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10-30-2009 at 11:53 AM
ilovehouse...
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What are your best every day cooking tricks?

Not cooking red meat directly out of the fridge.  Let it get to room temperature before throwing it in the oven.

Using a thermometer for meats. 

Letting meat "rest" after cooking it.

Only steaming corn for 6-10 minutes.  I always thought it was much longer, and would overcook it.  The overcooked corn tasted raw, so I kept adding time until I would cook it for 45 minutes and it was crap.
 
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10-30-2009 at 11:57 AM
uncannycan...
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Cooking rice "pasta-style" (tons of water and drain after X minutes) instead of "rice-style" (pre-measured rice and water).

Using a garlic press - no more peeling garlic!

Love doing corn on the cob in the microwave - 3-4 min/cob (in husk), and it's done. Not practical for large amounts, but great for 1-2 people.

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10-30-2009 at 11:58 AM
Jerseymel
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Turning the oven or (electric) burner on first thing so it can heat up while I prepare what I'm going to cook.

 
 
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10-30-2009 at 11:58 AM
cindybaf
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Garlic in a tube. No more chopping cloves up for me! I also like buying meat the day I cook it. I taste a difference, especially with chicken. I am not always able to do this, but the meat does taste better if I never froze it. I make more than we can eat, freeze the meals, and in a pinch we always have homecooked meals in the freezer. I make a lot of rice, it's easy to store and make a lot of it and it goes with beans, meats, etc. Always have a green pepper, crushed tomatoes, onion, celery, and ham on hand for a variety of dishes.
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10-30-2009 at 12:01 PM
Mrs. Wifey
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using a silicone oven mit to wipe the outter layer off onions.

chilling onions in the fridge so they dont make me cry when i cut them.
 
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10-30-2009 at 12:02 PM
hoping4sep...
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have a few "easy- go to meals" for the nights you are exhausted and would be tempted to eat out. My go-to meals are things like ravioli with red sauce, etc...anything I can make in about 10 minutes or less.
I am the Dan Quayle of MM- I can't spell!

 
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10-30-2009 at 12:05 PM
rkto
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I hear this let the meat rest thing on Top chef all the time.  what does it mean? how long? and how do you stop it from getting cold?
"what have the children done for me? "
"well, they do make our shoes and wallets" 
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10-30-2009 at 12:11 PM
kris216
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rkto:
I hear this let the meat rest thing on Top chef all the time.  what does it mean? how long? and how do you stop it from getting cold?

I wrap it on foil or cover the baking dish wirh foil. It's only 10 minutes or so.  It really does help a lot.

 
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10-30-2009 at 12:11 PM
LaLaBee
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What you should do with meat (chicken, pork, beef) is cook it to 5 degrees below the temp you want it done to (i.e. 135 degrees for medium rare on beef).  Then let it sit for 5 -10 minutes (don't cut it or cover it at all).  It will still be warm and it will be the perfect "doneness".  Oh, and an additional tip - let your whole chicken rest upside down, this really does make the breast meat juicier!
 
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10-30-2009 at 12:12 PM
LaLaBee
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Another one of my favorite cooking tips is if you are making bacon and eggs, cook the bacon first and then cook your eggs in the bacon grease.  Yum!
 
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10-30-2009 at 12:27 PM
rkto
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how do I know when my meat is 135 degrees? I just cook it until I like the way it looks
"what have the children done for me? "
"well, they do make our shoes and wallets" 
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10-30-2009 at 12:33 PM
Mrs. Wifey
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rkto:
how do I know when my meat is 135 degrees? I just cook it until I like the way it looks

Stick it with a meat thermometer
 
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10-30-2009 at 12:33 PM
Kore!
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I use a chop wizard almost daily. Makes it super easy to chop everything into uniform pieces in a snap. I love it.
 
