One of life’s small joys is delicious meals. It unites people and nurtures our bodies and hearts. In terms of hobbies, it’s also really useful because nobody like being the stupid sandwich in the kitchen. Because of this, picking up a few tips can really help you get better.
And who better than other foodies to seek guidance and inspiration from? We’re bringing you the things individuals posted in this thread because of that—the little tweaks they made to really up their cooking game.
Table of Contents
#1 Smoked cheeses to my pasta dishes
I’ve begun to add smoked cheeses to my pasta dishes. My spouse is not a vegetarian, although I am. When all I used was smoked Gouda, he asked me outright whether I had added bacon.
#2 Makes my meals shine
I’ve been lacking the acidic component that really makes my meals shine. Squeezing lemon or lime juice over stir-fried vegetables or fajita mix, deglazing a skillet with white wine or balsamic vinegar, or adding a large slug of vinegar to roasted vegetables or potatoes all offer that extra punch or zing to most foods. Imagine this: after a tough day at work, you are so hungry that you could eat a horse when you finally get home. How do you proceed?
Do you call in an order for takeout? Or do you choose a frozen, pre-packaged dinner from the grocery store? Or do you take the more involved but potentially more rewarding path and use your pots and pans to produce something from scratch?
To survive, we physically need food. However, mastering the art of cooking requires patience and experience, and who has those when they’re exhausted from work? While some people may naturally be better at it, for others it might be quite difficult. Why then ought you to be enthusiastic about preparing your own food?
#3 Vegetable leftovers
I use vegetable leftovers to make my own handmade stock, but on more adventurous days, I’ll even throw them in a little oil, spread them out on a sheet pan, and roast them a little bit in the oven before creating the stock. It greatly enhances flavor.
#4 Made real San Marzano tomatoes
I recently experimented with preparing tomato sauce using real San Marzano tomatoes rather than the generic chopped tomatoes from Costco, and I was pleasantly surprised by how much better it turned out. It had the flavor of summertime, ripe, luscious tomatoes.
#5 Cut back on the amount of salt
Given that my beautiful husband was diagnosed with high blood pressure, it was necessary for our family to drastically cut back on the amount of salt that we consumed. Consequently, I began cultivating my own herbs in order to substitute salt for flavoring our dishes. What a significant impact that has had on the situation! To gather herbs like rosemary, basil, sage, thyme, oregano, dill, parsley, cilantro, tarragon, and sorrel, I enjoy going out to the herb garden and strolling about all by myself.
To begin, it has the potential to greatly help enhance your health. When you prepare meals for yourself, you are the one who decides which ingredients to use. It has been demonstrated by researchers that preparing meals at home can result in a healthier diet. As a conclusion to their paper, they asserted that there should be a greater emphasis placed on encouraging the general public to prepare meals at home.
Eating out or ordering takeout almost always results in a significant increase in the amount of salt that you take in. In order to enhance the flavor of their dishes, restaurants use a far higher amount of salt than home cooks do. As a matter of fact, the most of us who regularly go out to eat consume six times the amount of salt that we believe we do. Individuals who choose to prepare their own meals at home consume a greater quantity of fruits and vegetables, resulting in an overall healthier diet.
#6 mac and cheese
For the preparation of mac and cheese, I bring the pasta to a boil in a mixture of water and milk, adding just enough liquid to cover the noodles. After it has been reduced, I begin to use it as the foundation for the sauce.
In addition, before adding the shredded cheddar, I take the pot off the heat, add the cheese, and then cover it. Over time, it dissolves without the oils becoming separated from one another.
Simple, yet incredibly creamy, and it is a significant improvement over the dish that I used to make, and it does not require any additional time.
#7 Cooked over a higher heat
A smaller amount of butter While the food item is being cooked over a higher heat, add a pat of butter to the dish to finish it off. After the food item has been removed from the heat and has had some time to cool down, but it is still presumably hot.
To be honest, I was aware, on a conceptual level, that butter cooked at various temperatures has a distinct flavor, but tasting is believing, you guys. To complete the butter. Nevertheless, there are a variety of advantages to cooking at home that extend beyond your physical health. Having supper together is a social activity that brings people together.
It has been suggested by the American Psychological Association that activities that involve learning a new recipe together or taking culinary lessons can be beneficial to the connection between a couple. Co-founder of The Plantrician Project, “Cooking and mealtime create a unique social setting that cultivates meaningful relationships through conversation, connection, and laughter.”
#8 Sauce is a great addition
Fish sauce is a great addition to any dish that requires a savory kick. In the past, I would use Worcestershire sauce; however, I have since moved to fish sauce because it provides a strong umami flavor without the additional flavor notes that Worcestershire sauce has, such as clove, which can be off-putting in certain recipes. In contrast to the Worcestershire sauce, which is significantly more pungent, the fish sauce is pleasant and light.
It can be used in a wide variety of meals, including tomato-based pasta sauces, chicken soup, seafood stuffing, sautéed mushrooms, stir-fried rice, meatballs, baked beans, pulled pork, and chili, to mention just a few examples.
Another advantage is that preparing food at home is far more cost-effective than ordering takeout or eating out. This is because you are not spending as much money on the food. There is just one cheaper alternative to a meal that is prepared at home, and that is fast food; but, in terms of nutrition, the two are not actually similar to one another. At least in 2018, the cost of ordering takeout was five times more than the cost of using a meal kit service, while the cost of using a meal kit service was three times higher.
