Certain kitchen tasks go much more smoothly when you know these special how-to tips and tricks.
Devein shrimp
Fresh shrimp need to have the “vein,” which is actually the shrimp’s intestine, removed before cooking. You will need a paring knife and cold running water.
First, remove the legs, shell, and tail (optional) from the shrimp by gently pulling them off under running water. With your paring knife, make a shallow slit all the way down the center of the back of the shrimp. With the tip of the knife or your fingers, pull out the dark vein. The shrimp is then ready for cooking.
Slice raw meat
Meats such as chicken, pork, and steak are easier to cut into slices or pieces when they are partially frozen. If you’re defrosting fully frozen meat, thaw it about halfway in the refrigerator. If you buy it fresh, put it in the freezer for an hour or so. When the meat is partially frozen but still flexible, take it out and slice away. You will find that you have a lot more control over the thickness and the shape of your slices.
Drain fat from cooked meat
Drain the grease from cooked meat (such as ground beef) by scooping the meat from the pan with a slotted spoon and placing it on paper towels to drain, or simply hold the meat down in the pan with the slotted spoon and pour off the fat into an empty metal can or a grease recycling bottle, if your community supplies those.
Check meat for doneness
Sometimes meat looks done on the outside, but how do you tell whether it’s cooked all the way through? Simple: Use a quick-read meat thermometer, such as a Therma-Pen. This is the only safe way to make sure food is cooked to the correct temperature (see the USDA’s Minimum Safe Internal Temperature chart).
Freeze raw meat
Chicken pieces or pork cutlets
Buy these in family-size packages (it’s less expensive per pound), and as fresh as you can get them. Organic is best, if it is in your budget. Place enough meat for one meal in a quart-size plastic freezer bag, flatten it with your hand, seal it, and stack the bags in the freezer. You can also use a vacuum sealing machine (such as FoodSaver) to make quick work of this task. This is a great storage method for using just what you need instead of thawing an entire package of meat. Be sure to label each bag with the date.
Ground beef or turkey
Use the same method as above, dividing the ground meat into portions big enough for a meal. Or make smaller 4-ounce balls and flatten them to 1/4-inch thick rounds and freeze. Put the frozen patties directly on the grill to cook them as burgers, or thaw the meat and use it for other recipes.
Shrimp and fish
Although it is preferable to buy seafood fresh and use it within two days of purchase, it can be frozen for future use. Be sure it is securely wrapped in plastic, then place it into a paper sack or wrap it in waxed paper and label the package with the date.
Chop or slice an onion
Figuring out how to cut an onion can be confusing because of the way onions are constructed. Do you cut across? Down? How do you make rings vs. dice? Here are some easy instructions for slicing, chopping, and making rings out of an onion.
First, make sure your knife is sharp. Then cut a thin slice from both the root end and the top of the onion. Peel off the papery skin. Sometimes the outer layer of onion will come with it; this is OK. Now place the onion flat side down on a cutting board.
Slicing into strips
Slice vertically down through the onion, cutting it in half. Put each half flat side down on the cutting board, and make crosswise cuts all the way across each half.
Chopping
Slice vertically down through the onion, cutting it in half. Put each half flat side down on the cutting board, and make lengthwise cuts all the way across each half, then crosswise cuts, to form little diced onion bits.
Slicing into rings
Slice a very thin piece off of one rounded side of the onion to prevent it rolling around while you’re cutting. Turn the onion onto the flat part, and slice vertically downward into slices, however thick you like. Separate the slices into rings.
Peel and mince garlic
The simplest way to mince garlic is to lay the unpeeled clove on a cutting board and gently squash it under the flat of a large knife blade. The papery skin is then easily removable. Slice the garlic lengthwise and then crosswise with the knife, making little diced pieces.
Some people prefer to use a garlic press, where you squeeze the handle and the mashed garlic comes out the little holes, but this pulverizes the garlic into a big mess. Plus, you waste a fair amount because not all the garlic comes out of the holes.
Often I use a garlic peeler (purchased at a kitchen supply store): a simple flexible rubber tube into which you place the garlic, press and roll it gently against the counter, and the skins come off like magic. Or you can just put on clean rubber kitchen gloves and roll the garlic in your palms. This works great when you don’t want to break the garlic clove.
Jarred pre-minced garlic often tastes bland and metallic; the convenience isn’t worth it. You can purchase pre-peeled garlic cloves, which are generally fine.
