Professional kitchens are full of smart moves and shortcuts that anyone can use at home. If you always thought that restaurant food is always extra…well, time to bring that *extra* to your kitchen. Here are 12 chef-approved hacks that will upgrade your cooking.
12. Your Pasta Water is a Secret Cleaning Agent
Ever wonder how restaurants get their dishes so sparkling clean? It turns out one of their best-kept secrets is leftover pasta water. So, don’t pour it down the drain! The starch that leaches out from the pasta acts as a natural emulsifier, removing grease and grime with ease. Try using hot pasta water on your greasy pots and pans, and you’ll be amazed at how it cuts through the mess.
11. How to Stop Bruising Your Herbs
Tired of chopping your herbs only for them to turn brown and bitter? The problem isn’t the herbs; it’s how you’re cutting them. Professional chefs know that gentle slicing motion is better than aggressive chopping. When you chop, you’re crushing the delicate leaves and releasing bitter-tasting compounds.
10. Wake Up Your Spices with a Little Heat
If your home-cooked meals lack the aromatic punch of restaurant dishes, try this hack: toast your spices in a dry pan or add them to hot oil before incorporating other ingredients. Chefs “bloom” their spices by doing just that, awakening the dormant essential oils and aromatic compounds. Try it with your next curry or chili to see the difference.
9. Deglaze Your Pan
Those brown bits that get stuck to the bottom of your pan after searing meat? They’re flavor bombs. Instead of scrubbing it away, chefs would deglaze the pan by adding a splash of liquid like wine, broth, or water to the hot surface. The liquid releases the bits, which can elevate a pan sauce from good to great.
8. Don’t Be Afraid of the MSG
For decades, MSG has been a villain in the culinary world, but chefs know the truth: it’s an effective flavor enhancer. It’s the secret to that savory flavor known as umami, and it’s useful in soups, sauces, and marinades. The key is to use it sparingly. Start with just a half-teaspoon for a large pot of soup and taste as you go.
7. Add Salt in Layers
Salting your food at the very end of cooking isn’t enough. And by this, we mean professional chefs season their food in layers. They add a little salt at each stage of the cooking process. This allows the salt to enhance the natural flavors of each ingredient. There are some exceptions, though. Delicate greens and fish can lose their texture if salted too early.
6. The French Secret to Stress-Free Cooking
Tired of being in a constant state of panic while cooking? The solution is a simple French concept called mise en place. This literally means “everything in its place.” Chefs live by this rule, so before they turn on the stove, they’re done with chopping vegetables, measuring out spices, and trimming meats. This way, everything is ready to go when they need it.
5. Work on Your Knife Skills
In professional kitchens, precise and uniform cuts are non-negotiable. When all your ingredients are the same size and shape, they cook at the same rate. If your vegetables are a jumble of different sizes, you’ll end up with some pieces that are overcooked while others are still raw. Practicing knife skills is one of the easiest ways to instantly improve your cooking.
4. The Flavor Enhancer You’re Probably Forgetting
If a dish tastes flat, your first instinct might be to add more salt. But chefs know that a splash of acid is often what’s needed. A squeeze of lemon or a dash of vinegar can brighten up a dish and balance out flavors in a way that salt can’t. The next time something tastes like it’s one-dimensional, add a little acid before reaching for the salt.
3. The Trick to Tenderize Any Meat
Forget about marinades and expensive cuts of meat. Here’s another secret to a tender meat: baking soda. This simple ingredient raises the pH of the meat’s surface, preventing the proteins from bonding together and becoming tough. Dissolve a half-teaspoon of baking soda in a little water, toss it with your sliced meat, and let it sit for about 15 minutes before cooking.
2. The Secret to a Creamy Pasta Sauce
Restaurant pasta sauces are so much creamier and more luxurious because a lot of them use the pasta water. That starchy water you’ve been pouring down the drain acts as an emulsifier, creating a smooth, velvety sauce without any cream. This technique, known as mantecare in Italian, is the secret to a restaurant-quality pasta.
1. Caramelize Onions in 10 Minutes, Not an Hour
If you love caramelized onions but don’t have the time to stand over a stove for an hour, this restaurant hack is a must-try. The key is a pinch of baking soda. By adding a small amount to your onions, you can speed up the Maillard reaction, which is the chemical process responsible for browning and flavor development. You’ll achieve the desired results in about 10-15 minutes!