Photo by Donna
I have two copies of Ad Hoc, signed by Thomas Keller, to give away, courtesy of Artisan (thanks, Amy!) This is an even more valuable offer than I thought it would be because I see that Amazon is sold out until February, as are many bookstores. More than 100,000 copies of this book have been printed, with more on the way, making Ad Hoc one of the best selling books of the season. There’s a reason for it: it’s a fantastic book, with everything from burgers to bread pudding with leeks to cheesecake, and great discussion of cooking issues and technique from Thomas himself (who would have imagined a chef could be so uncommonly articulate on the page?!). A few namby pambies in the media have whined that some of the recipes actually ask you to cook when you use this book (there’s a broad range of recipes, appropriate to every skill level, some simple, some labor intensive, but none that compromise). But it’s been chosen one of the best books of the year by others. (Here’s a great series of four videos by borders; watch the one of Thomas and Ad Hoc chef de cuisine Dave Cruz making the bread pudding.)
One of the things I love about this book is the design, by David Hughes of Level in the Napa Valley. There’s an ease and comfort to the book that makes it a pleasure to peruse. I also love the small asides and tips throughout. This most excellent tip on slicing chives, for instance. I used to lay them flat on a cutting board but would often end up kind of mashing them, and often not slicing all the way through, leaving me to pick big pieces out of my fine slices. Keller suggests folding a damp paper towel into a wide strip and rolling the chives into a bundle. This allows you to slice cleanly through the whole bunch, keeping all their delicious oniony fragrance in the chive, not on your cutting board. It keeps them together neatly, and results in perfectly sliced chives.
So, you’re wondering: “WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO SHUT UP AND TELL ME HOW DO I ENTER THE DRAWING TO WIN MY SIGNED COPY OF AD HOC?!!!”
Simply leave a comment here with your favorite kitchen tip or trick. Not technique, like, get your pan really hot before you put the meat in, but a tip like the one above. I’ll pick randomly rather than judging them, so don’t worry if it’s not as good as others. I’ll leave this post open and choose the winners Friday at noon eastern time via Twitter (follow me there and have a hand in the choosing). With apologies, I can only offer these copies to addresses in the United States because of shipping costs and customs headaches. Sorry!
I can however guarantee they’ll arrive before Xmas for two lucky people who share their kitchen tips here! Good luck!
[Update: it should be needless to say, but only one entry per person, those who make multiple entries will be disqualified.]
[Update: the winners have been chosen! They are Aaron Haley (http://blog.sektormedia.org/) and Jason Davies! Will you two pls email me your mailing addresses? Thanks everyone for all these fantastic kitchen tips! I love them!]
Small kitchens make clever cooks. In my small kitchen, I always regret it if I do not put a bowl or other container on the counter before I start chopping, peeling, or slicing things. There has to be some place for everything to go, and we don’t have an in-sink disposal. But there’s a better-than-a-bowl solution whenever I’ve got a compost pile going. I use newspaper, and all my compostables go there, get rolled up, and into the pile they go.
The tip is to get the disposal means prepared before I find myself cooking among little piles of peels.
Being new to the world of fresh herbs, I love using cilantro. Before chopping it I fold it in half, and roll it up tight. When I cut it, I am able to slice the leaves and stock together to maximize the amount I have to use.
Wet paper towel under cutting board. Keeps board from moving and can be used for cleanup.
When I roast chicken, rather than using a rack to hold the chicken off the bottom of the roaster, I line the bottom of the cooking vessel with thick slices of onion. When the chicken is done, you have these lovely slices of sweet onion drenched in delicious chicken drippings. The perfect way to save all that flavor.
when making jam you can sterilize your jars in the dishwasher and then keep them warm by using the “heat dry” option on the washer. This keeps the jars nice and hot, and will keep them that way for hours.It’s the only time I use the “heat” option on my dishwasher.
My favorite cooking tip is for peeling ginger, typically a difficult task that has you wasting a lot of the good meat. However, if you hold the ginger in your hand and run a flatware teaspoon against the skin, scooping at it with the bowl of the spoon, you can effectively “peel” off the skin in just a minute or two. It’s easy — give it a try!
I like to make all of my stocks and sauces and then freeze them in ice cube trays so that I can just grab a few of what I need for each recipe.
