7 Awesome Cooking Tips & Tricks

Some cooking tips are so simple that once you learn them, you can't even imagine how you used to get through a recipe. That's why I created this list. Memorize these tips, and I guarantee your next meal will be a complete success.

1. Apply rules for a perfectly even pie crust
Make everyone think you're a Great British Baking Challenge contestant by serving them a pie with just the right amount of homemade crust. Place a ruler (or two thin wooden pegs) on each end of your dough and roll it out until it's large enough to cover your pie pan, and until you hit the guide lines on each side. The result: a crust that bakes evenly and looks Instagram-worthy.

2. Roll out your dough, crimp it, and then chill it.
Chill your dough before baking to allow the gluten to relax and the fat to re-solidify after processing. Don't struggle with rolling out rock-hard cake dough. Instead, knead the dough, roll it out, and place it in the cake pan before refrigerating for at least 30 minutes. Fill it, bake it and enjoy your uncomplicated dessert.

3. Roast bananas to make a batch suitable for bread.
You don't have to hunt for brown bananas. Ripen a bunch of bananas in no time by roasting them on a foil-lined baking sheet at 300 degrees for about 30 minutes, until the skin is dark brown and the fruit is soft.

4. Extend the life of your bananas by wrapping the stems.
On the other side of the fruit front, you can keep your bananas yellow longer by breaking them down into individual bananas and wrapping each stem in plastic wrap or foil. The plastic wrap helps confine the naturally produced ethylene gas to the stem end of the fruit. Otherwise, it would spread to the entire banana and accelerate ripening.

5. Faster ripening in a paper bag.
Another innovation related to ethylene gas is the possibility of speeding up the ripening of fruits - such as avocados for guacamole and kiwis for fruit salad - by keeping them in a brown paper bag that is closed. This way, the gas is trapped inside the bag (allowing for easy breathing), so the fructose ripens and the acids are broken down. This is due to the fast ethylene.

6. Test the avocado on the stem.
Test your toast topping before cutting into the fruit. Peel off the stem. If it peels off easily and you see green flesh, the fruit is ripe and you can look forward to creamy, green flesh. If it doesn't peel off, you should let the fruit ripen longer, and if you see brown spots, the avocado is probably too old.

7. Serve hot foods on warm plates.
You may wash your dishes just before eating: rinse them under boiling hot water, wipe them with a clean dish towel, and then immediately place the hot dish on top. Alternatively, place a stack of plates or bowls in the microwave for 30 seconds.