#9 Producing garlic confit
I have begun the process of producing garlic confit. Incredible is the word. I now have a jar of it on hand, which I can use in a variety of different ways. Sourdough bread that has been toasted, goat cheese, garlic confit, and a pinch of salt sprinkled on top is my favorite. What a wonderful and simple dish it is.
#10 Sour cream instead of heavy cream
It is possible to use sour cream instead of heavy cream. As it simmers, it imparts a pleasant sourness to the mushroom sauce or gravy and thickens in a pleasing manner.
#11 Riced cauliflower
For reasons related to our diet, we make an effort to limit the amount of rice that we consume, and as a result, I decided to try riced cauliflower. I have just begun ricing various vegetables, including riced broccoli, which is currently my favorite recipe. Excellent for quiche, can be added to omelets, can be sautéed with a little butter to make a “rice” substitute, and many other uses. In contrast to the taste vacuum that is cauli rice, it features a more assertive presence of vegetables.
#12 White wine and mushroom sauce
When I started cooking a white wine and mushroom sauce similar to Alfredo, I realized that I did not have any white wine on hand, so I substituted it with a pink wine instead. It was really wonderful. After some reflection, I came to the conclusion that the chicken and penne dish that I adore from The Old Spaghetti Factory must include a hidden ingredient because it tastes just like their sauce.
Because of this, I now cook it pretty frequently with pink wine rather than white wine. It is a flavor that you would be aware of, but you are unable to identify what it is. Over the course of several years, I endeavored to reproduce their sauce by utilizing a variety of mushrooms, varying the proportions of butter and cream, and incorporating shallots and garlic. Before I tried pink wine, I had never been successful.
#13 Prospect of preparing
Oh, this post brings to mind the prospect of preparing some shallot oil, ginger oil, and garlic oil. You get a small glug of fragrant oil in addition to the crispy ginger, garlic, and shallot pieces that you can use to top stir fries, sandwiches, and noodle dishes. Although it is a laborious operation, you get a two-for-one deal.
Additionally, I keep jars of vegetables that have been pickled in a short amount of time in my refrigerator. Red cabbage, daikon, carrots, and red onions are staples for salads, sandwiches, and bowls.
I also create a lot of sauces, pickles, and spreads that have a long shelf life; if you are a vegetarian, you absolutely have to try ajvar. Another meal that I prepare is called nyonya achar, and it consists of pickled vegetables and pineapple in a sauce that is both spicy and nutty. It is an excellent accompaniment to dishes that are rich in flavor.
I also make it a habit to premarinate my proteins as soon as I return home from the grocery store. Hard-boiled eggs that have been marinated, tofu or paneer that has been marinated, tempeh that has been marinated, and chicken that has been marinated are always stored in my refrigerator or freezer, ready to be cooked. A straightforward marinade consisting of salt, garlic, and lemon may improve the flavor of any protein and make eating healthily feel less depressing.
#14 Spicy sauce
I’ve always been a big do-it-yourselfer, but these ferments are two of the more recent additions to my collection. Currently, I make my own spicy sauce, and the vacuum-sealed kim chi that I make is far superior than anything else that I have ever purchased, including from Asian markets.
In addition, I would render my own fats. Before I started trimming, I would throw away a lot of fat. Now, whenever I go to Costco to purchase pork shoulders, I also end up with approximately 1.5 cents worth of lard. Although it takes longer to fill, the chicken fat in my jar is like liquid gold. In addition, the beef tallow jar is utilized a little less frequently, but it receives a significant boost whenever I purchase a brisket to be broken down. The beef tallow tortillas are one of my favorites.
Making your own tortillas is, without a doubt, a game-changer, yet it only adds a little bit of extra time to your fajita or taco night.
#15 Hot and cold water
The use of hot water, which contains fewer air bubbles than cold water, results in the formation of ice cubes that are entire rather than in fragments. This is because hot water contains less air bubbles than cold water. It does not take any longer to freeze them, and the clarity of the frozen ones is far higher than that of the ones made with cold water.
#16 Pesto pasta with chicken or broccoli
I often find myself reaching for pesto pasta with chicken or broccoli as one of my go-to basic lazy meals. However, as of late, I’ve been trying to take things a step further by putting in a little bit more work to make the pasta taste much better.
What I’ve been doing is combining the pesto with an egg and a large amount of grated parmesan cheese that I grate with my microplane. Previously, I would simply scoop some pesto out of the jar and spread it on top of my plain pasta. I also make a fantastic sauce by cooking some minced garlic in bacon fat and then combining the ingredients in a saucepan with a splash of pasta water. This results in a sauce that is very tasty. In essence, it is a pesto carbonara dish that does not contain bacon.
#17 Stale bread
Since bread pudding and sweet stuffing both call for stale bread, I find that freezing leftover cinnamon rolls or pound cake batter is the best way to use them up.
#18 Complexity
You can’t beat marmite for enhancing the umami and complexity of sauces and soups.
#19 Garlic confit
Increasing the amount of garlic confit that I made. It is incredible. The rich, savory flavor of the garlic infuses every dish I add it to, from pasta to roasted vegetables. I love the way the garlic becomes so tender and sweet after slow-cooking in olive oil. I can’t imagine cooking without it now that I’ve discovered how versatile and delicious it is.
#20 Air fryer
A solution has been found for using my convection oven. It is a massive air fryer. With this new discovery, I can now enjoy all the benefits of air frying without having to purchase a separate appliance.
The convection oven’s powerful fan circulates hot air around the food, creating a crispy exterior while maintaining a juicy interior. I am thrilled to have found a way to make healthier versions of my favorite fried foods with the equipment I already have.