I sprinkle some salt on garlic pods before mincing them, makes the job a lot easier.
I love my V rack for roasting birds, but when it’s not in the oven, it’s inverted in my cabinet to hold lids neatly in place.
Also chopping parsley in a measuring cup with scissors. Sometimes I do it, other times I already have a knife and board out. Can be handy to store the unused chopped parsley.
Speed pours like bartenders use. I have my most used olls and vinegars topped with speed pours.
Cheers,
Jackie
I have a small kitchen myself, and have been on a big baking kick lately, but don’t have many good places to let my dough sit to rise when doing breads. I figured out that I can tell my oven to start pre-heating to 350 while I’m mixing / kneading my dough, then shut the oven back off after about 2-3 minutes, and I have a nice warm place to put my bowl full of dough to hang out for a few hours! The oven stays at about 98 degrees or so for the entire rising period as long as you don’t open it back up after you put the dough in.
I have recently discovered how much I can add to a simple pot of soup by simmering a Parmesan rind with it. Now I keep a stash of rinds in the freezer so that they are there whenever I need them.
I love to cook Asian/Indian inspired dishes that use a lot of ginger. However, I find the ginger becomes less potent, slimy, and not easy to work with after being in fridge for awhile. To fix this problem, I clean up the ginger root, peel it, and then place it in the freezer.
It works great. The ginger is fresh. I always have it on hand for anything I might use it for (veggies, rice, sauce, or a quick marinade), it’s already peeled and ready to use. It’s easy to grate using a microplane grater, or cutting it into discs that will come to temperature after 15 mins that can than be smashed, minced or otherwise.
On lids to jars that are really hard to open, I just pull on my rubber dish glove and it immediately gives me a much better grip. On new jars, I take a teaspoon and use it to pry under the lid just until I hear the pressure releasing; then the lid invariably loosens very easily.
My favorite trick is when I need to cut chicken in bite size pieces I partially freeze it so its easier to handle.
ever since i saw someone roll a lemon on the counter before they squeezed it to get the most juice out of it, i wondered why i had never thought of doing that myself. it makes sense and works!
My tip is to preserve fresh herbs by chopping them finely, sprinkling with a little water, and then roll into a log shape in some saran wrap. Stick it in the freezer and when you want some fresh herbs just pull it out and cut off the amount you need! I love it!
I keep a spare tea ball filled with confectioner’s sugar in a plastic leftover container in my baking drawer. It’s simple to dust with sugar by shaking the tea ball, and it’s always ready.
My eyes are always tearing up when chopping onions. Maybe it’s a poorly ventilated kitchen, a really fragrant onion, or just sensitive eyes – but I find that two things help me out: run my chefs knife under cool water between each onion half, and stick my head in the freezer when the tears start welling up. Don’t know why the freezer stops the burning so quickly, but it does!
One of the best kitchen tips I have learned is so simple I felt like slapping my own face and yelling “D’oh!” when I heard it: A damp kitchen towel placed underneath a cutting board prevents the board from sliding around on the countertop. That’s it. No sliding means you won’t knock over any pepper mills, coffee press pots, those cute little “beckoning cat” statues and whatever else sits dangerously close to your fancy chef’s knife.
That is all. Moisten a towel and go to work. (Wait, that doesn’t sound quite right.) Here we go: Prevent mishaps with a little preparation and a damp towel under your board!
I used to throw all of my scraps in a “garbage bowl” when I was chopping vegetables, and thought I was being terribly clever to be able to throw them out so easily. Now instead I have a “stock bowl” and onion tops and skins, carrot tops, celery leaves and bottoms, leek greens, and what have you all go in there, and then all into a freezer bag until I make stock. now I’m making sure that I get every bit of flavor out of every bit of my veggies.
When a chocolate cake recipe calls for greasing and dusting the pan with flour, I dust instead with powdered cocoa. That way, when the cake is turned out, it’s all chocolately goodness, with no white spots left by flour.
My favorite simple tip is to roll citrus before juicing them. Rolling them makes more juice come out.
