What is the one cooking trick

[marie-louise]

This sounds too simple, I know, but what has made a great difference in my cooking/baking is preheating.  A few years ago, I didn't understand that heating the pan and/or oil beforehand made a world of difference.  Preheating the oven before baking also made a big difference.

That was mine: heat the pan, then the oil. Then put it in the pan and leave it alone. I used to start trying to move the meat/mushrooms/whatever around much too soon.

[Al_Dente]

This sounds too simple, I know, but what has made a great difference in my cooking/baking is preheating.  A few years ago, I didn't understand that heating the pan and/or oil beforehand made a world of difference.  Preheating the oven before baking also made a big difference.

That was mine: heat the pan, then the oil. Then put it in the pan and leave it alone. I used to start trying to move the meat/mushrooms/whatever around much too soon.

good tip... definitely a common amateur mistake.... wait until there is some shnizzle in the panizzle.

i can't believe i just said that...

[mrbigjas]

That was mine: heat the pan, then the oil. Then put it in the pan and leave it alone. I used to start trying to move the meat/mushrooms/whatever around much too soon.

Yeah, same here. The revelation that things don't stick if you put them in a hot pan with hot oil and let them sit there till they're not sticking anymore. It really makes a difference.,

[dave88]

Cooking pork 'till medium rare and using 'McCormick's California Style' garlic salt on occasion.

[dave88]

Realizing that I shouldn't deep fry while drunk.

Too little too late... thanks for the tip.

[Varmint]

My most recent trick was to cut the corn off the cob over a towel, which prevents the kernels from flying all over the damn place.

[Human Bean]

Chopping onions - the standard pro method is often seen now on cooking shows, but for quite a long time, we amateurs were unaware of it. You still hear people say, "Chopping onions makes me cry; what can I do about it?" And lots of crackpot methods are still passed around (have a lit candle nearby, scuba masks, etc.)

When done right, you don't have time to cry. Not in a home kitchen with only one or two to do, anyway.

Maybe a suitable topic for the eG mini-courses, even though it's fairly well-known by now?

[Chef Fowke]

Remember that fat tastes good. When creating great food you need to add fat. Make it natural and coexistent with the product you are producing....

1. Sweet butter with pastry.

2. Lots of sweet butter 'monte au beurre' with sauces and stocks (as much as the sauce will hold and buzz it to a froth for extra textural appeal).

3. Olive oil, vegetables, potatoes, pastas and starches (breads).

4. Lardon when using a larding needle on meats (by far the best technique in French cooking).

5. Wrapping and baking any protein in pork fat or bacon (double smoked belly, preferably).

6. And for dessert add more whipped cream; at least 40% butterfat or crème friache.

[enthusiast]

making mayonaise (or hollandaise)

so many books tell you to add the oil (butter) one drop at a time to begin with. this is completely wrong. yes add in small quantities at a time but the important thing is that the quantum added is completley incorporated before you add some more. you can do it in much more than drops - just not continuously. this has saved me umpteen upsets and only goes wrong when i get overconfident...

[Jinmyo]

so many books tell you to add the oil (butter) one drop at a time to begin with.

Whaaa? I'd never heard that.

A thin slow stream.

[sparrowgrass]

Remember that fat tastes good. When creating great food you need to add fat. Make it natural and coexistent with the product you are producing....

1. Sweet butter with pastry.

2. Lots of sweet butter 'monte au beurre' with sauces and stocks (as much as the sauce will hold and buzz it to a froth for extra textural appeal).

3. Olive oil, vegetables, potatoes, pastas and starches (breads).

4. Lardon when using a larding needle on meats (by far the best technique in French cooking).

5. Wrapping and baking any protein in pork fat or bacon (double smoked belly, preferably).

6. And for dessert add more whipped cream; at least 40% butterfat or crème friache.

Damn it, I just gained ten pounds reading this.

[Basildog]

A good sharp knife....thus armed i feel i can take on anything

[Malawry]

Skimming. I skim off foam and scum whenever I see them on food in a pot. It's made my soups clearer, my beans less gassy and my flavors purer.

[snowangel]

Don't be afraid to experiment.

[Jinmyo]

I can't think of one trick that changed every thing.

I can't think of a dish I haven't made from which I haven't learned something.

Wait.

Buttered toast. But even then...

[KNorthrup]

Browning in small batches so they don't steam instead. Definitely worth the extra time.

[hotle]

my most recent one is adding a 'finishing salt' to a cut of meat just off the grill, prior to resting. i use a fleur-de-sel typically, but kosher's better than nothing.

[KateW]

I rub meat (burgers, steak, chicken, etc) with oil and salt and pepper before cooking instead of putting oil in the pan and adding salt and pepper later. Not sure how beneficial that is, but I like to do it that way now.

Also I toss meat and marinade together in a plastic bag and let it sit instead of putting it all in a bowl. I use less marinade that way, it doesn't mess up a bowl, and it takes up less space.

[bloviatrix]

Chopping onions - the standard pro method is often seen now on cooking shows, but for quite a long time, we amateurs were unaware of it. You still hear people say, "Chopping onions makes me cry; what can I do about it?" And lots of crackpot methods are still passed around (have a lit candle nearby, scuba masks, etc.)

When done right, you don't have time to cry. Not in a home kitchen with only one or two to do, anyway.

I'll admit, I don't know the method. Please share. I swear, I keep getting more sensitive to onions. It's getting so bad that my eyes are burning just reading this post.

(actually, I have problems with every member of the allium family)

[Carolyn Tillie]

Pre-made roux. Several years ago, when I was in cooking school, I experimented by making several large batches of roux. I ended up with two or three quarts worth that I put in a good Tupperware in the back of the fridge. It never went bad and it helped as I was more encouraged to whip up fabulous sauces, knowing I could thicken them whenever I wanted with a tablespoon or two of hardened roux.

[inventolux]

Placing unpeeled garlic inside 2 bowls facing each other and shaking. Viola - instant peeled garlic.

[Schielke]

really? I will be trying this for sure! How big of bowl do you use?

Ben

[gus_tatory]

inventolux's garlic method also works with the side of a cleaver or the flat of your palm, just crush and slip off skin...

[Chef Fowke]

inventolux's garlic method also works with the side of a cleaver or the flat of your palm, just crush and slip off skin...

For the Canadian's amongst us...Yan Can Cook; he uses this method in almost every show. Good to see him back on the air and living in Vancouver after a ten year hiatus.

[sammy]

Searing fish and finishing it in the oven. Comes out perfect just about every time.