Cooking Tips for Home Cooks

A Collection of Some Great General Cooking Tips

Cooking at home can be rewarding, but it comes with its own challenges. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced cook, there's always room to improve. Simple tips can make the process more enjoyable and efficient. These tricks can help save time, reduce waste, and enhance flavors.

Mastering basic knife skills and understanding seasoning can elevate your cooking. Even small changes, like preheating your pan or using the right type of salt, can make a big difference. Being organized—keeping your workspace clean, prepping ingredients, and having tools within reach—reduces stress and makes cooking smoother.

This post shares essential cooking tips for every home cook. These practical suggestions will boost your confidence, whether you're preparing a quick dinner or trying a new recipe. With these tips, you’ll be ready to create delicious meals your loved ones will enjoy.

General Tips

• Don't toss those Parmesan rinds. Use them in your marinara sauce or bean soups. Just remember to remove them when done, so you can reuse them.
• Prepare everything you need before starting. Professionals do it this way, making the process easier when you're scrambling to assemble.
• When broiling steaks, preheat the oven until it's very hot. This will sear the outside and keep the juices inside. Don’t use a fork to turn the steaks; use tongs or a spatula to avoid losing the juices.
• Buy a potato ricer for mashed potatoes. It's a great kitchen gadget. It looks like a giant garlic press and costs about six dollars, but it makes the smoothest, airiest mashed potatoes.
• A folding steamer platform in any pot works well for steaming veggies. Just be careful not to overcook the broccoli; you want it crisp but tender.
• Invest in a salad spinner. They're inexpensive and work wonders. There's nothing worse than soggy lettuce. And try some red or green leaf lettuce for a change from iceberg.
• Never cook with wine you wouldn’t drink!
• Substitute one tablespoon of fresh rosemary leaves for one teaspoon of dried, but fresh is always better. Try spraying olive oil to coat your roasting pan.
• You can use any brine-cured black olives instead of Kalamata. Just remind your guests about the pits so they don’t break a tooth.
• To roast garlic, sprinkle the bulb with olive oil, white wine, salt, and pepper. Wrap it in foil and roast at 350°F for about an hour.
• Use a hand blender to puree soup. It’s easier than transferring it to a food processor.
• Wipe mushrooms with a damp cloth, not water. Mushrooms are like sponges and will absorb the water.
• Ensure your roasting pan is the right size and placed on the middle rack.
• Save the pan juices when roasting to use in your gravy.
• Leeks have hard-to-reach sand and dirt. Chop them first, rinse them in cold water, and drain them in a colander.
• Try using carrots instead of sugar to sweeten sauces.
• Place peppercorns in a zip-lock bag and crack them on a cutting board with a hammer. It’s noisy but effective. Or use your pepper mill set to coarse.
• When buying cabbage, look for heads that feel heavier than their size with crisp leaves.

Grilling Tips:

• Make sure your grill is hot enough before starting.
• Grill meat and veggies about 4 inches from the heat source, and grill chicken 6-8 inches away.
• Add pre-soaked chunks of natural hardwoods like hickory to enhance the flavor.
• Clean the grill before cooking.
• Brush or spray a light coating of oil on the grill to prevent sticking.
• Close the grill top to let the smoke infuse its flavor.
• Grill poultry with the bone in and baste continuously to keep it from drying out.
• Start cooking dark meat poultry sooner, as it takes longer than white meat.
• Sear chicken skin-side down first.

Check out my grilling techniques page.

Baking Potatoes

• Use a potato with a high starch content ...it makes for a puffier baked potato. Good starchy potatoes are: russet and Idaho.
• Look for potatoes with smooth skin and no sprouts. Avoid those with wrinkly skin or soft spots.
• Store your potatoes in a cool, dark spot away from your onions.
• And don't store them for months on end. A couple of weeks is what you should plan for.

Be sure to read my Two Points of View on Baking Potatoes

Roasting a Turkey

• Check out my Turkey Tip Page