I love to bake and inevitably destroy my kitchen whenever I do it. Batter all over everything, mixing cups, whisks, paddle attachments, measuring spoons, all filthy. And I hate dishes. So what I do is take whatever large-ish metal bowl I’ve used to mix batter in (sometimes even the one from the stand-up mixer itself) drop a few dots of liquid dishwashing soap, put every single baking utensil I’ve used in the bowl and fill with hot water. After about ten minutes, every utensil pulls out *almost* clean and the bowl itself will pretty much wash out clean with hot water. Way better than scrubbing each completely covered one individually, this way they can either be quick-sponged clean or dropped right in the dishwasher (which I don’t have right now). Or you can leave it till the next day, works even better
I used to roll my pie dough out on either a floured tuppware thing designed for that purpose or on the counter. It didn’t matter how much flour I used, it would always stick and be a pain to get into the pie plate.
Now I roll the dough out onto a piece of parchment paper. It doesn’t stick, and manuevering it into the plate is no problem.
No fair on the not shipping to Canada.
I’ll give you my tip anyway. Stacking slices of bacon, then slightly freezing them makes it easier to slice into lardons
To mince fresh herbs, I put the cleaned and picked-over herbs into a cheap plastic cup then use a pair of kitchen sheers to rapidly mince them in the bottom.
Learned this trick from Danielle over at Habeas Brulee: if you don’t have the time or patience to temper chocolate, you can add a bit of flavorless oil to the chocolate as it melts, which will result in tempered chocolate’s sheen without the effort.
After cutting foods like garlic or onions, I rub the back of one of my stainless steel spoons over my fingers while holding them under running water. The steel almost completely removes the odor. Kitchen stores sell stainless steel “soap” bars that do the same thing, but why buy one of those when a spoon from your everyday utensils will do the same trick?
Testing the doneness of a cake by poking a knife or skewer down the middle of it isn’t always the best. Find the thickest part of the cake and use this point.
It’s this part of the cake that will have needed the most time to cook through!
I always try to incorporate bacon or Joel Palmer House Oregon White Truffle Oil into everything I make. Even Christmas cookies
Since I have to cook on an electric stovetop and the time it tooks for the stovetop to drop from highheat for searing to low heat for braising can take forever I tend to start the second coil and get it heated by putting a pan with alittle bit of water/stock in it since there is always a way to use it and it makes overcooking on electric a thing of the past.
Also I have like 15 rinds of parmigiano de buffalo (ya its better than parmigiano regiano in my mind) and pecorino gran cru to flavor risotto or anything needing an umami kick
Since I have to cook on an electric stovetop and the time it tooks for the stovetop to drop from highheat for searing to low heat for braising can take forever I tend to start the second coil and get it heated by putting a pan with alittle bit of water/stock in it since there is always a way to use it and it makes overcooking on electric a thing of the past.
Also I have like 15 rinds of parmigiano de buffalo (ya its better than parmigiano regiano in my mind) and pecorino gran cru to flavor risotto or anything needing an umami kick
I do a lot of gluten free baking, many of the recipe call for different *flour* mixes. I like to use the 1/4 cup to measure everything out. That way I am not soiling every measuring cup.
Always keep a crock of iced tea spoons handy. They have become my crutch. Stirring, tasting, measuring, you name it,
they do it. They’re cheap too, about $4 for a dozen at the restaurant supply house.
When you Bake Cookies and they come out TOO HARD, simply put the cookies in a Bag with a piece of Bread overnight. The cookies will absorb the moisture out of the bread and will be Soft in the morning.
I have really dark cork kitchen floors, which isn’t the most practical color if you cook alot and make a mess like I do! (but it looks damn good when it’s clean)
Any time I’m baking or cooking things that could potentially make a mess, I spread a huge beach towel underfoot. Not only does it catch everything that falls to the floor, but I can also just sweep the counter crumbs on to it as well when I’m done. Then all I have to do when finished is fold it up and throw it in the hamper for a no hassle clean up!
I take the tip about freezing stock in ice cube trays one step further — if you ever have some left over wine (rare, I know) that has been open for one day too many, freeze it in ice cube trays and keep a bag of wine cubes in the freezer. When you need some wine in a recipe you have some always ready in case you don’t have a bottle you can (or want to open).
I used to go nuts trying to clean pots and pans with stuck-on gunk, soaking forever, etc… but at some point I figured out you could add some water back into the pot, bring it to a boil, and it’d easily clean!
