Chefs share their best tricks for making 15 foods that everyone should know how to cook
Business Insider spoke with three professional chefs to find out their best cooking tricks.Salt ice water when blanching vegetables and use leftover herb stems to make salad dressings.Make creamier mashed potatoes by boiling potatoes in milk instead of water.Whether you're hosting a feast or cooking yourself a quick dinner, it's important to master a few recipes and have some go-to dishes up your sleeve.Professional chefs know this very well — and many have spent years learning tricks for making even the most common dishes better.So, Business Insider asked three chefs to share their best tips for upgrading 15 foods everyone should know how to cook.Here's what they had to say.Make super creamy mashed potatoes by boiling the potatoes in milk instead of water.To step up your mashed potatoes, boil the potatoes in salted milk instead of water, said Sara Hauman, a former "Top Chef" competitor."After the potatoes have cooked, drain them and add soft butter to make super creamy — not even remotely greasy — mashed potatoes," Hauman said. "For even more creaminess, add sour cream or cream cheese."A bit of mayo is the secret to a great grilled cheese.Hauman said the trick to a great grilled cheese is to use mayonnaise instead of butter on the outsides of the bread.Mayo has a higher smoke point than butter, meaning it's less likely to burn quickly — it also adds some richness to the sandwich.Also, make sure you're cooking your grilled cheese on medium heat to get the ultimate cheese pull, she added.Use high-quality chocolate for the ultimate chocolate-chip cookies.To make your cookie recipe stand out, use better chocolate, said Krystal Craig, pastry chef, chocolatier, and co-owner of Intero."Go by your personal taste in terms of using milk or dark, sweeter or more bitter chocolate, but look for a 'couverture' choice to create a more fulfilling taste," Craig told BI.Couverture is a high-quality chocolate with a higher percentage of cocoa butter.Prevent soggy roasted vegetables by preheating your pan.Roasted vegetables are a great side dish, but they can easily get soggy.Hauman said one way to prevent sogginess is to heat your baking tray in the oven for at least 10 to 15 minutes before tossing your vegetables onto it.Enjoy perfectly blanched veggies by salting both your ice and boiling water.If you're not into roasting vegetables, another option is to blanch them for maximum crunchiness and vibrant colors.
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Business Insider spoke with three professional chefs to find out their best cooking tricks.Salt ice water when blanching vegetables and use leftover herb stems to make salad dressings.Make creamier mashed potatoes by boiling potatoes in milk instead of water.Whether you're hosting a feast or cooking yourself a quick dinner, it's important to master a few recipes and have some go-to dishes up your sleeve.Professional chefs know this very well — and many have spent years learning tricks for making even the most common dishes better.So, Business Insider asked three chefs to share their best tips for upgrading 15 foods everyone should know how to cook.Here's what they had to say.Make super creamy mashed potatoes by boiling the potatoes in milk instead of water.To step up your mashed potatoes, boil the potatoes in salted milk instead of water, said Sara Hauman, a former "Top Chef" competitor."After the potatoes have cooked, drain them and add soft butter to make super creamy — not even remotely greasy — mashed potatoes," Hauman said. "For even more creaminess, add sour cream or cream cheese."A bit of mayo is the secret to a great grilled cheese.Hauman said the trick to a great grilled cheese is to use mayonnaise instead of butter on the outsides of the bread.Mayo has a higher smoke point than butter, meaning it's less likely to burn quickly — it also adds some richness to the sandwich.Also, make sure you're cooking your grilled cheese on medium heat to get the ultimate cheese pull, she added.Use high-quality chocolate for the ultimate chocolate-chip cookies.To make your cookie recipe stand out, use better chocolate, said Krystal Craig, pastry chef, chocolatier, and co-owner of Intero."Go by your personal taste in terms of using milk or dark, sweeter or more bitter chocolate, but look for a 'couverture' choice to create a more fulfilling taste," Craig told BI.Couverture is a high-quality chocolate with a higher percentage of cocoa butter.Prevent soggy roasted vegetables by preheating your pan.Roasted vegetables are a great side dish, but they can easily get soggy.Hauman said one way to prevent