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10-30-2009 at 12:39 PM
kris216
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rkto:
how do I know when my meat is 135 degrees? I just cook it until I like the way it looks

Ditto the thermometer, but you can also sometimes tell by how firm it is.  This chart shows an easy way to tell.  It's not always exact, but after you do it for a while you can start to tell how done different meats are by feel.
 
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10-30-2009 at 12:40 PM
thedutchgi...
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Another microwave method for corn on the cob: put the cobs, shucked, in a plastic bag (I use a produce bag) and put a bit of water in the bag.  Microwave two minutes per ear and then flip the ears and do another two minutes per ear.  (So four minutes and four minutes for two ears.)  Perfect.
 
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10-30-2009 at 12:42 PM
groovingir...
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LaLaBee:
What you should do with meat (chicken, pork, beef) is cook it to 5 degrees below the temp you want it done to (i.e. 135 degrees for medium rare on beef).  Then let it sit for 5 -10 minutes (don't cut it or cover it at all).  It will still be warm and it will be the perfect "doneness".  Oh, and an additional tip - let your whole chicken rest upside down, this really does make the breast meat juicier!

Ditto this, except we cover it or wrap it in foil.  And we always use a meat thermometer! :)  I love the 'turn the chicken upside down' idea!
 
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10-30-2009 at 12:52 PM
aswartzw
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Mrs. Wifey:

chilling onions in the fridge so they dont make me cry when i cut them.

 This and I put frozen meat in the crockpot before I go to work and cook as usual.  I always mess up defrosting,

I also sub applesauce for oil and yogurt for sour cream when baking.
 
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10-30-2009 at 12:58 PM
thedutchgi...
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aswartzw:
This and I put frozen meat in the crockpot before I go to work and cook as usual.  I always mess up defrosting,

I also sub applesauce for oil and yogurt for sour cream when baking.

Not to pick on you, but cooking frozen meat in a crockpot is a no-no from a food safety standpoint.  It doesn't get hot enough fast enough to be safe.  It is a good way to get food poisoning.  Sad
 
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10-30-2009 at 12:58 PM
Jerseymel
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aswartzw:
Mrs. Wifey:

chilling onions in the fridge so they dont make me cry when i cut them.

 This and I put frozen meat in the crockpot before I go to work and cook as usual.  I always mess up defrosting,

I also sub applesauce for oil and yogurt for sour cream when baking.

This--I do it all the time and it works great, except I only sub half of the oil for applesauce or yogurt.  The only time this does not work well is with cookies (ick) but you never taste a difference in quick breads and cake-y things.
 
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10-30-2009 at 12:59 PM
uncannycan...
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thedutchgirl:
aswartzw:
This and I put frozen meat in the crockpot before I go to work and cook as usual.  I always mess up defrosting,

I also sub applesauce for oil and yogurt for sour cream when baking.

Not to pick on you, but cooking frozen meat in a crockpot is a no-no from a food safety standpoint.  It doesn't get hot enough fast enough to be safe.  It is a good way to get food poisoning.  Sad

I've done it for years, anyway.

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10-30-2009 at 2:33 PM
aswartzw
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thedutchgirl:
aswartzw:
This and I put frozen meat in the crockpot before I go to work and cook as usual.  I always mess up defrosting,

I also sub applesauce for oil and yogurt for sour cream when baking.

Not to pick on you, but cooking frozen meat in a crockpot is a no-no from a food safety standpoint.  It doesn't get hot enough fast enough to be safe.  It is a good way to get food poisoning.  Sad

As long as the middle reaches the right temperature, it kills off everything.  The trick is getting it hot in the middle and that just requires adjusting the temperature and cooktime. 

 
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10-30-2009 at 3:02 PM
cindy453
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why should meat be room temp before cooking?

also, if I make pasta (and drain, but put no sauce on it) and store it in the fridge will it taste okay later? I want to make pasta ahead of time so I can just add sauce and protein for lunches... better tasting than frozen meals. 



Happy Halloween! 
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