I compiled five more kitchen tips that have drastically improved my cooking. Once you try these simple tricks, you won’t be able to remember how you survived without them! Okay, that may be a bit of an exaggeration, but they will make your meals just a little bit tastier. If you haven’t read my first five kitchen tricks, be sure to check them out here.
- Dry those beans
My first few attempts at black bean patties were flavorful, but they were a little too squishy in texture. I always pat the beans dry, but they still maintained a lot of moisture. A did a little research and saw that if you dry the beans out in the oven for about fifteen minutes at 325 degrees, you can create a less sloppy patty. I bake the beans as I prep the onions and veggies that I plan on mixing in. If you need a pretty solid black bean patty recipe, look no further than Sally’s Baking Addiction.
2. Roasted garlic for your pizza
I used to live nearby a Blaze Pizza and let me tell you, they are great. Quick baked fresh personal style pizza? You can’t go wrong. My favorite ingredient at Blaze, is their roasted garlic. I started adding this to all of my pizza night pizzas and it is so easy you may too! As you preheat the oven for your pizza, toss some whole garlic cloves on a baking sheet. Once the become fragrant, keep an eye on them so they don’t get too toasty. By the time they are done, you pizza should be ready to bake. Spread the cloves on top of your prepped pizza and bake as desired.
3. (Half)Baked potatoes
I love baked potatoes. Maybe too much. The only downside to baked potatoes is how long they take to bake. (Usually between 60 and 90 minutes, sometimes longer.) On a weeknight, this just really isn’t plausible. I found an awesome short cut that doesn’t taste any different. You can “pre-bake” the potato in the microwave while the oven is preheating and finish it off in the oven. Poke holes in your potatoes and pop them in the microwave. After about six minutes in the microwave, wrap in foil and stab again with fork. Finish off in a 400 degree oven for another 30 minutes or until done. A thorough explanation of the process can be found on Blue Kitchen.
4. More than one type of lettuce makes a salad great
The easiest and quickest way to elevate a salad is to use more than one type of lettuce. The different textures of your leafy greens can make or break a salad. I generally like to combine one lettuce and one type of cabbage, but you can use any combo you like. Lately I’ve been using Romaine and Savoy. What kind of lettuce combos do you use?
5. Wing night made easy
Wing night is always a big hit at my house and I love to experiment with tons of sauces. Eating out at a wing joint can get pricey pretty quickly. *Especially if you eat as many as my husband and I do. What I do is bake all the wings plain and while they’re baking, I mix up the sauces and toss them after they are cooked. I usually make 4 to 6 sauces and making them all plain to start is a major time saver. I toss the wings in flour with salt and pepper and then bake at 350 for about 40 minutes turning once.
DrYell 