1.
“When I make potato salad, I add a little dill pickle juice as the last ingredient. I learned this tip from my grandmother, who was an immigrant from Poland.”
2.
“My grandmother made the best sugar cookies and her secret is using lard. Lard makes the best cookies, pastries and biscuits. It gives baked goods a subtle flavor and unique richness that shortening doesn’t give you. It’s also better than butter because it tends to make the dough a little tougher. Save the butter for the frosting!”
—Claire
3.
“Use rice vinegar instead of lime juice in your guacamole. You’ll thank me later.”
Four.
“Three words: Lipton, onion, packet. Add one of these to dishes like meatloaf, beef stew, or roasted potatoes before serving. I add it to many recipes and people always wonder what the secret is. Lipton Onion Packets are a game-changing ingredient inherited from my mother and aunt.”
—Kara, TN
Five.
“I thicken my New England clam chowder with instant potatoes.”
6.
“When measuring sticky ingredients like honey, maple syrup, or cornstarch, spray the measuring cup with cooking spray first so the ingredients don’t stick. They’ll pour out quickly and leave nothing behind.”
—Miche
7.
“Always save your Parmesan rinds! Keep some in the freezer and toss them in soups before simmering. They’re great in Italian soups like pasta e fagioli or any tomato-based soup. You can also add the rinds to chicken noodle soup. It’s a really lovely flavor enhancer for the dish.”
8.
“Adding instant pudding mix flavors to your sugar cookie recipe is a great way to make delicious cookies quickly. Also, be sure to add more vanilla extract to your cookies than called for – if the recipe calls for 1 teaspoon, change it to 1 tablespoon.”
—Joe, New Jersey
9.
“In my house, I marinate any meat I’m going to grill (steak, pork chops, chicken, etc.) in Italian or French salad dressing at least an hour before grilling. The dressing adds great flavor.”
Ten.
“We use the bottom of a ceramic bowl to sharpen our knives. My mom has always done this and I thought it was common knowledge until I saw a YouTube video where people were amazed and excited to learn this tip.”
-Anonymous
11.
“When making sugar cookies, roll them out with sugar instead of flour to prevent them from sticking. They turn out much tastier that way.”
12.
“Save the water from boiling potatoes and use it to make gravy. It will thicken and taste great.”
—Elizabeth
13.
“Grating onions with an A-frame cheese grater is easier and faster than chopping (plus, it eliminates the risk of burning your eyes). The onions blend better and become more incorporated into the recipe. Similarly, using a cheese grater when making egg salad improves the texture — it’s quicker, the consistency is better, and it looks more appealing.”
14.
“Add a little Sprite or soda to your pancake batter. The carbonation will lighten the pancakes and you won’t even taste the soda!”
-Anonymous
15.
“If you want the rice to be fluffy, add a little vinegar, and if you want it to be shiny, add a little sake. Don’t worry, you won’t taste any vinegar or sake at all.”
16.
“Soak Cuban bread in warm water, squeeze out the excess water, and add it to your meatball recipe – you’ll have the most moist, delicious meatballs ever!”
-Anonymous
17.
“My sister gave me this easy egg salad recipe that I adore. She scrambles the eggs and adds garlic powder while they are still wet. She continues to scramble the eggs until they are almost dry. She removes the pan from the heat and adds the mayonnaise and mixes. It’s good hot or cold, and you can also add chopped ham and onions.”
18.
“I make my taco meat and sloppy joes from scratch, but the problem is that they sometimes end up too watery (probably from cooking onions). When I was growing up, my mom used a box of instant mashed potato flakes to thicken these recipes. Just adding a little bit eliminates the excess water, and it always works well.”
—Brad, Ohio
19.
“My mom always made a vinaigrette salad dressing, and her secret was to add ice when stirring, so the flavors would blend more smoothly.”
20.
“Whenever my mother boils fresh corn, she always adds sugar to the cooking water. That way the corn always comes out sweet and juicy.”
—Rose, FL
twenty one.
“Sear your meat (especially beef) before braising or roasting it, especially when doing it in a slow cooker. This can make the difference between tough, flavorless meat and meat that falls apart with a fork. For years I’ve been making mediocre beef stews and roasts and I didn’t know why.”
twenty two.
“When my husband’s grandmother boiled eggs, she would always put a little bit of water in the pot and add a little bit of oil, and then the shells would come off very easily. It was a real game changer!”
—Courtney, Oregon
twenty three.
“My grandmother loved to bake, and she made the best cakes with boxed mixes. Her secrets were to replace the water with milk, mix with an electric hand mixer for an extra minute, and put the cakes in the freezer for a few hours before frosting. I’ve followed this advice for years, and it works.”
twenty four.
“Marinating chicken in pickle juice makes delicious fried chicken.”
twenty five.
“Cutting off chicken breasts using kitchen scissors is much easier than using a knife. You can effectively cut away the unwanted tissue with much more control without wasting any of the good parts of the chicken.”
—Miche
26.
“Instead of greasing and flouring a bundt cake pan, generously butter it and dust it with white granulated sugar. This prevents sticking and creates a thin skin on the outside of the cake that helps retain moisture inside.”
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