{"id":82052,"date":"2022-05-10T06:00:46","date_gmt":"2022-05-10T06:00:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/test10.co.za\/C\/?p=82052"},"modified":"2022-05-10T06:38:19","modified_gmt":"2022-05-10T06:38:19","slug":"cooking-hacks-that-will-help-improve-your-cooking-game","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test10.co.za\/C\/cooking-hacks-that-will-help-improve-your-cooking-game\/","title":{"rendered":"Cooking Hacks That Will Help Improve Your Cooking Game"},"content":{"rendered":"

Cooking can seem daunting but it doesn\u2019t have to be. There are plenty of cooking (and baking) hacks out there to help guide you in the right direction. Cooking can be fun and not everything has to be perfect. Remember, a recipe is a road map, you don\u2019t have to follow it step-by-step to get delicious results. Unless it\u2019s baking, then you absolutely have to follow the recipe to a tee.<\/p>\n

Cooking Hacks<\/h3>\n

Cook like a pro and save time in the kitchen with these cooking hacks:<\/p>\n

Parboil Potatoes in the Microwave<\/h4>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

One of the easiest hacks out there is one I learnt from my mom. When it comes to baked potatoes, pre-bake them in the microwave, not the oven. The results come out the same and it saves you a lot of time, up to almost an hour. Microwave the potatoes for 4-5 minutes depending on how many potatoes you\u2019re microwaving at once, then put them in the oven for 15 minutes and voil\u00e0 \u2014 you’ve got perfectly baked potatoes. The initial microwaving heats the centre of the potato, in no time.<\/p>\n

Get the recipe for Smashed Baby Potatoes with Rocket & Basil Pesto<\/a><\/p>\n

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Creamy Mash Potatoes<\/h4>\n

\"cooking<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re making mashed potatoes, boil the potatoes directly in a pot of heavy cream. Sounds odd right? But, boiling them in heavy cream adds an extra creamy, depth of flavour. Your family will wonder what you did to make them so flavourful and fluffy.<\/p>\n

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Mighty Mac ‘n Cheese<\/h4>\n

\"cookingThere is almost nothing bad you can say about Mac \u2018n Cheese<\/a> \u2014 it’s cheesy, creamy and utterly delicious. BUT, you can actually elevate this dish and make it even better by simply adding a spoonful of mustard. It balances out the flavours and cuts out the richness of the cheese, and makes the whole dish even tastier.<\/p>\n

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Adding Stock Cubes to Pasta Water<\/h4>\n

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You\u2019ve probably heard by now that it\u2019s best to cook starchy foods like rice and quinoa<\/a> in stock. But did you know that flavouring your pasta water with some stock changes your whole sauce and pasta<\/a> game? It adds a more umami flavour to your pasta and if you\u2019re using the pasta water to add to your sauce, it gives it an extra kick of flavour.<\/p>\n

Get the recipe for Fresh Tomato Marinara Pasta Sauce<\/a><\/p>\n

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Veg Stock Cubes<\/h4>\n

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Why buy veggie stock cubes, when you could easily make your own at home? It’s a great way to save money and also you get to boast that you make everything from scratch. This is also a great way to use all your fresh produce before it goes bad. Simply place your cut vegetables it in a pot with some water, herbs and garlic. Allow it to cool down before filling an ice tray and popping it in the freezer. Add the stock cubes to soups, stews and gravy for an added kick of flavour.<\/p>\n

Get the recipe for Curried Carrot & Sweet Potato Soup<\/a><\/p>\n

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Knife Skills<\/h4>\n

\"cooking<\/p>\n

This cooking hack gained a lot of popularity after it was shown all over social media, and for good reason. If cutting your cherry tomatoes individually feels like a lot of work, try putting the tomatoes in between two plastic lids, then run your knife horizontally in between the 2 lids to quickly cut them all in half all at the same time. This method can cut up to 15 cherry tomatoes at once, saving you a whole lot of time.<\/p>\n

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Ginger<\/h4>\n

\"\"If you have a hard time grating fresh ginger, try storing it in the freezer first. It makes the ginger a whole lot easier to grate. We’re not too sure about the science on this one, but trust us \u2014 it works! Also, removing the skin from your ginger with a spoon allows you to get in between those tricky grooves and avoid having to throw away chunks of ginger.<\/p>\n

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Dry Pat Your Ingredients<\/h4>\n

\"cooking<\/p>\n

This cooking hack is not usually mentioned in recipes but really should be. You really should dry any type of ingredient that traps in moisture with a paper towel before cooking. It helps avoid that watery flavour that can ruin a dish. We\u2019re talking vegetables, fish, meats \u2013 they all trap in moisture, so better pat them down before cooking.<\/p>\n

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Awesome Sauce<\/h4>\n

\"cooking<\/p>\n

Adding a bit of fish sauce or hot sauce (like tabasco or sriracha) can really help add more flavour to sauces, dips and vinaigrettes. Trust us, the result will be so delicious.<\/p>\n