I always try to slice/dice meat for cooking while it’s partially frozen, makes it easier. We’re also very big on brownies & cakes here. I’ve learned that if you dip your knife/spatula in water it keeps the dessert from sticking to it, giving you cleaner cuts/slices!
All summer long, as I use the flat-leaf parsley and basil I’m growing on my back porch, I save the stems. I store them in freezer bags and have them at the ready all winter long when I make soups and stocks (in the case of the parsley stems) and large, comfort-foody batches of marinara (in the case of the basil stems). The parsley stems get thrown into the stock pot whole; the basil stems are finely chopped and added to the marinara with the rest of the herbs.
This is a satisfying practice: reaching into the freezer and coming up with a handful of bright green stems reminds me of sunnier days, and makes me feel frugal and practical, like my grandmother. Always a good thing.
Coat your garlic cloves in a tiny bit of olive oil and the peels won’t stick to your fingers.
To find all of the pinbones in a fish fillet, lay it skin side down over the back of a large, inverted bowl. The ends of the bones will almost pop out of the curving fish. If the bones pop out too far, it could mean your fish isn’t as fresh as one might hope.
After cutting garlic, rinse your hands under water while rubbing a stainless steel tool. I use a bench scraper. The steel oxidation the compounds in the oil that cause the odor and allows them to easily rinse away.
My favorite trick this time of year is getting the seeds out of pomegranates. Instead of digging out seeds with my hands, I just cut it in half, turn it over and start smacking the back of the flesh with something heavy (usually a really big spoon or a knife handle). Those seeds just pop right out!
What you do with them is up to you, although I always recommend starting with a champagne cocktail with pomegranate seeds.
I save and freeze the water from boiling potatoes and use it to thicken stubbornly thin sauces.
Here is my simple technique…
When preparing beets, I avoid the red stains that end up on my hands by coating my hands with vegetable oil first. Using soap and water to wash off the stains will be much easier. My mom taught me this technique and it makes the process much easier
I hate wearing gloves. Anyone have any tips for prepping hot peppers?
My favorite kitchen tip: 9″ round cake pans are excellent multi-taskers for those of us with small kitchens! I roasted some chicken breasts in them last night, have made a fantastic tarte tatin, and have even used them to bake a cake on occasion.
Whenever I roast a chickens I use a beer can chicken rack to stand it up straight. It cooks faster, it has more crispy skin, and I get plenty of leftover schmaltz in the drip pan.
these are great tips everyone.
freeze leftover bits from chopping onions, carrots, garlic, celery, etc and use them to make stock. delicious stock.
Cynthia
Skip the specialty aisle and the kitchen supply shop and use a springform pan to make deep dish pizzas at home. No unitaskers required, getting the pie out is a snap, and cleanup couldn’t be easier.
Here’s one for the bakers, especially those baking bread in dutch ovens a la Lahey’s no-knead recipe: ditch the pot and bake directly on a pizza stone. You can get the same steaming effect by covering the stone with a disposable aluminum roasting pan. Just make sure it is deep enough to clear the tops of the loaves, and wide enough to sit on the stone completely. Since the pan is so thin, no preheating is necessary. Remove halfway thru baking, at the same point you’d remove the lid of the dutch oven.
If your oven tends to burn the bottoms of cookies (and you have two pans in the oven) switch the positions half way through cooking. You’ll avoid burning and everything will cook more evenly.
Similar to rolling them on the counter, microwaving citrus for 10-15 second makes it easier to get lots of juice out. Just don’t hit the 5 minute button and walk away….!
I use garlic almost every night while cooking. Since my fingers seem to have permanently acquired the smell I’ve started rubbing lemon juice on my hands BEFORE and after i use the garlic. Keeps my fingers smelling garlic free
I love to make patties out of leftover spaghetti. Put them in a frying pan and pour a small amount of scrambled egg and grated parmesan over each one to hold it together, then slowly simmer on both sides until nice and crispy. Mmmm, never fails.
I like to make my vinaigrette for salads in a glass jar with a tight fitting lid. Using a glass jar allows me to see how much oil & vinegar I’m pouring in without measuring (using the proper “ratio” of course).
I put in the oil and vinegar, some shallots and other seasonings, put the lid on and shake. It’s then ready to use and whatever is left goes right into the refrigerator already in its storage container.
