Culinary Hacks (11 pics)

1

"Substitute soy sauce, fish sauce, or tamari for salt — and you'll get deeper umami flavor. Also, because you'll need less due to the concentrated flavor, there will often be less sodium in your dish overall."

2

"Avoid buying pre-marinated meats in grocery stores and butcher shops. They’re usually older, less-fresh cuts of meat that are closer to their expiration date. They're being ‘rescued’ with a marinade to cover that."

3

"A few drops of hot sauce can take vinaigrettes to the next level. A little bit of hot sauce (like Crystal) or fish sauce can be unrecognizable in a vinaigrette, dip, or sauce — but it's an absolute game-changer. A touch of heat, umami, sugar, or acid can turn a flat dish into something people crave. Little drops, add more. Stop when you taste it and start salivating."

4

"Always "cook one off" — and taste your product or prep mixture before you dive into making the rest of it. Too many people just go along making recipes and don’t taste up front or along the way."

5

"Memorize the three-step method for perfectly crispy fish skin. 1) Scrape the skin with the back of a knife to dry it out. 2) Put it in a hot pan with fat skin down and press it until it stops trying to curl. 3) Put the whole pan in the oven and roast until done. Cook it the whole way skin down. Perfectly crispy skin every time."

6

"Salt in the hand, not in the pan. When adding salt to a dish, try not to hang a 5 pound box over it."

7

"Know that electric stoves can get much hotter than gas. A high setting on gas will get you a nice sear, but the same on electric will burn. It's not something to worry about in a restaurant kitchen, but definitely at home."

8

"Place cherry or grape tomatoes in between two plastic lids to quickly cut them all in half. As long as your knife is sharp, you can cut 15 to 20 at a time this way instead of one at a time."

9

"Caramelize onions in butter (rather than olive oil) and a bit of sugar. Butter is especially great for browning. If you’re going a bit beyond just browning, like with fried or caramelized onions, use butter and sugar. It makes a world of difference."

10

"Add some cider vinegar to my chicken or turkey gravy. Game. Changer."