# What other kitchen tricks don't I know about? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 18, 2006, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-kitchen-tricks-dont-i-know-about/361128 "2006-06-18T01:29:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2006, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-kitchen-tricks-dont-i-know-about/361128/21 "2006-06-18T19:28:06Z")
> [@amarinth](#): > > I don’t get this - what am I doing with my hand and what am I doing with the meat? > > It sounds like it could be a useful tip if I could figure out what it meant. It’s an approximation of the firmness of the meat at various degrees of doneness. Make an “OK” sign with your hand - index finger and thumb touching in a circle. Now poke the fleshy bit below your thumb. That’s about how stiff rare meat is. Now move your thumb so that it makes a similar circle with your middle finger. Poke the fleshy bit again. That’s about how stiff medium-rare meat is. And so on. ---
**Author:** ![PastAllReason](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f07891/32.png) [@PastAllReason](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastAllReason)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2006, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-kitchen-tricks-dont-i-know-about/361128/22 "2006-06-18T19:58:29Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > You can slice mushrooms perfectly with a sturdy egg slicer, [like this.](http://img.timeinc.net/realsimple/i/p/April04/0404_solution_newuse_egg.jpg) Egg slicers also work well for slicing strawberries quickly and with resulting uniform thickness. ---
**Author:** ![Szlater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90ced4/32.png) [@Szlater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Szlater)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2006, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-kitchen-tricks-dont-i-know-about/361128/23 "2006-06-18T20:11:56Z")
> [@PastAllReason](#): > > Egg slicers also work well for slicing strawberries quickly and with resulting uniform thickness. None of this eggslicer stuff [Mandolines](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandoline) are much more versatile because you can adjust the slice thickness and use it to uniformly cut a variety of vegetables, fruits etc. The only thing you have to remember is to get one with a handguard and always use it, unless you’re not that attached to your fingertips. ---
**Author:** ![eulalia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eulalia/32/457_2.png) [@eulalia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eulalia)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2006, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-kitchen-tricks-dont-i-know-about/361128/24 "2006-06-18T20:59:32Z")
> [@Dijon Warlock](#): > > If you’re talking about cutting _raw_ meat (rather than cooked), such as slicing thin for stir-fry, put it in the freezer for 20 minutes or so. You don’t want it frozen, but it will stiffen it up so that it slices easier. I use my kitchen scissors to cut up raw meat, especially chicken breasts. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2006, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-kitchen-tricks-dont-i-know-about/361128/25 "2006-06-18T21:55:21Z")
> [@Szlater](#): > > That is the best tip I ever recieved from my friend, executive chef of [Leeds Castle](http://www.leeds-castle.com/content/banqueting_weddings/banqueting_weddings.html). > > That and you can judge roughly how well a steak is done by pressing it and comparing it to the fleshy bit of your hand directly below your thumb. > > Thumb touched to index finger = rare > Thumb touched to middle finger = medium rare > Thumb touched to ring finger = medium > Thumb touched to little finger = well done Whenever I tell people this little trick I always say, “Know why it works so much better? Because it’s digital.” ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2006, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-kitchen-tricks-dont-i-know-about/361128/26 "2006-06-19T01:39:54Z")
My kitchen trick is to throw away that cheap potato peeler and buy an Oxo Good Grips one. It’s so sharp it’s like cutting buttah. I also use it to make cute little carrot strips to put on top of salads. I also highly recommend Oxo’s paring knives. You can pick up one for around ten bucks. Not nearly as expensive as the Henkel version but just as good. In fact, they’re so cheap, pick up two. And, no, I don’t have stock in Oxo. ---
**Author:** ![Nic2004](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/4491bb/32.png) [@Nic2004](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nic2004)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2006, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-kitchen-tricks-dont-i-know-about/361128/27 "2006-06-19T01:52:36Z")
> [@Bill Door](#): > > Whenever I tell people this little trick I always say, “Know why it works so much better? Because it’s digital.” That was really bad. But in a good way. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2006, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-kitchen-tricks-dont-i-know-about/361128/28 "2006-06-19T03:32:26Z")
