Everyone could use some simple cooking hacks when it comes to making a meal. As a Bougie Taurus, I love food. I enjoy cooking, but I don’t like doing it all the time. But, if I’m going to cook, I like to work as efficiently as possible while still having delicious food. And over the years, these hacks have served me well and given me better quality food.
Really, you don’t have to do anything elaborate to have a good meal. You just have to know what to do, and how to make use of what you have. You can start using these cooking hacks today and thank me later.
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If you’re reheating food with the microwave, use a wet paper towel.
This is especially useful for when you have food that dries out easily like pasta, rice, or meat. Wet a paper towel, cover your food with it, and heat per usual. This keeps food moist and delicious.
When cooking pasta, over salt your water.
I’ve heard it said that your water should be as salty as the sea. Plus it adds flavor to your pasta. One of my favorite cooking influencers, The Pasta Queen, drives this point home on her Instagram.
Save your pasta water!
Add a generous ladle to your pasta sauce. It gives a creamy, satin-like finish to your sauce. Doesn’t matter if it’s pesto, tomato, or vegetable. It instantly elevates any sauce.
Have a small snack before you start cooking.
Okay, this is one of those cooking hacks we don’t talk about enough. If you’re really hungry, your first instinct is to start cooking. But, if you cook on an empty stomach, you tend to get impatient. And impatience leads to mistakes. So grab a piece of toast or a granola bar. Nothing to fill you up, but enough to stop the hunger pangs until your meal.
Reheat anything with breading in the oven.
Fried anything and pizza taste better reheated in the oven. Most of the time the sweet spot is 375 degrees for 10 – 15 minutes. You’re left with food as good as it was when it was fresh.
Put a kitchen towel under your cutting board.
This stops it from slipping on the countertop and will prevent you from cutting yourself.
Make your rice ahead of time.
I’m a huge fan of having a rice cooker for this reason. It’s such a time saver. I love the Zojirushi Rice Cooker for this reason. Perfect rice every time? Yes, please! Plus, it lets you know when it’s done by playing a cute little jingle.
This is one of those cooking hacks that’s especially useful if you’re making fried rice. You want your rice to be cold, otherwise, your fried rice will turn to mush.
Be generous with your spices!
If you’re new to cooking, follow the recipe. But I find more often than not that your usual internet recipes are woefully under seasoned. For more seasoned chefs, don’t be shy with your spices. There’s a saying, if you ain’t sneezin’, it ain’t seasoned! And I find it to be true most of the time.
I go with my intuition because I’ve been cooking for a while now. But don’t be afraid to double or even triple whatever your recipe says. Treat it the same way garlic lovers treat garlic.
Keep your ingredients prepped and ready.
This is the ultimate cooking hack to save your time and sanity. I usually put on a podcast and get to work. That way, I’m listening to something I enjoy while I’m doing it. It’s a little tedious, but it makes for a better meal.
Some meals need more care than others. But if you know you need to peel vegetables or chop onions, at least you’ll have it on hand. With onions, I always chop extra so I have it on hand. It’s always a relief to cook knowing the hardest part is already done.