Small habits make the biggest difference in the kitchen. These are the habits that make the biggest difference in everyday cooking.
1. Weigh your ingredients
A cup of flour can weigh anywhere from 120 g to 150 g depending on how it is scooped. A cheap kitchen scale makes baking far more consistent. If you use cups, spoon the flour into the cup and level it off.
2. Know your oven
Many home ovens run hotter or cooler than the dial says. An oven thermometer costs very little and explains most baking failures.
3. Prep before you cook
Chop, measure and open everything before you turn on the heat. It is what the pros call mise en place, and it keeps stir-fries and curries from burning while you search for the next ingredient.
4. Dry food browns, wet food steams
Pat meat and vegetables dry, give them space in the pan, and let the pan get hot. Crowding steams food instead of browning it.
5. Season in layers and taste as you go
Add a little salt at each stage rather than all at the end, and finish with acid such as lemon or vinegar to brighten flavors.
6. Rest your meat and your dough
Rest cooked meat for 5 minutes so the juices settle. Rest batters and doughs as the recipe says, since flour needs time to hydrate.
Safe cooking temperatures
Use a food thermometer. These are the minimum internal temperatures recommended by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA):
- Poultry, including chicken and turkey: 74°C / 165°F
- Ground meat (beef, pork, lamb): 71°C / 160°F
- Whole cuts of beef, pork and lamb: 63°C / 145°F, then rest 3 minutes
- Fish: 63°C / 145°F
- Leftovers and casseroles: 74°C / 165°F
Leftovers and rice
Refrigerate cooked food within 2 hours, and cool cooked rice quickly (within about 1 hour) because it can carry bacteria that survive cooking. Reheat until steaming hot. Most leftovers keep 3 to 4 days in the fridge.
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