Zest citrus
Zest simply refers to the top layer of a citrus fruit’s rind. This colored part is the part that contains the lemon, lime, or orange oil, and strong flavor; however, the white “pith” underneath is quite bitter.
The best way to zest a citrus fruit is with a Microplane grater or a similar tool. Begin by thoroughly rinsing and drying the fruit. Using medium pressure, rub the rind of the fruit across the grater. Once you begin to see the white pith, move to another area of rind and continue. Take care not to grate your knuckles or fingertips, as these graters are extremely sharp.
If you don’t have a Microplane grater, you can use a hand-held zesting tool, or even the fine holes of a cheese grater. Don’t use the ragged-edged holes on a box-style grater; you will end up with a mushy mess. Use the small clean-edged holes instead. Use gentle pressure and take care not to dig down into the white pith.
A third method uses a paring knife. Cut fine strips across the outside of the fruit, again taking care not to cut into the white pith. It may take some practice to get a feel for how much pressure to use. You may need to chop the strips up into finer pieces, depending on your recipe.
After you’ve zested a citrus fruit, don’t throw it out; the fruit inside is still perfectly good! You can cut it into slices or squeeze out the juice for another use.
Steam vegetables
If you don’t have an electric rice and vegetable steamer, you can easily steam vegetables using a steamer insert for saucepans, a perforated stainless steel “flower” commonly available at stores such as Target or IKEA. And if you don’t have a steamer insert, you can just use a regular saucepan and a wire mesh strainer basket. Fill a large saucepan with about 1 inch of water over high heat. When the water comes to a boil, put your vegetables in the mesh strainer, rest it across the saucepan, and put the lid on the saucepan. Turn the heat down to medium and let the vegetables steam until they are crisp-tender.
Scoop out an avocado
Buy avocados that are large, green in color, and slightly soft to the touch. Too soft, and they may be rotten; too firm, and they are inedible. If you have time, buy them when they are very firm, and let them ripen over several days on your counter. Speed up ripening by enclosing the avocados in a paper bag with a banana, apple, or tomato. Those fruits release ethylene gas which helps the avocado ripen more quickly.
The keyword when prepping avocados is “carefully”. They can be tricky beasts and it’s very easy to injure yourself.
Cut the avocado in half lengthwise, carefully slicing around the pit. Remove the pit by placing the avocado on a firm surface — not in your hand — and carefully thwacking the pit with a large knife so that it embeds slightly, giving it a twist, and popping the pit out. With a spoon, gently scoop the smooth green “meat” out of the avocado skins. Or, cut the avocado halves in half lengthwise, peel off the skin, and dice the avocado meat. Discard the skins and pit.
Once again: be very careful. Avocado accidents are real and have landed many a home chef in the emergency room for stitches or hand surgery.
Shredding lettuce or cabbage
Shred greens with a food processor or a knife. A food processor works well on cabbage and heads of lettuce that are “tight,” such as iceberg. Cut the head in half (removing the tough core) and then into quarters or smaller sections. Feed each section into the food processor fitted with a slicer blade.
If you are using a knife, cut the cabbage or lettuce into quarters (removing the tough core), and place each quarter flat side down on a cutting board. With a large knife, make thin lengthwise slices. If the shreds are too long, you can cut them in half again crosswise. This also works for “looser” heads of lettuce like romaine or bunches of spinach. Just keep the bunch packed tightly together with your hand, and use the knife to make thin slices.
Seed a tomato
It’s perfectly OK to eat the seeds and gel of a fresh tomato (in fact, that’s the part of the tomato that contains the most flavor), but some people prefer to remove them. To do this, cut the tomato in half horizontally. With your clean fingers or a small spoon, scoop out the seeds and gel. Then you can cut it into slices or chop it, according to your needs.
Peel a tomato
It’s not often that you need to peel a tomato, but some recipes do call for it. Luckily, it’s quite easy to do. Get a pot of water boiling on the stove. With a sharp knife, cut a shallow X into the skin of each ripe tomato. Drop the tomatoes into the boiling water for about 30 seconds. Use a slotted spoon to remove them, and immediately drop them into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. The skins easily slip off.
Clean and trim mushrooms
There is disagreement among chefs over whether to rinse mushrooms directly under running water. Conventional wisdom says to use only a damp paper towel to wipe them off, but I have always found it faster and easier to rinse mushrooms under water, and it works fine if you’re using them right away. Plus, I never feel like a paper towel truly gets all the dirt off.
