10 Important Things the Internet Taught Us About Cooking
The Internet has given us a different set of tools and ideas about cooking that didn’t exist before. Some of these things are a little weird (ahem, cooking salmon in the dishwasher), while others make our lives in the kitchen happier and easier as a result. So let’s take a second to appreciate where our favorite web browsers have taken us. We’re all Internet Explorers, after all.
Here are 10 of the most important things the Internet has taught us about cooking – from abolishing the idea of the unitasker to giving us the only way to reheat pizza.
1. There’s no such thing as a unitasker.
Alton Brown may have kicked off unitasker disdain, but the Internet has shown that, actually, nothing has to remain a one-use tool. We now know your ice cube trays aren’t just for ice, your rice cooker isn’t just for rice, and that you can, in fact, cook stuff in your coffee pot if you have to.
2. There are easier and faster ways to prep fruits and vegetables.
The best way to peel a mango is with a cup, the best way to cut cherry tomatoes is with the help of two plastic lids, and you can pit cherries with a pastry tip.
3. Cooking tools aren’t limited to knives and Dutch ovens.
In fact, the best way to peel a whole bunch of garlic isn’t with your knife – it’s with a cocktail shaker or a couple metal bowls.
→ Smart Tip: Peel an Entire Head of Garlic in 10 Seconds
4. Think outside of traditional cooking methods.
The Internet doesn’t want us to ask “why,” but “why not!” Even if you don’t want to cook your salmon in the dishwasher, it’s good to know that it’s possible – right?
5. Ziploc bags aren’t the only thing we should be reusing.
The internet is all about saving and reusing everyday objects. Part of this effort is to help save the planet, and part of this is really just to look cool. The best thing you can reuse in your kitchen isn’t Ziploc bags; no, it’s food scraps.
6. Never reheat pizza in the oven or microwave again.
Pizza is an important part of Internet food. If you have leftovers, the Internet has taught us to reheat our pizza on the stovetop for optimal melty cheese and crust.
7. Eggs are the most magical food on the planet.
The Internet is full of wonderful tricks and tips about food, but no other ingredient gets more attention than eggs. Did you know you can separate egg whites and yolks with a plastic bottle? Or that you can hard-boil eggs in the oven? Thank you, Internet.
8. All you need to cook in a dorm room is a microwave.
The Internet is for everyone, but millennials are at the frontier of this revolution. As a result, college and dorm cooking is all over the place. The one thing we’ve learned? You can basically cook anything if you own a microwave – scrambled eggs, cake, and mac and cheese from scratch.
9. The Mason jar is an essential tool in any kitchen.
You might think that the whole Mason jar craze is over, but you’d be wrong. Mason jars are an essential tool in any kitchen, according to the Internet. You can make whipped cream in minutes, or even make easy smoothies.
10. Sneaky cooking is the best kind of cooking.
These doughnuts you see above? You only need biscuit dough and frying oil to make ’em – and that’s the beauty of the Internet! Whether the recipe only has two ingredients, or it takes one minute to make, people love a good sneaky trick when it comes to cooking.