Image Credit: Joe Lingeman

9 Nerdy but Brilliant Cooking Tips Straight from Food Scientists

by JESSE SZEWCZYK

Image Credit: Mia Yakel/Kitchn

Below are nine helpful cooking tips straight from certified food scientists, writers, and passionate food nerds. Keep these tips in mind when you’re in the kitchen and you’ll be cooking better in no time.

Image Credit: Joe Lingeman

Keep your pasta at a rolling boil during cooking.

When the water is kept at a rolling boil, “the pasta pieces keep moving and don’t stick to each other.”

Image Credit: Joe Lingeman

You can wash your mushrooms in water.

“Mushrooms do absorb water when you wash them, but it’s only about 2% of their total weight.”

Image Credit: Joe Lingeman

A pinch of baking soda makes caramelized onions cook faster.

Add no more than a 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda per pound of onions you’re cooking to speed up the caramelization reaction. 

Image Credit: Apartment Therapy

If a recipe calls for scalding milk, it’s for a good reason.

Scalding breaks down whey proteins found in milk — which would otherwise weaken gluten in a dough and prevent it from rising properly.

Image Credit: Leela Cyd

Add a pinch of salt to your morning coffee to make it taste less bitter.

1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt for every six tablespoons of coffee can help to cut down the bitterness.

Image Credit: Mia Yakel/Kitchn

Always let your meat rest before cutting into it.

Let your meat rest for 15 to 20 minutes before cutting into it so there’s less moisture loss once you slice into it.

Image Credit: Joe Lingeman

Don’t underestimate the power of “carryover cooking.”

“Allowing your meat to rest for 10 to 15 minutes tends to increase the internal temperature about five to ten degrees.”

Image Credit: Apartment Therapy

Coat blanched vegetables in oil as soon as they come out of the water.

Tossing them in oil or butter creates a waterproof barrier that will lock in moisture.

Image Credit: Kelli Foster

Soak berries in hot water to make them last longer.

Hot water treatments can slow mold growth on berries so dunk them in 125°F water for 30 seconds to increase their shelf life. 

For more cooking tips, visit thekitchn.com