Get the recipe for Homemade Sriracha Sauce<\/a><\/p>\n

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Adding Garlic<\/h4>\n

\"cooking<\/p>\n

Most people add garlic at the same time their onions are saut\u00e9ing which isn’t the best idea if you want garlic to be a prominent flavour in the dish. Garlic tends to burn or brown easily when you add it at the start of your cook, additionally the flavour becomes more mellow as it cooks longer. For more garlicky dishes, add it when your onions are almost caramelised. However, if your dish requires garlic but you don’t want it to overpower the other flavours in your dish \u2014 simply remove the green germ (sprout in the centre) from the clove before mincing of grating it.<\/p>\n

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Grilling Steaks<\/h4>\n

\"cooking<\/p>\n

Everyone is particular about how they like their steak done and\u00a0 that’s alright but did you know that the choice of cooking oil is just as is important? Using olive oil or vegetable oil might seem like a good choice, but\u00a0 it actually has a low smoke point meaning it could burn quicker and add a burnt flavour to your steak. Oils with a higher smoke point are best for cooking steaks or any meat with a considerable cook time. Neutral tasting nut, plant or seed-based oils with higher smoke points are best for cooking steaks.<\/p>\n

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Scrambled Eggs<\/h4>\n

\"cooking<\/p>\n

Making scrambled eggs is pretty easy and most wouldn’t bother checking a recipe but there’s actually a science to it. Most make the mistake of adding salt to their eggs mixture before cooking them which is wrong. You should be adding the salt at the end to avoid your eggs from becoming too watery. Another faux pas is whisking your eggs before hand, what you really want to do is mix it in the pot along with a knob of butter and continuously stir.\u00a0 To make sure your eggs are extra fluffy, keep stirring it and remove it from the heat regularly.<\/p>\n

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Mise en Place<\/h4>\n

\"cookingStop frantically chopping veggies while the onions are saut\u00e9ing and the oven is on. Think like a chef and get your mise en place<\/a> started. It\u2019s important to prep when you cook to avoid mayhem in the kitchen. Arrange all the ingredients that need to be chopped first, so you can cook with ease.<\/p>\n

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Baking Hacks<\/h3>\n

Get the best bakes with these hot tips:<\/p>\n

Flaky Pie Crust<\/h4>\n

\"cookingDuring the holiday season, it seems like we\u2019re all making pies. Whether it\u2019s a sweet or savoury pie<\/a>, they\u2019re always in demand. If you want your pie to have a super flaky pie crust, replace some of the water in the recipe with a bit of vodka. The vodka will evaporate during baking and you’ll be left with a super flaky crust.<\/p>\n

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Spooning Cake Batter<\/h4>\n

\"baking<\/p>\n

I wish someone had told me this trick before, but when you\u2019re trying to make cupcakes and trying to get the batter into the tins, its best to coat your spoon with vegetable oil before using it to pour the batter. The oil won\u2019t let the mix stick to the spoon making the whole process so much easier.<\/p>\n

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Rest that Cookie Dough!<\/h4>\n

\"baking<\/p>\n

Chocolate chip cookies are timeless. We don\u2019t think there isn’t a person out there who doesn\u2019t like them. Have you ever wondered how some bakeries just make the most absolutely delicious cookies that for some reason you can\u2019t seem to recreate at home. Well, their secret could be as simple as letting their cookie dough rest in the fridge for at least 24 hours. The texture and flavour of the cookie will be exponentially better if the dough sits in the fridge for a while, even up to 36 hours.<\/p>\n

Loved these hacks? Check out our baking glossary<\/a> right here and brush up on everything you need to know.<\/p>\n

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Coffee Ice Cubes<\/h4>\n

\"baking<\/p>\n

Not so much a baking hack, but a simple and cool hack (pun intended). Can’t start your day without an iced coffee? This hack is the best way to make sure you don’t water down your iced coffee. Simply make a cup of coffee, allow it to cool down before filling an ice tray and popping it in the freezer. Add the coffee ice cubes to your iced coffee for the ultimate caffeine buzz.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Cooking can seem daunting but it doesn\u2019t have to be. There are plenty of cooking (and baking) hacks out there to help guide you in the right direction. Cooking can be fun and not everything has to be perfect. Remember, a recipe is a road map, you don\u2019t have to follow it step-by-step to get delicious results. Unless it\u2019s baking, then you absolutely have to follow the recipe to a tee. Cooking Hacks Cook like a pro and save time […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5861,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"wprm-recipe-roundup-name":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-description":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4098],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-82052","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general"],"acf":[],"brand_slug":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test10.co.za\/C\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82052","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test10.co.za\/C\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test10.co.za\/C\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test10.co.za\/C\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5861"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test10.co.za\/C\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=82052"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/test10.co.za\/C\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82052\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":90986,"href":"https:\/\/test10.co.za\/C\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82052\/revisions\/90986"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test10.co.za\/C\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=82052"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test10.co.za\/C\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=82052"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test10.co.za\/C\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=82052"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}