17 Cooking Tips That Will Change Your Life

By Bryan Kittman | September 7, 2019

The fun part about cooking is the near limitless potential you have with exploring new recipes, foods, and flavors. There are always new things to learn when you’re in the kitchen, and an eternally curious chef is set up to really propel themselves to new heights. To help expand your cooking prowess, use these super helpful tips that will change the game for you.

1. When trying out a new recipe, really read through and study the ingredients and steps. This will give you a good understanding of the fundamentals of the dish and the flavors. But for following attempts, try winging it and experimenting. You’ll learn much more. 

2. Cut avocados while they’re still in the skin. Simply halve the avocado, carefully remove the seed, then slice vertically, using the skin as a bottom foundation. Remove with a spoon with once sliced. If you don’t use the whole avocado, sprinkle some lime juice on top to preserve it from browning. 

3. Investing in a proper knife sharpener can be a great idea for keeping one of the most important tools in your kitchen operating at its highest efficiency. Dull knives can actually be dangerous to use, as you’ll have to press harder to get a cut, leading to potentially slipping and cutting yourself. 

4. Dropped a piece of eggshell in the dish? Your best bet in fishing it out is using the larger half of the eggshell as a spoon. Its sharp and hard texture can cut through the egg, making it easy to retrieve any accidental eggshell fragments. 

5. Try giving chicken breast a good whack with a rolling pin or meat tenderizer. This will help the meat cook more evenly and makes for a much juicier bite. 

6. Save yourself the trouble of peeling potatoes before boiling them. Just throw them in the pot. Once boiled, the skin will slide off easily.

7. If you pre-soak pasta in water in a sealed plastic bag for a couple of hours, it can be cooked in about 60 seconds when placed in boiling water.

8. When chopping hot chilies, rub some vegetable oil on your hands to prevent your skin from absorbing chili oils, which always seem to inevitably end up in your eyes after absentmindedly rubbing your face. 

9. Non-stick spray in a measuring cup can help sticky ingredients like honey or syrup slide right out of the cup.

10. A quick squeeze of lemon can make all the difference when preparing a savory dish. That note of citrus can really make a recipe come to life.

11. When baking, freeze the butter, then use a cheese grater to add it into the dry ingredients. This will make any dough become much more tender and flaky. 

12. Pull out cookies just before they’re done. Always aim to undercook when it comes to cookies, as they will continue to cook even after you’ve taken them out of the oven. 

13. Place a damp paper towel underneath your cutting board when doing some serious chopping. This will prevent it from annoyingly moving around, ensuring you get the most precise cuts. 

14. Salt can be your best friend and your worst… Adding a pinch of salt to just about anything can help accentuate the flavors of a dish, but just be sure to be mindful of how much you add. 

15. Cooking can be a messy business, and afterward, a disaster of a kitchen can be a real mood killer. Try cleaning as you go. This will save you time and alleviate the stress of getting it done later. 

16. Instead of meticulously peeling garlic, simply cut off the root end and squish it with the flat side of a blade.

17. Trust yourself! Cooking should be a fun and creative experience, so don’t take yourself too seriously. Take risks, enjoy yourself, and learn as much as you can.