What's the best cooking tip/trick you know?

For an upcoming story (or two, or more...!), I'm wondering:
Is there a cooking technique or trick you've learned from a Food52 recipe or one of our YouTube videos, TikToks or Instagram reels?

Or is there any other genius tip you've learned from another source? Thank you in advance for sharing. Here's an example of one we learned from our resident Lucas Sin: https://food52.com/blog...

Nicole Davis
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5 Comments

luvcookbooks
luvcookbooks September 18, 2023
Brine chicken before oven frying- from Amanda Hesser, Cooking for Mr. Latte..
 
702551
702551 September 10, 2023
I don't know if it's the "best" cooking tip but an instant read thermometer has saved me from overcooking thousands of dollars of meat over the years.

Honorable mention #1 (in my house): an immersion circulator for sous vide cooking is absolutely the best way to make duck confit. A complete game changer and well worth the current price of these devices (now below $100).

Honorable mention #2: convert your favorite recipes to mass-based metric measurements. Far easier to scale and measure out than idiotic volume-based Imperial measurements. For much of my baking, the measuring cups stay in the drawer. I just put the bowl on the scale, press the tare button to zero and add ingredients. The rest of the world (including professional bakers) know this.
 
Miss_Karen
Miss_Karen September 10, 2023
The easiest way to get all of the tomato paste from the little can, is to cut off the top with a can opener. Then, flip it over and cut off the bottom. Using the bottom 'lid' push out the contents plunger style. The contents don't leak everywhere when flipped and you get all of the paste out. I can't say where I learned this because I have been doing it for as long as I have been cooking-(+40 years)
 
Gammy
Gammy September 8, 2023
Very basic Cooking/Baking 101: Unless you really know your way around a kitchen, the first time you try a new recipe, follow the given ingredients and instructions. Once you have made it, THEN you can personalize to your own taste.
 
Nancy
Nancy September 10, 2023
I have two, one very similar to Gammy's, one different.
Both have stood me in good stead for a long time.

FIRST TIP - Yes, make a recipe you are interested the first time AS IT IS WRITTEN. This is especially true of baking (whether savory or sweet), as it is more chemistry than craft.

If you have reason to change an ingredient - for whatever reason (recipe sounds off, you don't have something on hand, you want to change a key flavor ingredient) - FIND ANOTHER RECIPE that meets your needs and make that.

SECOND TIP - read a recipe through at least twice before your make it. Be sure you have the ingredients and tools/equipment required, and that you understand the processes. If not, stock up and proceed. And get some tips on the processes...e.g., how to recognize when bread is risen, when meat is cooked, when a cake is done.
 
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