Tips and Tricks
Discover practical cooking tips and tricks to make your time in the kitchen easier, faster, and more enjoyable—from knife skills to flavor-boosting secrets.
1
Always have boiled potatoes with the skin on cooked in salt water for 20 minutes. Store in fridge and use for quick roasted potatoes with garlic and rosemary, potato salad with mayonnaise and chives, potato rosti with a poached egg and more
2
Buy three heads of garlic and peel cloves, pulse or chop finely and store in a jar in fridge for fresh garlic use and garlic oil
3
Herbs – Buy them wash thoroughly shake off excess water and wrap in wet CHUX super wipes and keep in crisper – they last for weeks.
4
Equal amounts of small diced carrot, onion, celery, some garlic, bay leaf, thyme, olive oil, salt and pepper – cook for 30 minutes – base for chowder, pasta sauce, risotto, coq au vin and more -saves you time and gives flavour to dishes.
5
In a large pot place and whole chicken, vegetables, herbs and spices – cover with water, simmer one hour, leave to cool in pot overnight in fridge – take out shredded the chicken meat – pasta, soup, sandwiches and broth of YUM! Chinese flavours can be used too.
6
Pasta – Boil, strain (keep some pasta water) rinse with water and place some oil on the pasta – keep in fridge up to three days, to use just place in desired sauce and add some pasta water.
7
Dried shiitake mushrooms – Soak and place in pot and simmer for 45 minutes – drain and pat dry – slice and cover with pickling solution use in any recipes that calls for mushrooms for great flavour not just Asian dishes.
8
Won ton skins – especially the white round ones – make ravioli.
9
Pickling liquid = 1 x cup sugar, 1 x cup vinegar, 1 x cup water, i x tbls salt – Boil and pour over desired vegetables (add botanicals) in jar – store in fridge! Use for Bao buns, salads, tapas and more
10
Make a caramel sauce with sugar and cream and add MISO paste for a salted caramel flavour.
11
Always grow – Rosemary, thyme, sage, bay leaf and parsley as grow easily in pots and will save you $$$
12
Get six onions, knob of butter, dash of oil, three tablespoons of sugar, garlic, thyme and cook for a hour add balsamic vinegar and cook further to make sticky onions for the next BBQ
13
When asparagus is in season, clean roll in oil, salt and pepper and BBQ
14
When you cook with seafood learn to use the 20 minutes per kilogram rule to not overcook your lovely seafood.
15
Get jars or save jars from other sources and use good oil and flavour them with garlic or ginger or chilli or herbs. Ready to add flavour to and top up to infuse more oil.
16
In a bowl – slice spring onion, add chopped ginger and garlic – use a large bowl on stove heat up rice bran oil to smoking and pour over the onion mixture – cool – place in jar and wonderful addition to dim sum or marinades or a sauce – add soy for more flavour.
17
Confit foods – cooked in fat – garlic cloves, tomatoes, radishes, fennel to preserve and use in your favourite dishes as a garnish.
18
When a recipe calls for sugar – think about red sugar, palm sugar, coconut sugar, brown sugar, vanilla sugar, raw sugar, sugar cane and honey.
19
When you have bread, even if a day old, spray with water and place in oven for 10 minutes – it will be fresh again.
20
Flowers – most flowers can be eaten and bring a lovely addition to your dishes, salads and garnishing.
21
Use mint and other herbs in boiling water to make a simple beverage tea or infuse herbs in desserts like pannacotta.