Rinse or wipe the mushrooms and quickly pat them dry with a paper towel to prevent them from becoming soggy, as they are somewhat absorbent. Once they are clean, trim about 1/2 inch off of the stem, and cut away any brown spots.
De-stem strawberries
Special strawberry de-stemming tools are available, but you can do a fine job with a simple vegetable peeler. Rinse the strawberries under cool running water. Pull off the green leaves from the end, and use the tip of the vegetable peeler to cut down into the top of the strawberry in a circle, removing the core.
Or you can simply slice 1/4 inch off the top of the strawberry with a sharp knife.
Bake cookies
Baking sheets should be light in color, if possible; darker ones can burn food more quickly. I recommend sturdy commercial-grade baking sheets such as Vollrath Wear-Ever (available at kitchen supply stores or online). And parchment paper turns your baking sheet into a nonstick surface, ensuring even baking, preventing burning, and making for easy cleanup.
When baking cookies, put 12 cookies on each standard-size baking sheet, in three rows of four. You need a lot of space between cookies because they tend to spread out as they bake, especially the softer varieties like chocolate chip or snickerdoodles. Firmer cookies such as gingersnaps spread less, but still need one to two inches between cookies. Follow your recipe’s instructions for using a greased or an ungreased baking sheet.
If you want softer cookies, bake them for the shortest amount of time indicated by your recipe—or sometimes a minute or two less. They should be firm around the edges and still soft in the center. They need to “set” on the baking sheet for several minutes after removing them from the oven. If you try to take them off the baking sheet too soon, they can fall apart.
Crisper cookies should be cooked for the longest amount of time indicated by your recipe. However, don’t cook them long enough to burn on the bottom.
Crush cracker or cookie crumbs
To make crumbs for coating vegetables or meat (such as Oven-Fried Flat Chicken) or for pie crusts (like Dad’s Lemon Meringue Pie), put your crackers or cookies into a large zip-top plastic bag, remove most of the air, and seal it. Use your hands, a rolling pin, or a soup can from your pantry to roll and crush until you are left with fine crumbs.
You can also use a food processor or blender to make crumbs. Pulse it a few times until all the crackers are in small pieces, but not powdered.
Grease and flour a baking pan
The easiest way to grease and flour a pan for baked goods is to buy baking spray that already contains flour, such as Baker’s Joy or PAM Baking. However, it’s pretty easy to do it the old-fashioned way as well.
Slip your hand inside a plastic sandwich bag, and scoop out a small amount of shortening or butter. Rub the shortening all around the pan, working it into all of the corners and edges. You can also do this with a paper towel.
If you also need to flour the pan, put about 2 tablespoons of flour in the bottom of the pan. Pick up the pan and shake the flour all around until it coats the bottom. Hold the pan at an angle so the flour falls onto the side of the pan. Turning and tap the pan to move the flour along all sides of the pan until it is completely coated. Dump the excess into the next pan or into the trash.
The easiest way to remove baked goods (such as cakes) from baking pans is to place a wire cooling rack, cutting board or dinner plate upside down on the pan, then flip the whole thing over. Tap the bottom of the pan to release the cake.
Store and serve wine
I like to refer to wine as grape juice for adults. Wines come in all price ranges and from all over the planet. Try to keep at least one red and one white variety on hand, and don’t worry about whether it’s a “good” wine. If you like it, that’s all that matters.
Store wine bottles on their sides, with the mouth of the bottle tilted slightly downward to keep the cork moist. Once opened, a bottle will keep for a couple of days. After that, the wine may not taste right for drinking, but it’s still fine for cooking.
White wines are typically served lightly chilled, so keep them in the refrigerator and take them out about 30 minutes before serving. They are usually paired with lighter meals, such as fish, poultry, salads, and pastas.
Red wines are generally paired with richer, heavier foods and with red meats. They also go well with spicy cuisines like Indian or Thai food. Red wines are usually served at room temperature, and they taste better if they “breathe” for about 30 minutes before serving. All you need to do is open the bottle as you get started in the kitchen and let it stand until you are ready to pour.
Clean garlic or onion smell from hands
If you’ve been working with garlic or onions, the smell can linger on your hands for quite a while. To help get rid of it, wash your hands with soap and water, being sure to scrub under your fingernails. Next, rub your hands with a stainless steel item, like the faucet or a large spoon (it must be stainless steel to work). Then wash your hands again with soap and water. You can buy a special stainless steel “soap bar” for this purpose if you find yourself needing it a lot.