“Save. bacon. fat. Filter cooled, but still liquid bacon fat through a paper towel into a coffee mug or similar heat resistant container. It stays fresh uncovered in the fridge for months. Use it anywhere you’d use butter, lard, or oil to infuse a bacon flavor. This will obviously make the best gravy, but the pro tip is to use bacon fat instead of butter or olive oil to saute veggies, especially leafy stuff like kale, spinach, or greens.”
GrannyRUcroquet
“Baking is science, cooking is Jazz. Bake the cookies with a recipe like Einstein, season and cook your meals with your heart (and a meat thermometer so you don’t die).”
DeviousThread
“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.”
seeeyyaa
“Dry any ingredients that trap moisture — like meat, fish, and vegetables — with a paper towel before cooking them.”
half_a_sleep
“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.”
aine8
“Clean while you cook.”
bigcarri
“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.”
ovilisktwo
“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.”
totsornot
“Salt in the hand, not in the pan. When adding salt to a dish, try not to hang a 5 pound box over it.”
Importchef
“Pay attention to all your senses. Sautéing things like onions sound different at different stages. It’s more of a hiss at the start as steam escapes, then it settles down to a crackle. Similarly, everything you cook will have subtle changes to the way they smell as they cook. There have been many times when I have been multitasking and my nose has alerted me to check on whatever I have in the oven.”
theoakking
“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.”
azuenz
“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.”
exstaticj
“You’ll become a better (and faster) cook if you stay clean and organized along the way. Also, stay clean. Not just by wiping up crumbs after you use a cutting board (keep a sanitized towel nearby for a quick wipe and it’ll become second nature), but by always keeping “landing spaces” clear. You go faster when your space is flexible, and that only happens if you stay clean.”
indigohatter
“Culinary school never teaches you to use premade seasoning powders (Knorr stock powder etc) or MSG. It is essential for certain food businesses. By the way MSG reduces the amount of salt you have to use so in a way it is healthy. In Culinary school, MSG is never talked about or used and I ended up having to learn how to use MSG (how much to use in my recipe) when I opened my business.”
arcerms
“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.”
sophisticated_sloth
“Add some cider vinegar to my chicken or turkey gravy. Game. Changer.”
neanotnea
“There’s usually more than one way to do something well, and no one cuisine or continent has all the answers. My culinary school was very Eurocentric in its approach. But in the real world, people cook differently — with different techniques from one place to the next — and all create amazing food. I’ve learned from many YouTube cooking channels that a lot of the old cooking or baking wisdom from school doesn’t apply. Or that it may be OK, but there are newer and better ways of doing things.”
ccdestroyer
“Recipes are a road map. You don’t have to follow them exactly, it’s ok to deviate. Unless you are baking, follow that s@#t all the way.”
CrowEyedWolf
“When prepping or cooking a recipe, plan your next two tasks as you’re performing your current task. That way, you always know what you’re moving towards.”
smackedwookiee
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