One of my favorite (summertime) tips is to use a Bundt pan to catch all of the corn kernals when shaving ears. This helps with the balance of the endeavor (using the hole at the top of the pan to rest the pointy side of the ear) and not losing any runaway kernals on a flat surface.
My tip is wear swim goggles when cutting onions. No more tears! No more burning! 100% fool proof. Yeah, you look weird but who cares.
My favorite kitchen tip is to find great cookbooks to give to my husband to get ideas from. He is the cook in the house.
For those who tend to be a little lazy, or rather less than prompt, about scrubbing the exteriors of pots and pans and are in need of a way to ease the need for elbow grease, there’s a simple solution that doesn’t require harsh chemicals. Pour boiling water in the kitchen sink, add a little oxygen bleach powder (such as Oxo Brite or any other brand found at most stores, including health food purveyors) and let soak for anywhere from a few minutes to an hour or so. Then scrub. Repeat as necessary. Up to you if you care to consider rethinking your habits…
After further review… my first post is more technique than tip so here’s my tip:
I do all my cutting/prep next to my sink rather than on a table or other counter…all waste goes into the sink..the sides of the sink allow for easy gathering of the debris and the spray nozzle allows me to flush everything clean quickly.
Freeze pesto from the summer in flat sheets and then you can break it apart like bark and just pick the appropriate size chunk for your leftover pasta lunch in the winter.
When juicing citrus, I will put it in the microwave for a few seconds then roll it out on a flat surface before slicing in half and squeezing. The microwave really seems to get the juices flowing.
If I don’t want to smash a garlic clove to peel it, I just give it a pinch length-wise and the skin cracks making it easy to peel right off.
I soak the whole garlic cloves in water for 15 minutes or so. This makes the skins slip right off so you have nice clean whole cloves without having to smash them. Do a few heads of garlic at a time and store them in an airtight bag in the fridge for later use.
I hate how my eyes always water while chopping onions. I’ve found that by putting the onions in the fridge, or even the freezer, before chopping has significantly reduced its effect on my eyes, and it makes chopping a little easier.
Easier than wetting a towel, buy non-slip shelf liners and place them under your cutting board to stop it from slipping.
Eggplant may be one of the most versatile vegetables. To speed up dishes like eggplant parmesan (and save calories), I microwave the slices first and then just layer them (no breadcrumbs or frying).
Use a toothbrush to clean oyster shells before shucking. It’s excellent for removing dirt and grime from small crevices, especially the hinge.
I love keeping a set of small containers in the freezer for extra citrus juice & zest. In the zest container I keep wax paper envelopes for each fruit. Then I don’t have to make a special trip when I just need a little juice or zest.
I love using Fresh ginger, but find that I never seem to go through an entire root before it “goes bad”. I’ve found out that Ginger root freezes extremely well and will keep for as long as you may need it (just make sure to keep it in an air tight freezer bag). I especially like running the frozen root over a microplane as garnish (fresh ginger bite with out the fibrous texture you may get from larger pieces; great for congee).
Touching something stainless steel gets the smell of garlic off your hands. I didn’t believe but my faucet works perfectly for this.
I make a lot of guacamole, and it’s not always easy to find perfectly ripe avocados. My favorite quick-ripening technique is to throw an apple or two (depending on how many avocados) in a paper bag with your avocados. They’ll ripen beautifully over night.
And speaking of apples, a little lemon juice sprinkled on apples keeps them from becoming brown once you’ve sliced them. I use that trick a lot too!
Miicrowave tip for white rice. Place a wet paper towel over your rice while microwaving. It’s a quickie facial for leftover rice.
The picture of the chives wrapped in a towel for cutting, reminds me that I store all of my greens in the refrigerator wrapped in a dry paper towel. I find that it keeps them fresh, crispy and delays wilting…always surprised when I see friends that simply store the greens in a plastic bag.
No mater how good a cook you fancy yourself, never give your wife “constructive criticism” when she’s cooking (unless you want to enjoy her cooking much less frequently).
When I peel garlic, I use the side of my 10 inch chef’s knife to squash each head. It makes peeling much easier. Then add a small amount of salt on the cutting board when chopping the garlic. By using the side of your knife you can grind the garlic into a very fine pile of happiness.