> [@Garfield226](#): > > Smashing garlic cloves makes them easier to peel ('course, if you need them whole, this doesn’t help a lot). If I need a _lot_ of garlic, for example when turning the years’ basil crop into pesto, I rely on the difference in density between the cloves and the skins. If you cut the top off the bulb, and toss the cloves in a food processor with a noncutting pastry blade, the violent mixing will rip the skins right off. Take that mess, and pour it into a big pot of water in the sink. Run the faucet slowly, and stir the liquid gently. The skins will float out of the pot and down the drain, while the cloves remain at the bottom. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2006, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-kitchen-tricks-dont-i-know-about/361128/29 "2006-06-19T04:12:36Z")
> [@Kiminy](#): > > I typically use a paring knife to peel ginger. It’s easier to use than a peeler, IMO, and would definitely be easier than a spoon… Have you ever tried using the side of a spoon to peel ginger? It’s amazing. The peel effortlessly comes right off. It’s definitely faster than a paring knife. Because the peel is so soft, it doesn’t need to be peeled as much as scraped, and the edge of the spoon provides just the right surface to do this. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2006, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-kitchen-tricks-dont-i-know-about/361128/30 "2006-06-19T05:05:11Z")
The steak and fingers thing doesn’t work for me - all my fingers seem to have the same fleshiness (I have skinny fingertips). I couldn’t base how cooked a steak was on that. I just go by timing. My tips: - Keep your bread in the freezer all the time. Sandwiches made from frozen bread are beautifully fresh by lunch time, and it’s much easier to work with frozen bread. If you need bread thawed right away, either your toaster or microwave will thaw a couple slices in seconds. - Clean, cut up and freeze green peppers as soon as you bring them home. I’ve thrown way too many green peppers away because they went bad before I got around to using them, but they freeze very well. Fresh pineapple also freezes quite well - it goes a little mushier, but it loses no flavour. - Always have onion soup mix on hand. I use it in just about every savoury dish I make. - If you don’t use freshly-ground black pepper already, look into it. There is no taste comparison between pre-ground pepper and freshly-ground pepper. - If you need baked potatoes done in a hurry, cook them till they’re almost done in the microwave, then finish them in the oven to get that good, browned taste. That’s all I have for now. ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2006, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-kitchen-tricks-dont-i-know-about/361128/31 "2006-06-19T05:39:23Z")
> [@amarinth](#): > > I don’t get this - what am I doing with my hand and what am I doing with the meat? I’ll take things that sound dirty for $100 Alex. ---
**Author:** ![Dijon\_Warlock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a9a28c/32.png) [@Dijon\_Warlock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dijon_Warlock)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2006, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-kitchen-tricks-dont-i-know-about/361128/32 "2006-06-19T06:38:57Z")
> [@Szlater](#): > > > [@Dijon Warlock](#): > > > > Originally Posted by Dijon Warlock > > Vegetables grown underground should be cooked in cold water, while vegetables grown above ground should be cooked in boiling water. > > What’s the reasoning behind this? I have absolutely no idea. It was in the book. Seriously, I have no clue, but it wouldn’t surprise me if there was a good reason. People knew things back then, even if they didn’t know _why_ they knew them. It was just known. The explanations often come later. > [@medstar](#): > > I have a tip for cleaning pans with lots of gunk in them after the meal. Put them back on a hot burner and put in enough water to cover the stuck on bits. Let boil for about 10-15 minutes to give the hot water enough time to melt the stuck on bits. Pull the pot off the burner and scrape a spatula over the stuck bits. Most everything should be gone by now. If not, squeeze a few drops of soap in the pot, and fill with hot water till the stuck bits are covered and add about ¼ cup of baking soda to the pot. Leave for about ½ hour and scrape some more. Your pot should clean up very nicely after this treatment. The “stuck on bits” are called the _FOND!