A simple kitchen hint can make life easier when you’re getting ready to bake, trying to get your kitchen prepped for cooking, or deciding which oil to use. Some of these hints have appeared in previous posts, some are new, and some just bear repeating.
Why Should You Read the Recipe All the Way Through Before Beginning?
For some, this simple kitchen hint might seem obvious. But, have you ever glanced through the list of ingredients and the basic preparation and didn’t look through the whole recipe? I am sure we have all done that. That is when you discover it requires more time, ingredients, or different equipment than you have on hand.
Make it a habit to reading your recipe before you start. You might go so far as to read it before you go to the grocery store.
Why Should You Keep Your Knife Sharp?
You probably already knew about this simple kitchen hint. A dull knife is the enemy. Your cuts are not precise and even. And, it can be hard on your fingers. Did you know sharpening and honing are very different processes for your knives?
Sharpening takes a small amount of the material off the blade of the knife to return it to its edge. Professional chefs do this often. You probably only need to do this simple kitchen hint a couple times a year.
Honing, using a honing rod, helps extend the sharpness of your knives.
Why Should You Use a Trash Bowl and Keep it Close?
One simple kitchen hint is to designate a bowl close to where you are cutting so you can put scraps from your cutting board into it. Or, maybe your trash container is close to you. Either way, you do not have to interrupt your workflow by running to dump things into the trash every few minutes.
Why Should You Use More Than One Olive Oil?
Do you use a lot of olive oil in your kitchen? We do. Here is a simple kitchen hint to help save a little money and still use good olive oil. Keep a more affordable but still a good olive oil on hand for everyday tasks like cooking. Then, have a higher-end one in a smaller bottle for drizzling over salad or good bread, when you want the flavor to be pronounced. Be sure to store it properly and use it within a few months.
Why Should You Keep Salt Handy?
This simple kitchen hint serves a couple of purposes. If you keep your salt in a small pinch bowl near your stove top, you can easily grab a pinch to flavor your dish. It becomes part of your cooking process. The other reason is that you can easily see how much you are adding to the dish you are cooking. By not dumping salt from a shaker into the pan, you only add a little at a time. Taste and then adjust if needed.
Why Should You Prep Before Starting?
Maybe you don’t think you have time to prep everything ahead of time. I get it. But, by prepping your ingredients it actually could save time when cooking. This simple kitchen hint allows you to be more organized before you start cooking. Plus, your onions won’t burn while you are trying to take the seeds out of the jalapenos.
Why Should You Have Ingredients at Room Temperature?
That egg straight from the fridge is totally different from one that’s been sitting on the counter overnight. Don’t even think about making pate a choux with cold eggs.
Butter sitting out versus butter in the microwave…not at all the same. Steak at room temp cooks more evenly. Any recipe that calls for room temperature ingredients means just that and this kitchen hint will save you some grief and allow for your finished product to be as good as it should be.
Looking for more hints? Check out https://www.forkscorksandbrews.com/forks/