When I buy potatoes, a throw a couple in the toaster oven at 325 for 20-30 minutes. Remove them and allow them to cool on the counter, then I place them in the fridge. By par cooking them a bit, I can quickly make hash browns or sliced potatoes after a long day.
Baking tip: if your recipe calls for grated citrus peel, place zest and sugar in food processor and give it a whirl. Easier and seems to extract maximum flavor.
Running out of refrigerator space? Live in a northern clime, such as Cleveland, and your three season porch becomes a walk-in cooler for Christmas and New Years parties.
I keep a handful of small water bottles in the freezer as giant ice cubes. They come in quite handy when I need to cool down stock, home-brewed beer, etc in a hurry. It’s best to get the labels off of them, they can be hard to keep clean with the labels still attached. Just dump two or three into the hot pot and stir them around!
This is pretty simple, but soak bamboo skewers in water before you place kabobs them on the grill. They won’t burn or catch on fire that way!
I’m sure I’m the last person to figure this out, but it used to take me forever to peel garlic. Someone showed me how to crush the cloves with the flat side of a knife. That helped big time.
I hate to waste perfectly good wine so when there is some left after a night of entertaining, I use old fashion ice cube trays and fill them with the wine then freeze. The next day I take them out of the tray and put them in a plastic bag and keep them in the freezer where they are ready for individual use. I often add just a couple of tablespoons of white or red wine to sauce or meats so this is a perfect and much better than regular cooking wine.
Instead of using granulated sugar, I make a simple syrup and put in a squeeze bottle for my coffee and tea. Sometimes infuse the sugar with other flavors (ginger, for example) to give a little zing to my tea.
refill empty disposable water bottles with homemade stock (made according to Ratio of course). They freeze well, are tightly sealed and pre-measured for using in the future. Put in fridge a day before required use and you are all set.
Tip: cut cake layers by garotting them dental floss.
Cheap ($1) uncolored pantyhose are great for straining grease, stocks, etc.
When using one of my lighter weight cutting boards, I have a piece of that rubbery, woven look cabinet shelf liner that I put underneath to prevent the board from sliding all over my granite counter top.
We occasionally make quick stir frys which cook up fast, but brown rice still takes a long time, so whenever I make rice I make a double batch and freeze half. That way it’s ready in only a couple of minutes.
I place a wine cork under the steel handlle on my smaller pot lids. This way I can remove the cover without a towel or burning my little fingers!
I have 3 tips. I use a lot of ginger and hot peppers. I live in Miami and these all seem to go bad quickly. I now clean my ginger and freeze it. It makes it very easy to grate and is vry good in recipes. I also freeze my jalapeno
peppers, and red chili peppers. They do not go bad. And I throw them in the cuisinart to chop or slice them with a mandoline.
If your pie crust isn’t working out, consider rolling it out on a pizza peel, inverting the pie dish on top of it, and then flipping both to put the crust in the dish. It’s not necessary most of the time, but if you’re in a hurry and something’s wrong with the dough, it works in a pinch.
Keep rendered bacon fat in the refrigerator…has lots of uses in the kitchen.
Store nuts in the freezer so that the oils don’t go rancid–especially key for hazelnuts and pine nuts, which go off relatively quickly. Toasting the nuts in a dry pan is just enough to defrost them (and you’d probably do this for a recipe anyway).
After making a batch of pesto in the food processor and scooping out into a container, I throw in a stick of butter and give it a whirl. The result: an amazingly perfectly seasoned pesto butter ready to be used in too many ways. Grilled cheese, egg sandwiches, grilled fish, etc etc…
This is simple and maybe well known, but helpful: instead of cutting the ends off of asparagus stems, simply bend each stalk gently; it will break naturally, leaving you with a perfectly fresh stalk to cook with.
I find it super handy to line a loaf pan with parchment paper instead of using butter or flour etc. Leaving a bit sticking out the top makes handles for easy loaf removal!
Similar to yours in a way. I found cutting bell peppers by putting them stem side down and cutting around the white stuff rather than cutting it out wastes a lot less of pepper and is much easier.
Baby food jars make perfect spice jars, like so: http://www.facebook.com/souppeddler#/photo.php?pid=1790616&id=82427893193