and you just whip of fried eggs with whatever spice and sauce strike your fancy. I fried eggs with soy sauce, fish sauce, chili/garlic oil, paprika, ground sumac berries, asafetida, hoisin sauce, and laid that on top of spinach and rice. The result was a delicious meal that was literally just improve with had I had.
So just invest in seasonings and use them, use what you learn from recipes and go from there.