_ In French cooking, they realize that a good part of the flavor is in the “stuck on bits” (or “brown bits” as we call them in the USA), but the correct name for those bits is the FOND!!! (I hate that most cooking shows won’t tell you that) What you should do is _deglaze the pan_ with water, stock, or wine while the pan is hot, and scrape the FOND into the liquid and use it in your sauce or whatever. Don’t (fer Og’s sake) put soap in it, USE it. It’s FLAVOR. > [@pulykamell](#): > > Have you ever tried using the side of a spoon to peel ginger? It’s amazing. The peel effortlessly comes right off. It’s definitely faster than a paring knife. Because the peel is so soft, it doesn’t need to be peeled as much as scraped, and the edge of the spoon provides just the right surface to do this. I learned this on the last season of the PBS show ZOOM. Shing-Ying (one of the last-ever ZOOMers, and _tres foxy_, to boot) went to a restaurant run by Ming Tsai, who taught her how to make wonton soup. He showed her the “peeling ginger with a spoon” technique as something that kids could do to help in the kitchen without cutting their fingers off. Use the spoon against the growth (from root to stem) and it works better than anything. Another one that I’ve thought of (and used): If you have an older refrigerator that still needs the freezer defrosted periodically, wipe the surfaces with vegetable oil after you get all the ice off and are ready to start it back up. Next time, the ice will come off much easier. I don’t shill for this guy, but I’m an informercial junky, and there’s a gentleman named Dr. Myles Bader who publishes books about this sort of thing. He’s currently running one on “Kitchen Secrets” and one on organic ways to achieve a pest-free house and property. I don’t own them yet, but I’m sorely tempted. Part of the reason that I like his spots is that he doesn’t make you buy his books to get his information. His informercials give you lots of information that you can use (letting a roast turkey rest is one of them: the bird has steam in it, so if you try to slice it right out of the oven, the meat falls apart. 20 minutes of resting fixes that…putting a chunk of potato in oversalted foods removes the excess salt, putting some sliced olives in overly hot/spicy foods removes the excess capsaicin, etc). Link: [10,001 Kitchen Secrets](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000E1A4DI/qid=1150698239/sr=1-3/ref=sr_1_3/102-9136486-0943360?s=books&v=glance&n=283155) ---
**Author:** ![dnooman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/839c29/32.png) [@dnooman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dnooman)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2006, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-kitchen-tricks-dont-i-know-about/361128/33 "2006-06-19T07:53:16Z")
> [@Dijon Warlock](#): > > Vegetables grown underground should be cooked in cold water, while vegetables grown above ground should be cooked in boiling water… At first I was wondering how one cooks anything in cold water. :smack: The nature of underground plants must require that they be slowly brought to temperature, whereas above ground veggies need a quicker cook. Why? Hell if I know. I was just glad to figure out what the hell “cooking in cold water” meant. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2006, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-kitchen-tricks-dont-i-know-about/361128/34 "2006-06-19T08:03:10Z")
To peel kiwi fruit: Slice off both ends -Insert a teaspoon in one end - positioned so that the curved (convex) back of the spoon is just under the skin -Rotate the fruit, working the spoon around the inside of the skin, keeping just under the surface -Repeat the process from the other sliced end -Squeeze the skin and the peeled fruit should pop out with minimal waste and mess. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2006, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-kitchen-tricks-dont-i-know-about/361128/35 "2006-06-19T08:10:33Z")
BTW, I worked the Kiwi Fruit thing out myself - I’ve never seen it printed anywhere. Another one (that’s just common sense really) is when buying red peppers: if you’re buying them for a salad, by all means pick the firm, bright red ones, but if you’re buying them to be cooked, look for the darkest colour in the heap, and don’t be at all afraid if the pepper is a bit flaccid or wrinkly (as long as it’s not actually decayed) - the flavour of red peppers is far sweeter and more intense once they start to wrinkle a bit. ---
**Author:** ![MrJackboots](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MrJackboots](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrJackboots)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2006, 9:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-kitchen-tricks-dont-i-know-about/361128/36 "2006-06-19T09:16:09Z")
> [@featherlou](#): > > The steak and fingers thing doesn’t work for me - all my fingers seem to have the same fleshiness (I have skinny fingertips). I couldn’t base how cooked a steak was on that. I just go by timing. I think you’re doing it wrong (I have thin fingers in general). I think this is what it means: Step 1 - With one hand, make an OK-sign (thumb touched to index finger, other fingers straight out). Step 2 - With other hand, squeeze the fleshy part at the bottom of the hand, the part of your hand that sticks out and forms the base of your thumb, so it can be opposable. This is the firmness of a rare steak. Step 3 - With the thumb of the first hand, count down the fingers of the same hand to the desired doneness-finger. Feel the difference. The fleshiness or boniness of your fingers doesn’t make a difference; it’s all about your hand. ---
