5 Cooking Tips People Always Remember When It’s Too Late

Published

April 27, 2024

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An image of someone cutting herbs with a chef's knife. — alysonmcphee/unsplash

You had it all in the palm of your hand. The pasta was coming together beautifully. The sauce. Oh, the sauce. You could write an epic about that sauce. But alas, amidst your flow at one point or another, you completely forgot to take the chicken (the chicken to be used with the pasta) out of the freezer. How? That will forever escape you. If you’ve ever suffered a moment of humbling forgetfulness while cooking, this list is for you. Maybe these people’s confessions to their slip-ups will help you avoid making the same mistakes.

1. Adding Pasta Water To The Sauce

A close-up image of pasta shells. — engin akyurt/unsplash

You wouldn’t think such a simple tip could exercise such impressive power over a dish and its ability to elevate the flavor profile. Yet, here we are. Pleasantly humbled. The pasta water is a complete game-changer. The starch in the actual pasta water acts as an emulsifier. It can make your sauce extra nice and creamy and even works to bind the sauce better to the pasta noodles.

2. Start Cooking Rice Before Everything Is Almost Done

An image of a bowl of rice. — Pille R. Priske/unsplash

Rice can be a silent killer when it comes to timing out the different parts of your meal well. Rice does not take as long to cook as you might think. It’s ferociously quick, and you’ve got to keep an attentive eye on it to prevent it from being burned.

3. If You Botched Your Bread, Turn It Into Croutons

An image of a crouton dish. — Vita Marija Murenaite/unsplash

Croutons are great. Everyone loves croutons. Just because you swung and missed your attempt to make bread doesn’t mean it’s all a wash. You can easily cube that bread up, toss it in olive oil and seasoning, and then place it in the oven. The croutons will surprise you with how good they are.

4. When Adding Something Cooler To A Hot Pan, Take The Hot Pan Off The Burner FIRST

An image of a cooking pan with a veggie medley inside of it. — Clem Onojeghuo/unsplash

Okay, I get it. Adding a cooler liquid to a hot pan for that dramatic sound effect is wicked fun, but it’s also working against you. Think of all the grease splatters, flare-ups, and situations where you got blinded with steam that could be avoided. Just take the pan off the hot burner first.

5. Use Disposable Gloves To Cut Hot Peppers

An image of a person with cooking gloves on preparing a sushi roll. — Epicurrence/unsplash

This one’s so easy and shouldn’t be as hard to remember as it is. Yet, suddenly, there you are, living on the edge of a chef’s knife, chopping jalapeños without even paying a moment’s notice as to how it’ll leave your hands. Just opt for the disposable gloves. You won’t regret it, and your future self will thank you.

Meet the Writer

Matt Staff

Matt has spent over the last 8 years as both a writer and editor, working in Seattle and Brooklyn, where he is now based. He loves escaping the tirelessly fast pace of the “Mad Apple” that is NYC by taking walks and runs through parks where he’s able to catch up on the latest tea about society from the city’s ever chatty, always hungry, occasionally maniacal, pigeons. They always have a lot to say. When he’s not taking his urban nature strolls, or dutifully combing the deepest rabbit holes of the internet to find the content that’s worth sinking your mind’s teeth into, he’s likely holed up at a dark-lit dive bar with a new book and/or some friends, or just as easily he could be on the hunt for the next addition to his steadily growing plant family.

These days Matt’s caught up in trying to provide folks as many vivid glimpses into the days long since passed as he can, through fun and engaging collections of hand-picked vintage photos.