What is your favorite recipe, or cooking, "hack" that you think everyone should know?

[Falcon50]

I'll suggest one of my current favorites.

That is brining meats, especially those that are usually dry, or usually tough, in 5% to 6% (by weight) solution of salt and water. Let the meat sit in the solution, in the refrigerator for a few hours. Remove and carefully pat dry to remove salt solution before cooking. For some reason, in my experience, this really can moisturize and tenderize the meat.

Especially good for chicken breast and pork loin, which can be dry after cooking. I learned this hack from "America's Test Kitchen" YouTube channel, which I also recommend.

I'd enjoy hearing your tips.

 

[chazt]

I’ll be following this thread to try and learn… you see, I‘m not the chef type. My wife on the other hand was a genuine kitchen genius. I ate like a king for forty-one years! My job was cleaning up, and I gladly did it every evening. Here’s my “hack”. Lately, I’ve come to the conclusion that making dinner is just not my bag, and have discovered the beauty of ordering in (breakfast and lunch are easy enough). There’s a local company that prepares, packages and delivers high quality meals (with very generous portions) right to my door. With tax and delivery it works out to about $15/meal. The menu is extensive enough that I can find enough to interest my palate for two weeks without duplicating meal selections. I order enough for a week at a time, and so far am quite pleased with the arrangement.

 

[Rufusdog]

I prefer a dry brine for larger cuts of meat such as a whole roasting chicken. For smaller cuts, such as a chicken breast or pork chop, I’ll use a wet brine. Either way, don’t brine a Kosher cut of meat because it‘s already infused with salt.

 

[Rufusdog]

To boil eggs I use an electric vegetable steamer. It’s all about the timing and how you like you’re boiled eggs: soft, medium or hard. Our steamer is large enough to hold a dozen eggs and it hard boils eggs the way we like them in 12 minutes followed by an immediate bath in a bowl of ice water. Works like a charm every time.

 

[Falcon50]

To boil eggs I use an electric vegetable steamer. It’s all about the timing and how you like you’re boiled eggs: soft, medium or hard. Our steamer is large enough to hold a dozen eggs and it hard boils eggs the way we like them in 12 minutes followed by an immediate bath in a bowl of ice water. Works like a charm every time.

A good one. I agree that "steamed" boiled eggs just have a better texture in some way, And steam them for 7 or 8 minutes for nicely soft-boiled. I just use a steamer basket in a large saucepan on the gas stovetop.

 

[chazt]

Fascinating. Steamed eggs. What a concept. Gayle used to put the eggs in a pot of cold water, bring it to a rolling boil, then shut the heat and let them sit in the hot water for 20 minutes. Then a cold water bath and they’re ready for peeling. Your way seems faster.

 

[R181]

Our electric stove has an induction stove top with two that are fast elements and two regular elements. I put the eggs in a metal pot full of water with a lid and set it on one of the fast elements. Set the element to P and the water will start to boil in about a minute then reduce power gradually keeping at the boil. In 12 minutes the eggs are hard boiled. Dump the hot water and fill the pot with cold, then dump that and set the pot in the fridge for the eggs to cool. You have to be really quick at reducing the power from P downward or the water will boil over shortly after it starts to boil.

Bob

 

[Vacumatic]

Cling film, in all its different names, saran wrap, glad wrap etc can be used for poaching eggs.

Boil a pan of water with at least 50mm of water

Use a cereal bowl, line it with cling film, crack an egg into the cling film and wrap up the egg so that it looks like a won ton parcel.

Lower the parcel into the water and cook for about 2-3 minutes, lift out with a draining spoon, unwrap and serve on toast!

Don't be a twit like me and think that you can cook two eggs in one parcel.

 

[Vacumatic]

Our electric stove has an induction stove top with two that are fast elements and two regular elements. I put the eggs in a metal pot full of water with a lid and set it on one of the fast elements. Set the element to P and the water will start to boil in about a minute then reduce power gradually keeping at the boil. In 12 minutes the eggs are hard boiled. Dump the hot water and fill the pot with cold, then dump that and set the pot in the fridge for the eggs to cool. You have to be really quick at reducing the power from P downward or the water will boil over shortly after it starts to boil.

Bob

I am no expert Bob but when I had a repair person come to the house he warned me against using P (for Power) setting on my AEG induction hob.

That hob has four rings, he was talking about the largest of the four. His warning was that the P setting was too much for most pans and I could burn the pan. I had a Tefal frying pan where the coating lifted and flaked off after using the Power setting, although the water in your example may be a better conductor.

 

[slapo]

To use leftover unflavoured rice and pasta, I like to blend it with milk and bananas. Ends up tasting and looking like rice/wheat porridge.
Sometimes, I make plain rice just so I could make the blend.

 

[Falcon50]

Cling film, in all its different names, saran wrap, glad wrap etc can be used for poaching eggs.

Boil a pan of water with at least 50mm of water

Use a cereal bowl, line it with cling film, crack an egg into the cling film and wrap up the egg so that it looks like a won ton parcel.

Lower the parcel into the water and cook for about 2-3 minutes, lift out with a draining spoon, unwrap and serve on toast!

Don't be a twit like me and think that you can cook two eggs in one parcel.

Clever. This is one I never heard of before. I'll try it.
Follow up: I tried this for my breakfast eggs this morning. In my first attempt, it was a little hard/messy to get the poached egg whites loose from the "cling wrap". For the second egg I first brushed the cling wrap with a bit of cooking oil. This one slipped free of the plastic film quite nicely. This is definitely an easier way to poach eggs, while the traditional way is rather fussy. For the second egg, I also found that it worked well to attach the gathered up 'top' of the plastic wrap to the side of my pot with a little clip.

 

[Twelvefret]

Carbon steel pan, the type you season yourself.

 

[TobyC]

Don't use a recipe from anywhere, make it simple, less is more.

 

[Twelvefret]

I use boneless chicken and top sirloin for the salads. What I enjoy about the carbon steel pan is being able to put the seasoned meat in the pan and into the oven @ 350 for 15 minutes or so. I finish the meat on the stove top natural gas burner until it reaches a safe temperature. A pair of wielding gloves comes in handy. These are not expensive pans. Mine is made by Winco and is less than $40.

 

[chazt]

I use boneless chicken and top sirloin for the salads. What I enjoy about the carbon steel pan is being able to put the seasoned meat in the pan and into the oven @ 350 for 15 minutes or so. I finish the meat on the stove top natural gas burner until it reaches a safe temperature. A pair of wielding gloves comes in handy. These are not expensive pans. Mine is made by Winco and is less than $40.

Gayle loved using her cast iron frying pan. She liked how she could sear meat and then go from the stove top to oven at will. But yeah, protective gloves are key.