Cooking is an art that you can only master over time. While for amateurs, things can be difficult in the beginning - from planning what to cook to getting the recipe for a dish right and presenting it on the table - experts tend to work around several hacks for everything. But cooking is such a task that even the best chefs in the world may face challenges - be it working on a new dish or something as basic as chopping a certain vegetable perfectly. Cooking can be cumbersome at times, but there are always ways to sort things out in the kitchen. And that is when the internet comes to rescue.
If you are in search of some guidance for everyday cooking, Reddit users are here to help you. Recently, a user asked others about things that are a game changer for them when it comes to culinary skills, and it resulted in some of the most amazing tips. Here are some of them:
1. Preserve vegetables
A user suggested a way to preserve veggies for a longer time, simply by spreading it out. "It just recently occurred to me to start doing this, and I started doing it with most of the veggies I buy. As long as you spread them out in a single layer on a nice sheet pan, they freeze up quickly, then bag them up and label them properly; they don't lose much appeal. And I can stop wasting half the vegetable," the user explained.
2. Control acidity of a dish
A lot of Indian food is acidic in nature, but did you know you can make your food less acidic with the help of a simple trick? You can add salt with a few pulverised anchovy fillets or a bit of soy sauce, even if the dish isn't Asian. It also gives it the umami that regular salt doesn't provide. “For acidity, the lemon is the star for me, followed by sherry or cider vinegar. The acidity balances out salt and also brightens up heavy dishes. For instance, I always add a bit of lemon juice to my roast chicken pan gravy,” said a user.
3. Use Parchment Paper
Wondering how you can make your meat super juicy? With the help of parchment paper. "Cooking chicken breast, bone-in, wrapped tightly in parchment paper is the thing that made me think I can cook. It's the juiciest chicken ever. It's almost impossible to overcook it. It is great for fish too," said a user.
4. Sharpen the knives
A user pointed out the importance of sharpening kitchen knives. "My personal game changer was buying a whetstone and sharpening my own knives! It sounds simple, but I never understood the significance of a sharp knife versus a dull knife," the user elaborated.
5. Grow herbs
The importance of fresh herbs cannot be stressed more and a redditor reminded it yet again. Fresh herbs can completely change the flavour of a dish. "Growing my own herbs. Having access to fresh herbs for cooking all the time is such a game changer," the user said.