8 curious kitchen tricks that will make your life easier

When it comes to cooking, many doubts can assail us both about the ingredients and the processes. That’s why today I’m giving you a few tips for everyday cooking. They are very curious kitchen tricks that you will find very useful. With them you will save time when cooking and you will get better cooking. Once you know them, you will not be able to stop putting them into practice!

1. How to substitute alcohol in recipes

This kitchen hack can save you more than once. In many recipes you will see that they ask for white wine, red wine or beer. With cooking, most of the alcohol evaporates, and since we add small amounts, the resulting dish will contain practically no alcohol. But if you don’t have or don’t want to use it, You just have to look at what kind of drink they are asking you to replace it with. For example

White wine: it can be changed by apple cider vinegar or rice with water in equal parts Red wine: you can use red wine vinegar and water Beer: all recipes work by adding a non-alcoholic beer or 0.0 Brandy and similar liqueurs: you can add a teaspoon of brown sugar dissolved in a little water instead.

2. Cook al dente: perfect times

Al dente means that the food is cooked to its point, without falling apart but without being hard. Although the term is very popular with pasta, it is also used with vegetables. But how exactly to get to that point? Attention to the trick:

In the case of pasta, we must look at the package instructions. If you only indicate a time (for example: ready in 8 minutes), we will try the pasta one minute before. If you indicate a range of times (for example: ready in 7-9 minutes), We will remove the pasta in the shortest time indicated. Both pasta and vegetables al dente They have very good texture, flavor and color thanks to the fact that we have not spent cooking them. When in doubt, always try a piece, and if it can be eaten perfectly (it does not have hard parts), it is ready, it is not necessary to continue cooking it.

3. Trick to roast vegetables without using baking paper

If you use greaseproof paper to roast the vegetables at the end of cooking tand you lose the juice of the vegetables, which are ideal for flavoring any preparation. Take note of this kitchen trick so that it does not happen to you again:

When you are going to roast vegetables use pyrex containers (those made of resistant glass). This way you avoid putting baking paper and at the same time you can collect the juices of the vegetables.

4. How to cook with canned vegetables

Canned artichokes are already peeled, cut and cooked, packed in cooking water with some acid to preserve them (such as vinegar or lemon). However, when using them, That flavor remains in the artichokes. To avoid it:

Drain the artichokes. Wash them carefully under the tap. Drain well again.

This same method works for green beans and other cooked vegetables canned ready to use.

5. Prepare homemade breadcrumbs

Breadcrumbs are used to make meatballs, hamburgers, breading, or to put a crunchy topping on baked or gratin dishes. To do it at home:

Let the leftover bread dry until it is hard and then grate it. Store it in an airtight container so that it does not collect moisture. It is not necessary that it is always the same bread, you can mix all the pieces of bread that you have left over (integral, with seeds, rye, corn, etc).

6. Soaked legumes always ready

When you are going to make beans, soak the whole package, not just what you are going to use. After the soaking time (8 hours normally), drain it, take the part that you are going to use and freeze the rest. The next time you go to make legumes You already have them soaked and you can put them directly, frozen, in the pot to cook them.

7. The best way to freeze vegetables

The best way to freeze vegetables and have good texture is subject them to bleaching. Blanching is a method that consists of partially cooking the ingredients in boiling water, and then quickly stopping the cooking by removing them to a bowl with very cold water (and ice if we have it). These culinary tips will help you achieve a perfect blanch:

When it comes to cauliflower, broccoli or romanesco, break them up into florets and wash them before bleaching. All vegetables and vegetables it will take 1-4 minutes to be whitened, depending on how big they are. Always remember drain them very well before putting them in freezer containers and write the date you keep them so you don’t forget to use them in the next 3 months.

8. Tastier broths

If you want your homemade broths to have a richer flavor, add roasted vegetables. Especially parsnips, celeriac, celery, leek, onion, carrot or fennel. Adding two or three pieces (one of each) to the broth is enough to have a broth with deep flavor and color.