sogginess is to heat your baking tray in the oven for at least 10 to 15 minutes before tossing your vegetables onto it.Enjoy perfectly blanched veggies by salting both your ice and boiling water.If you're not into roasting vegetables, another option is to blanch them for maximum crunchiness and vibrant colors. The process involves scalding the vegetables in boiling water for a few minutes and then purging them into an ice-water bath.For the best results, salt the ice and the blanching water used for shocking your vegetables, Hauman said.By salting both, she explained, you won't rinse off the seasoning when you transfer the vegetables from the blanching water to the ice water.Make the perfect, flaky pie crust by adding a teaspoon of a clear spirit to the dough.Flaky pie crust is useful in both sweet and savory dishes, and there are a few ways to take it to the next level."Instead of giving your fingers a workout when distributing the butter into the dry ingredients, freeze the butter, then grate it using a cheese grater," Hauman said.She also suggested adding a teaspoon of clear alcohol, such as vodka or gin, to pie dough to slow down gluten formation and achieve a flakier crust.Season your poultry in advance to make no-fail chicken.Ian Thurwachter, executive chef and co-owner of Intero, said it's best to season chicken at least an hour before you cook it."Plus, put a little bit of butter under the skin of the breasts to keep them moist and tender while cooking," Thurwachter said. "Separate the skin from the meat by sliding your finger between the two, making a place for the butter."Whisk your brown butter constantly to bring out the best flavor.Brown butter can be used in pasta, sauces, cakes, and cookies to add more depth of flavor to even the simplest dishes.Hauman said the secret to making the best brown butter is to never stop whisking as you slowly heat your butter over medium heat."As the milk solids caramelize, they want to sink to the bottom of the pan," she told BI.
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- Business Insider spoke with three professional chefs to find out their best cooking tricks.Salt ice water when blanching vegetables and use leftover herb stems to make salad dressings.Make creamier mashed potatoes by boiling potatoes in milk instead of water.Whether you're hosting a feast or cooking yourself a quick dinner, it's important to master a few recipes and have some go-to dishes up your sleeve.Professional chefs know this very well — and many have spent years learning tricks for making even the most common dishes better.So, Business Insider asked three chefs to share their best tips for upgrading 15 foods everyone should know how to cook.Here's what they had to say.Make super creamy mashed potatoes by boiling the potatoes in milk instead of water.To step up your mashed potatoes, boil the potatoes in salted milk instead of water, said Sara Hauman, a former "Top Chef" competitor."After the potatoes have cooked, drain them and add soft butter to make super creamy — not even remotely greasy — mashed potatoes," Hauman said. "For even more creaminess, add sour cream or cream cheese."A bit of mayo is the secret to a great grilled cheese.Hauman said the trick to a great grilled cheese is to use mayonnaise instead of butter on the outsides of the bread.Mayo has a higher smoke point than butter, meaning it's less likely to burn quickly — it also adds some richness to the sandwich.Also, make sure you're cooking your grilled cheese on medium heat to get the ultimate cheese pull, she added.Use high-quality chocolate for the ultimate chocolate-chip cookies.To make your cookie recipe stand out, use better chocolate, said Krystal Craig, pastry chef, chocolatier, and co-owner of Intero."Go by your personal taste in terms of using milk or dark, sweeter or more bitter chocolate, but look for a 'couverture' choice to create a more fulfilling taste," Craig told BI.Couverture is a high-quality chocolate with a higher percentage of cocoa butter.Prevent soggy roasted vegetables by preheating your pan.Roasted vegetables are a great side dish, but they can easily get soggy.Hauman said one way to prevent sogginess is to heat your baking tray in the oven for at least 10 to 15 minutes before tossing your vegetables onto it.Enjoy perfectly blanched veggies by salting both your ice and boiling water.If you're not into roasting vegetables, another option is to blanch them for maximum crunchiness and vibrant colors.
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Chefs share their best tricks for making 15 foods that everyone should know how to cook
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