nureqgiler

Reduce the heat of chiles by removing the seeds. My method is making four straight cuts down the sides. This will create four long slivers, and the cluster of seeds will remain in the center of the ch...

My general advice to home cooks is that if you think you have added enough salt, double it.

When baking cookies, be sure your dough is thoroughly chilled when it goes on your baking pan. This will allow the leavening ingredients to work before the butter flattens out and your cookies lose th...

When making caramel, use a nonstick pot. That way, when you pour the mixture out, there is no waste, and cleaning the pot is a breeze.

Whenever you cook pasta, remove some of the pasta-cooking water (about 1/4 or 1/3 cup) just before draining. When you add the sauce of your choice to the pasta, add a little of the cooking liquid. Thi...

To help keep an onion together while dicing, do not remove the root. Slice off the pointy stem, then cut the onion in half through the root; peel. Put each half cut-side down; make horizontal cuts par...

Caramelize onions very quickly by cooking them in a dry nonstick sauté pan over medium-high heat. They will caramelize beautifully in a lot less time than with traditional methods.

When cooking eggplant, I like to use the long, skinny, purple Japanese kind because you don't have to salt it to pull out the bitter liquid like you do with the larger Italian variety.

Don't dress the salad when having a big party. Leave it on the side and let the people do it themselves. I've had too many soggy salads because of this.

Use good oil when cooking. Smell and taste it: If it doesn't taste good alone, it won't taste good in your food.

When a recipe calls for zest, instead of grating it into a separate container or onto parchment paper, hold the zester over the mixing bowl and zest directly onto the butter or cream. The aromatic cit...

Stick a wooden skewer or spoon in the oil. If bubbles form around the wood, then you are good to go.

Get a good quantity of olive oil hot. Before you add the egg, heat the spatula (if it's metal) in the oil first. That way the egg won't stick to it. Add the egg and fry it quickly, until it gets "punt...

Keep flavored vinegars near the stove so you won't always reach for the salt. Acid enhances flavor.

Always buy the freshest garlic you can find; the fresher it is, the sweeter it will be. The best garlic has firm tissue-like skin and should not be bruised, sprouted, soft or shriveled. If you find cl...

For perfect vegetable soup, start with diced carrots, onions, peppers and tomatoes sautéed in oil or butter before you add any liquid. This brings out the taste and caramelizes the sugars.

To optimize the juice you get from a lemon or lime, roll it hard under your palm for a minute before juicing. (Or — never say I told you this — microwave it for 10 to 15 seconds.)

1. Serve at room temperature. 2. Don't "pre-slice" cake more than 20 minutes in advance. It dries out too quickly. 3. You don't have to eat the fondant. It's really pretty, but if you don't want a m...

Use a cake tester to test the doneness of fish, meat and vegetables. It's my secret weapon — I use it in the kitchen to test everything.

If you don't have time to brine your chicken, use this simple trick: Heavily salt the chicken (inside and out) about an hour before you cook it. Then pat it dry and roast. This ensures crispy skin and...