There are so many ways to learn how to cook, whether it's watching shows on Food Network or browsing through cookbooks. But it's likely that most of your kitchen knowledge comes from family — the way our parents and grandparents cooked for us when we were growing up are the cooking tricks and tips we'll remember forever.
So I asked the BuzzFeed Community to tell me about a beloved cooking trick or recipe hack that is common in their household. Here are the best tips, along with even more responses from redditors.
1. "If you want to give caramelized onions more depth of flavor and also caramelize them faster in the process, add dry vermouth. Anytime I want to get my onions nice and brown and achieve that amazing, rich flavor, I add a splash of dry vermouth to the pan along with some good butter. It's a game changer."
2. "When making mashed potatoes, heat the milk or cream so that it is just slightly warm before adding, or you'll shock the mash, making it gummy. My mom taught me this old trick, and it works every time."
3. "This may sound weird, but leftover pizza tastes best if you run water over the slice and then bake it in the toaster oven. You can refresh a stale loaf of bread by doing the very same thing. I applied the concept to pizza and never looked back."
4. "To make any frying pan a nonstick skillet, put a little oil into the pan, then add a layer of parchment paper, then add the rest of the fat you're using. Fry as usual. Your delicate fish or whatever you're cooking will slide right out."
5. "Putting a slice of bread into a plastic container of cookies keeps them soft and chewy. You can also add a slice of bread to a container of brown sugar to keep it from clumping."
6. "Microwave a lemon for a minute before squeezing it. The juice basically falls right out."
7. "You can prepare caramelized onions and sautéed mushrooms in advance. Freeze them and grab a little bit when you want to add them to recipes. These two ingredients can make a huge difference in terms of taste, and it's so easy when you already have them lying around."
8. "Most people use dry red wine in Bolognese sauce, but you can take it a step further by adding a dash of balsamic vinegar. Then let it simmer for at least five hours. It’s divine!"
9. "Always use salted butter when baking (yes, even when the recipe calls for unsalted). It adds greater depth to the recipe and helps to balance out all of the sweet ingredients. I learned this trick from my mother and never stopped using it."
10. "I use Knorr Chicken Bouillon as a seasoning for pretty much anything. If I'm grilling chicken, I season with all the good stuff, plus chicken bouillon powder. The same goes for pork chops, roast, and beef tips. I swear it just makes everything taste so much more delicious. My holy grail of dry rubs is a blend of kosher salt, pepper, paprika, garlic and onion powder, and chicken bouillon."
11. "We put a little fish sauce into any stew or sauce that needs an umami kick. It's basically anchovies in liquid form."
12. "My grandma would save butter wrappers in the fridge and use the leftover butter on them for greasing dishes when she baked. I can’t help but stockpile wrappers. It’s really so handy."
13. "Almost every batter my grandmother ever made contained a special ingredient: beer. You don't need anything fancy — just a can of Coors or the like. Whether she was making batter for tempura, pancakes, or even cake, she'd add beer. The beer cooks off, so you never taste it, but it yields the lightest, fluffiest pancakes and the crunchiest tempura. I will put a small dash of beer into my homemade batter whenever I want to impress people with my cooking. It's a secret weapon."
14. "I keep a food-safe plastic spray bottle of filtered water in my kitchen and use it for so many things: I use it to add moisture to leftovers I'm heating up in the microwave, for melting cheese on burgers, or for cooking sunny-side up eggs. It's also handy for spraying people who try to pick at my food before it’s ready."
15. "Keep some Velveeta slices in your fridge. Whenever you have a recipe that needs a little extra depth, throw in a slice. It gives it good texture and that little bit of umami."
16. "I parboil thick pork chops. I use enough water to cover about half the thickness of the chops. Bring the water to a boil, put the chop in, simmer for 12 minutes, then put it in the frying pan and cook over medium-high heat for three minutes per side. This method gives you a crusty exterior with a moist inside. To raise the game, make them 'dirty water' chops: Season the water with garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, salt, MSG, and a good splash of balsamic vinegar."
17. "When my wife makes beef stew, she browns the meat first and then deglazes the pan with a few ounces of Guinness Stout before cooking the veggies in the same pan. The Guinness adds a wonderful, rich flavor. And I get to finish off the remainder of the bottle!"
18. "Add a block of Boursin to any cream-based pasta sauces (like Alfredo) or your mashed potatoes."
19. "Lots of people use almond extract to bake, but try adding rose water and vanilla to your angel food cake. It will taste like clouds."
20. "I always keep a bunch of small containers in the freezer with ingredients like diced bell peppers, diced onions, and diced ham. They are great for making a quick omelet on a weekend morning, adding to a pizza, or cooking anything that calls for 'one small onion, diced.'"
21. "My mother-in-law adds a few tablespoons of instant vanilla pudding powder to the heavy cream for whipped cream. It helps the whipped cream keep its shape when you put leftovers in the fridge."
22. "When making a package of quick ramen noodles, add a squeeze of garlic paste and ginger paste (that stuff that comes in a tube) to the water before adding the noodles. It melts away but adds a great taste to the noodles once they're boiled."
23. "When I’m almost out of a condiment (like Dijon mustard), I make a salad dressing using the almost empty condiment jar. Shake vigorously to incorporate what remains of the condiment into the salad dressing."
24. "In my household, we use muffin pans to make cookies — they always come out as perfect circles!"
25. "The key to great egg salad is separating the yolks from the egg whites. I smash the yolks with a fork and then add my mayo, mustard, and seasonings, then mix all that together well. I chop up the whites and then gently fold them into the yolk mixture."
Do you have a great cooking or recipe hack that others should know about? Share it in the comments below or drop it into this Google form.
Note: Some entries have been edited for length and/or clarity.