What's the best hint/tip you found this year?

[Alex]

Salt your scrambled eggs AFTER cooking them.  Makes a big difference in the flavor and the texture of the eggs.  I forgot why, though !

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Empirical evidence from Cook's Illustrated says the opposite, at least for texture.

From their "Notes from Readers" section, July/August 2008:

Salt affects the electrical charge on the protein molecules in eggs, reducing the tendency of the proteins to bond with each other. This produces a weaker protein network, which means more tender scrambled eggs. In the absence of salt, the protein molecules interact more strongly, forming a tighter network and resulting in a firmer, more rubbery texture. We recommend salting eggs just prior to cooking.

Regarding taste, I suspect that salting after cooking would naturally lead to a more distinct salt note (if that makes sense) than if blended with the eggs during cooking. Me, I straddle the fence and add a pinch or two of Morton's kosher salt halfway through the cooking process (over low heat).

[cbread]

Best tip I found this last year was the use of an electronic gram scale for baking. It makes it easier, faster, and more accurate. I'll never go back.

[gfron1]

Here's one that I assume everyone knew but me...

When you drop shell into a cracked egg, use the remaining large shell to remove the shard. The shard is drawn to the larger shell and comes right out. Same goes for yolks that break into your whites.

[heidih]

Here's one that I assume everyone knew but me...

When you drop shell into a cracked egg, use the remaining large shell to remove the shard.  The shard is drawn to the larger shell and comes right out.  Same goes for yolks that break into your whites.

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I learned that one standing on a chair at the kitchen counter with great grandma, but it is a good reminder that I need to teach it to my kid who is off to the big world soon.

[nickrey]

My favorite new trick is The Perfect Poached Egg.  See method #4 - the Clingfilm Stampede.  Break egg into a ramekin or espresso cup.  Fold a large sheet of plastic wrap into a square and drop the egg into your palm in the cling film.  Wrap and tie up the ends so you have a little egg-in-a-plastic-bag.  Drop egg baggies into boiling water and set timer for 2 minutes 30 seconds.  Fish bags out and drop into ice water to suspend cooking.  Perfectly round little poached eggs every single time.  And the pan isn't even dirty.  I've tried every other poached egg method and all I've gotten is an egg white variant of weak egg drop soup.  This works like a charm every single time.  Bloody brilliant!!

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This technique was shown as part of the Australian Masterchef series. Click on the poached egg salad masterclass recipe video in this link to get some professional tips on how to do this to get the best result.

[kitchensqueen]

I hate cutting carrots with a passion, so learning to cut them on the bias, then julienne and mince is quicker and more efficent then squaring if off, planks, then mince of the French method. Wastes less too.

[Darienne]

Here it is half way through 2010 and no new tips???? Here's mine. It's probably so already done that it's a yawner, but it's new to me.

The other day I thought to myself: I hate measuring butter in a spoon or cup and I am not going to do it anymore. So I made myself a tiny cheat sheet...until I learn it confidently...of how much a certain volume of butter weighs and now I am set for life.

Would that all problems had such simple solutions.

[Special K]

A little time-saver: yesterday I made 12 dozen chocolate chip cookies, and I had the bright idea to use my fish spatula http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp;jsessionid=TEAA5KCNSOJANLAQBBJCCO3MCAEFGIWE?id=0073112519536a&type=product&cmCat=perf&rid=0180101070502&xpid=k216837&cm_ven=Affiliate&cm_cat=Google%20Product%20Listing%20Ads%20-%20Experiment%2003&cm_pla=Primary&cm_ite=cabela&_requestid=51796 to remove them from the pan and onto the cooling rack - three at a time!

[Porthos]

... i was amazed to find how great brined dried beans are! soak 'em overnight in seriously salted water -- they cook up tender, never mushy and have great flavour. best dried cannellini ever. courtesy of a 2008 issue of Cook's Illustrated (the recipe for Tuscan Bean Stew).

Do you change out the water for cooking?

[andiesenji]

A little time-saver: yesterday I made 12 dozen chocolate chip cookies, and I had the bright idea to use my fish spatula http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp;jsessionid=TEAA5KCNSOJANLAQBBJCCO3MCAEFGIWE?id=0073112519536a&type=product&cmCat=perf&rid=0180101070502&xpid=k216837&cm_ven=Affiliate&cm_cat=Google%20Product%20Listing%20Ads%20-%20Experiment%2003&cm_pla=Primary&cm_ite=cabela&_requestid=51796 to remove them from the pan and onto the cooling rack - three at a time!

I use baking parchment and simply slide the entire paper with cookies attached onto the cooling racks. I reload the oven with cookie dough that has been positioned on additional sheets of parchment which are easy to slide onto a sheet pan.

By that time the cookies have just cooled enough that they can be removed from the parchment but for very thin and crisp (or "lace" cookies) I leave them on the parchment until they have cooled and usually pop free easily.

Edited June 21, 2010 by andiesenji (log)

[Emily_R]

Ok, two tips that have been new to me this year...

When using the food processor and making some kind of messy oily marinade or puree, I can put a large piece of plastic wrap over the bowl *before* putting the lid on (slide the lid on right over it), and the wrap will keep the lid nice and clean (not spattered with liquid).

The other tip isn't exactly a cooking tip, but still... I have two full size freezer in our basement... Just recently I bought a set of wet-erase pens and a few overhead projector plastic sheets. Taped the sheets to the freezer and am using the wet erase pens to write down the freezer inventory. When I take something out or into the freezer, I just wipe off the previous entry on the projector sheet and modify it!

Emily

[Special K]

I use baking parchment and simply slide the entire paper with cookies attached onto the cooling racks. I reload the oven with cookie dough that has been positioned on additional sheets of parchment which are easy to slide onto a sheet pan.

I tried that, but I guess I'm clumsy. . . too many times I've dumped the cookies all over the place (Doh! I could use the pizza peel - same concept!). Anyway, I just went out and bought three more half-sheet pans. They're easy to store (and I re-use the parchment paper so I just store that with them), and while the first three are in the oven, I'm loading the second three. If I'm making more than six pans, usually the first three pans are cooled by the time I'm ready to load 'em up with more cookies (if not, I just slide them into the freezer for a few minutes).

[Kouign Aman]

Add milk to the eggs before scrambling them. Makes a tenderer fluffier scrambled egg. Learned it at home as a kid, but re-learned it recently.