**Author:** ![Dijon\_Warlock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a9a28c/32.png) [@Dijon\_Warlock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dijon_Warlock)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2006, 9:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-kitchen-tricks-dont-i-know-about/361128/37 "2006-06-19T09:34:03Z")
> [@dnooman](#): > > At first I was wondering how one cooks anything in cold water. :smack: > > The nature of underground plants must require that they be slowly brought to temperature, whereas above ground veggies need a quicker cook. Why? Hell if I know. I was just glad to figure out what the hell “cooking in cold water” meant. Yeah, me, too. Why in the world (not to mention HOW) would you cook something in cold water? “Start with” was left out, I’m thinking. Another gem from the same reference: “Add a tablespoon of salt to your wash water when starting a load of laundry. This will give a nice glossy sheen to your clothes when you iron them.” Now _there’s_ news you can use. ---
**Author:** ![Dijon\_Warlock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a9a28c/32.png) [@Dijon\_Warlock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dijon_Warlock)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2006, 9:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-kitchen-tricks-dont-i-know-about/361128/38 "2006-06-19T09:46:20Z")
**WhyNot** : Have you checked out [James Lileks’](http://www.lileks.com/) [Gallery of Regrettable Food](http://www.lileks.com/institute/gallery/index.html)? He also shares a fascination with the food of decades gone by. The cookbook I was pulling those hints from is a sentimental favorite, since several of my female ancestors (who passed away before I was born) contributed to it. It has two cookie recipies by my great-grandfather’s sister, and my own grandmother (who was lost to cancer when my not-yet-mother was in high school) was on the editorial committee. I have a recent cookbook of the same type, published by my sister’s church, which not only includes little platitudes at the bottom of some pages to fill space, but also includes typos, grammatical errors, and (most entertainingly to me) an index that lists all of the recipes in _page number order_. Think about that for a second. There’s lots of hints, though; so if the OP (or anyone else) wants this kind of info, I could quote…but it would help to know what kind of hints they are looking for. ---
**Author:** ![Kiminy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Kiminy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiminy)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2006, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-kitchen-tricks-dont-i-know-about/361128/39 "2006-06-19T10:30:31Z")
> [@dnooman](#): > > The nature of underground plants must require that they be slowly brought to temperature, whereas above ground veggies need a quicker cook. Why? Hell if I know. I was just glad to figure out what the hell “cooking in cold water” meant. Root vegetables (turnips, potatoes, carrots, etc.) require longer cooking time. If you put them in cold water and heat the vegetables with the water, it takes less time to cook them than if you waited until the water is boiling to add them to the water. Other fresh vegetables (green beans, peas, corn, etc.) are best if they are cooked quickly. Wait until the water is boiling, then add the vegetables, to prevent overcooking them by accident. ---
**Author:** ![Dogzilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@Dogzilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogzilla)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2006, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-kitchen-tricks-dont-i-know-about/361128/40 "2006-06-19T17:25:52Z")
> [@MrJackboots](#): > > I think you’re doing it wrong (I have thin fingers in general). I think this is what it means: > > Step 1 - With one hand, make an OK-sign (thumb touched to index finger, other fingers straight out). > Step 2 - With other hand, squeeze the fleshy part at the bottom of the hand, the part of your hand that sticks out and forms the base of your thumb, so it can be opposable. This is the firmness of a rare steak. > Step 3 - With the thumb of the first hand, count down the fingers of the same hand to the desired doneness-finger. Feel the difference. > > The fleshiness or boniness of your fingers doesn’t make a difference; it’s all about your hand. This still makes no sense to me. The firmness of my hand does not change depending on the position of my fingers. Why not just use a meat thermometer and take the steak’s temp? Seem like that would be simple, easy and accurate? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-kitchen-tricks-dont-i-know-about/361128.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-other-kitchen-tricks-dont-i-know-about/361128.md?page=3)