Cooking secrets you wished you'd known about sooner.

[jontz01]

a slosh of (mixed with boiling water)

MARIGOLD SWISS VEGETABLE BOUILLON POWDER​

To any stir fry or basically anything in a pot adds that gloopie glossie tastiness you get in takeaway food

I’d been using homemade chicken stock but the powder mixed with boiled water is much better

A drop of oyster sauce for stir fry sheen.

 

[Mattym]

Sautéed Spinach as well, fried in garlic oil with lemon, add salt & pepper.

 

[iona]

It's really difficult to find carraway seeds. My dad has memories of carraway seed cake. I remember it too from my nana.
I tried to get them in local shops but nobody had them.

Would you like some posted to you?

 

[JimW]

Hot wok, cold oil.

 

[Silas Loom]

It's really difficult to find carraway seeds. My dad has memories of carraway seed cake. I remember it too from my nana.
I tried to get them in local shops but nobody had them.

You can retrieve them from slices of rye bread discarded from marzipan sandwiches.

 

[Spymaster]

A drop of oyster sauce for stir fry sheen.

There are very few dishes, especially stews and curries, that can't be improved by the addition of a generous dollop of oyster sauce. It has to be the decent Chinese stuff though, not the syrupy sweet Sharwoods, or Blue Dragon muck.

 

[Artaxerxes]

There are very few dishes, especially stews and curries, that can't be improved by the addition of a generous dollop of oyster sauce. It has to be the decent Chinese stuff though, not the syrupy sweet Sharwoods, or Blue Dragon muck.

Everything Blue Dragon makes is shit

 

[dessiato]

Iceberg lettuce stir fried with a splash of oyster sauce, soy sauce, some onion and garlic, topped off with some shrimps and chopped cashews is a great light lunch. But put the lettuce in last and fry it very hot and fast or you'll get a lot of water from it. And you'll need a whole lettuce for two because it wilts down a lot.

 

[Elpenor]

You can’t cook a can of beans on a hot plate using the opened tin as a pan (this was when I was 18, so not a recent one)

 

[sojourner]

Yep it really upsets my stomach!
N loves the stuff and doesn't eat meat, so we have it in for him, I can't tolerate it though.

And mine! I won't touch it.

 

[og ogilby]

Marmalade on toast with cheese is remarkably delicious.

Ok..that's more an opinion than a tip. Sorry

Marmalade and kippers on toast is also surprisingly good.

 

[Spymaster]

Iceberg lettuce stir fried with a splash of oyster sauce, soy sauce, some onion and garlic, topped off with some shrimps and chopped cashews is a great light lunch. But put the lettuce in last and fry it very hot and fast or you'll get a lot of water from it. And you'll need a whole lettuce for two because it wilts down a lot.

There's a trend in UK cuisine at the moment for cooking lettuce which seemed a bit weird to me, having only previously had it in salads and sandwiches, but it does work well.

 

[iona]

Top and tail some green beans

Why do so many people do this? The "tails" are made of the exact same stuff as the rest of the bean, they're just as edible

 

[mojo pixy]

Slice tomatoes with a bread knife, it makes lovely neat, thin slices even when the tomato is overripe. Also reduces the likelihood of slippage snd sliced fingertips

 

[AnnO'Neemus]

Why do so many people do this? The "tails" are made of the exact same stuff as the rest of the bean, they're just as edible

That's a very good question, I've no idea, have always done it. Maybe wherever I picked up the practice from was something about appearance and uniformity?

Although thinking about it, in this case, when sautéing in garlicky butter, it might help get the flavours into the bean interior?

 

[iona]

That's a very good question, I've no idea, have always done it. Maybe wherever I picked up the practice from was something about appearance and uniformity?

Although thinking about it, in this case, when sautéing in garlicky butter, it might help get the flavours into the bean interior?

I'm not convinced it would make enough of a difference to be noticeable, and I think I'd prefer my garlicky buttery beans to taste of bean when I bite into them and not just garlicky-buttery all the way through.

And I tend to cut french beans in half before cooking for pan space / lazy one-handed eating reasons, anyway.

 

[Spymaster]

Slice tomatoes with a bread knife, it makes lovely neat, thin slices even when the tomato is overripe. Also reduces the likelihood of slippage snd sliced fingertips

Doesn't everyone do this?

 

[Aladdin]

Would you like some posted to you?

Absolutely would be delighted but I'm in Ireland...it would be too costly.

 

[AnnO'Neemus]

I'm not convinced it would make enough of a difference to be noticeable, and I think I'd prefer my garlicky buttery beans to taste of bean when I bite into them and not just garlicky-buttery all the way through.

And I tend to cut french beans in half before cooking for pan space / lazy one-handed eating reasons, anyway.

Yes, you make a good point. I just do it through years of habit, without thinking. I will try to remember not to next time, because on reflection it does seem a silly wasteful thing to do.

 

[Spymaster]

Why do so many people do this? The "tails" are made of the exact same stuff as the rest of the bean, they're just as edible

The stalks can sometimes be a bit woody. I always top and tail them out of habit but Mrs Spy doesn't bother.

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

Spend money on a high quality set of pans and knives. They really do make everything so much easier.

 

[dessiato]

Spend money on a high quality set of pans and knives. They really do make everything so much easier.

And keep knives sharp.

 

[mojo pixy]

Doesn't everyone do this?

I honestly don't know, maybe. I dont think I've encountered it very often in other kitchens than mine. It's definitely a great idea anyway so in case anyone still doesn't...!

A second that everyone probably does, is for hummous .. boil the chickpeas in water with a teaspoon of soda bicarbonate, instead of salt. The skins slip right off, and this makes much smoother hummous. (The skins come off so easily you can usually just scoop them out of the pan with a slatted spoon.)

Actually they're just more digestible full stop, (unless of course you specifically want the extra fibre...)

 

[Spymaster]

Spend money on a high quality set of pans and knives. They really do make everything so much easier.

I generally agree but it took me years to find a frying pan that lasted well and maintained it's non-stickness, despite spending a fortune on a couple. I've now had a 40 quid Ninja for several years and it still works as well as it did new.

 

[Yossarian]

Not sure if "the more expensive pans are better" and "knives should be sharp" qualify as cooking secrets people wished they'd known about sooner

 

[SpookyFrank]

Not sure if "the more expensive pans are better" and "knives should be sharp" qualify as cooking secrets people wished they'd known about sooner

All those endless hours I wasted trying to chop carrots with a teaspoon. A knife! It's so obvious when you think about it.

 

[iona]

The stalks can sometimes be a bit woody. I always top and tail them out of habit but Mrs Spy doesn't bother.

I'm talking about the tail ends though, not the stalks.

Absolutely would be delighted but I'm in Ireland...it would be too costly.

I'm not offering to send you a kilo of them! A smallish pack should be pretty cheap to send. Offer's there if you want

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

All those endless hours I wasted trying to chop carrots with a teaspoon. A knife! It's so obvious when you think about it.

Not all knives are created equal.

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

Not sure if "the more expensive pans are better" and "knives should be sharp" qualify as cooking secrets people wished they'd known about sooner

I disagree, I think an awful lot of people would enjoy cooking far more if they tried using decent tools for the job.

 

[ouirdeaux]

Why do so many people do this? The "tails" are made of the exact same stuff as the rest of the bean, they're just as inedible

FIFY.