91 Kitchen Tricks and Tips From Real Simple Test Kitchen

Dawn Perry wrote . . . . . . . . .

Need a little help in the kitchen? While we can’t offer you another set of hands or extra counterspace, how about the next best? Our experts from the Real Simple test kitchen compiled simplifying strategies, tips, and techniques to make your time in the kitchen more efficient, your food taste better, and (dare we say?) cooking more fun.

Whether you’re a masterful home cook or a newbie, we guarantee you’ll want to adopt more than a few of our cooking tips. We offer kitchen tactics for improving how you prep, cook, and store food as well as ways to make your kitchen appliances and gadgets work harder for you. Tie your apron, roll up your sleeves, and let’s go!

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How to Prevent Food From Sticking

Love the sear of a stainless skillet but prefer to skip the scrubbing after the peppers meld to the bottom midway through cooking? A little more oil should help, but don’t just pour it over the top of the food or you’ll end up with a greasy, soggy mess.

Heated oil on a hot pan creates a slick, nonstick surface, guaranteeing a surefire sauté. Do it this way in three easy steps.

Step 1. Use a metal spatula to loosen the vegetables or meat, and then push them to one side of the skillet.

Step 2. Tilt the pan so the empty area is over the heat.

Step 3. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons oil to the empty area and let it get hot before moving the food back.

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Reviving Crystallized Honey

Ever go to your pantry to find your bear-shaped bottle contains a solid unwieldy mass of crystallized honey? Don’t throw it away! Honey never goes bad, but it does crystalize in humid conditions.

To bring honey back to a luscious, drizzly state: Place the container in a bowl of hot water until the honey is smooth and runny (5 to 10 minutes). Alternatively, remove the lid and microwave the jar in 30-second intervals, checking after each.

To prevent crystals from forming again: Store the honey in a cool, dry place (not the refrigerator) and avoid introducing moisture. That is, no double-dipping once your spoon hits your tea.

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Cutting Rolly-Polly Vegetables Safely

To keep your fingers safe from nicks, use this technique on round, wobbly vegetables like potatoes, squash, and beets.

Step 1. With a sharp knife and a cutting board, cut a thin slice along the length of the vegetable to create a flat side.

Step 2. Turn the veggie cut-side down on the cutting board (ensuring it’s stable and won’t roll away) and slice as desired, stopping when the veggie becomes unsteady and difficult to grip.

Step 3. Turn the veggie so the broad, flat side from which you made the last cut is facedown on the cutting board, and then continue to slice as desired.

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How to Make Simple Syrup

Want to sweeten your lemonade or iced tea? Instead of reaching for the sugar bowl, you’ll get a better result—no sandy granules at the bottom of the glass—if you mix up a batch of simple syrup. Here’s how.

Step 1. Combine equal parts water and sugar in a saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the sugar has completely dissolved (3 to 5 minutes).

Step 2. Let it cool and then add to beverages as needed.

Use 1½ teaspoons of simple syrup for every teaspoon of sugar you would usually use and store the syrup in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. We told you it was simple!

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Keeping Crudités Fresh

Use this strategy to keep cut-up produce crisp and bright for up to 12 hours, because there’s nothing inviting about a platter of limp broccoli florets and dried-out carrot sticks.

The trick: Cover everything with a layer of damp paper towels, and then wrap the platter in plastic wrap and refrigerate until the start of the party (aka crunch time).

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How to Grill Corn

It’s hard to beat the smoky-sweet flavor of fresh corn cooked on a grill. Here’s how to do it to perfection.

Step 1. Pull the husks back from the corn, but leave them attached at the stem. Remove and discard the silks.

Step 2. Pull the husks back up around the corn. Soak the ears in a roasting pan or large bowl full of water for 15 minutes. (This prevents the husks from burning.)

Step 3. Grill corn over medium heat, turning often, until the kernels are tender and husks are lightly charred, 8 to 10 minutes.

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Trimming Green Beans in a Snap

Sitting with a bushel of fresh green beans and carefully pinching the ends off each one can be quite relaxing if you’re sitting on a porch swing on a lazy afternoon. But if you have a cluttered countertop and 15 minutes until dinner, try this instead.

Step 1. Line up the beans so the stems all face one direction. (The beans’ tough, knobby ends need to go, but the other ends—the skinny, tapered tips—are tender and perfectly fine to eat.)

Step 2. Scoot a handful against your palm so they’re even, and then use a chef’s knife to cut off the knobby ends with one slice.

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Making Stronger Iced Coffee and Tea

All too often, iced brews concocted at home are weak and watery—a total buzzkill. That’s because simply mixing your regular coffee or tea with ice dilutes its intensity. But it’s easy to give your icy beverage more muscle: Make it double-strength.

For iced coffee: Use 1/4 cup ground beans for every cup of water.

For iced tea: Use 2 tea bags for every cup of water.

Now you can chill, pour over ice, and get your day off the ground right with an iced beverage that stands up to the heat.

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Mastering Whipped Cream

Getting soft peaks—and not going too far (oops, butter!)—is easy if you adopt these three tips for making whipped cream.

Start with the right ingredients. For fluffy, stable whipped cream, use cartons labeled “heavy cream,” “whipping cream,” or “heavy whipping cream.” (Save the light cream for coffee.) For sweetness, add 2 tablespoons granulated sugar per cup of cream before beating.

Watch carefully. In a chilled bowl with an electric mixer on high, beat chilled cream and sugar until the beaters leave visible lines when drawn across the cream. Reduce mixer speed to medium-low and continue to beat until soft peaks form. (When you hold up the beaters, the cream should stand up, and then flop over.)

If you overwhip, don’t panic. Add a splash of fresh, unwhipped cream to the curdled lumps and fold it in with a rubber spatula. Repeat as needed until the mixture smooths out.

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A Cleaner Way to Crack an Egg

When you tap a fresh egg on the edge of a bowl, you don’t break just the shell. The thin membrane surrounding the white and the yolk also ruptures, allowing tiny shell shards to mix with the liquid and add an unwelcome crunch to your finished dish (worst omelet ingredient ever).

Instead, crack the egg on a flat surface, like a counter, to create one clean break. That way, the membrane stays intact, meaning no shell in your scramble. Here’s the technique.

Step 1. Hold the egg in one hand and tap it firmly on a hard surface.

Step 2. Check the break: You should see an indentation and one side-to-side crack, like an equator.

Step 3. Place your thumbs on either side of the crack and gently pull the shell apart. Any shards will stick to the membrane, not fall into the bowl.

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Source: Real Simple