Get clued up on this month’s top tips and tricks from the MyKitchen team

Nutty for nuts!

What is granola without almonds, carrot cake without pecans or  pad thai without peanuts? Using nuts in your food not only adds extra flavour, but also an exciting layer of textural crunch. To get the most out of raw nuts, make sure to roast them. This enhances their flavour tenfold, giving them much more value in whatever you’re creating. To roast them, spread out your nuts evenly on a baking tray and place in a 180ºC oven for 10 min until they smell toasty. Let them cool, then store in a jar or container. For long-term storage, freeze nuts in a sealable bag. 

The Easiest Way To Deseed A Chilli

To take the spicy bite out of fresh chillies, you need to remove the seeds and white membrane. To easily deseed a chilli without the fear of getting the spiciness all over your hands (and in your eyes!), chop off the stalk and roll the chilli between your hands over a bowl to dislodge the seeds. Firmly tap the chilli to knock out any stubborn seeds, then chop up for your meal

Using Up Your Leftover Broccoli and Cauliflower Stems

More often than not, we cut the florets off heads of broccoli and cauliflower and toss the remaining stem. Here are some ideas to give the stems a place in your cooking:

• REMOVE the woody, outer layer to reveal the tender core, if necessary.
• BAKE into fritters, frittatas or quiches
• GRATE into coleslaws and salads
• BLITZ into home-made pesto
• SLICE into thin discs and cook with your florets
• ADD to dishes such as stir-frys, soups, stocks or potato bakes
• FRY in olive oil, garlic, chilli and salt, then toss in pasta or serve as is with your dinner

Understanding thermofans

Ovens with a thermofan setting have a fan with a heating element around it, which creates evenly distributed heat around the oven. This allows you to evenly cook, brown and crisp multiple dishes at once. Thermofan ovens create more intense heat than conventional heating so make sure to reduce the temperature by about  15ºC when using it. By cooking at a slightly lower temperature compared to conventional heating, meats dishes are kept more succulent. A thermofan oven is ideal for things that bake quickly at higher temperatures or require drying, such as choux pastry and rusks. However, it should not be used for items that need to be baked longer at lower temperatures, such as cakes.

The Ultimate Crispy Chicken Skins

Chicken skins are arguably the best part of cooking chicken for dinner, so why not make them the star of the show? Similar in taste to puffed pork belly crackling, crispy chicken skins can be crumbled over dishes, whipped into butter or enjoyed as a tasty snack. To make them, remove the skins from your chicken pieces and lay them out flat on a tray lined with baking paper. Sprinkle over a pinch of flakey salt and cover with a second piece of baking paper and another tray. Place in a 180ºC oven for 10–15 minutes until golden and crisp. Drain on paper towel to remove excess oil and enjoy!

Words by Kirsty Buchanan 
Photography: Courtesy Images

These informative food hacks will help you prevent waste in the kitchen.

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No need to struggle with broken bits of eggshells, stinging eyes as you chop an onion or the hassle of peeling ginger. We’ve revealed a few of our top cooking hacks to make life a little easier!

No More Eggshells!

One of the most frustrating things to happen when baking is getting a piece of eggshell in your bowl and having to chase it around for ages to get it out. To avoid getting shards in your mixing bowl, don’t crack eggs on the side of your bowl, but rather straight on your countertop. Always crack open eggs in a separate bowl first. And if you need to fish out bits of eggshell from your mixture, use one of the eggshell halves to scoop it out – it works like a charm!

How To Peel Ginger

By removing the peel from fresh ginger with a vegetable peeler, or slicing it off with a knife, you often end up cutting away lots of the precious ginger itself.  Our hack: Use a spoon! By using a spoon, you’re able to scrape away all of the peel easily, as well as reach into all the nooks and crannies without sacrificing any ginger. Spoons with thinner edges work best.

Banana Bread In A Flash

Why is it always the case that one often has lots of overripe bananas when you don’t need them, but when you’re craving banana bread, you don’t have any on hand? Overripe bananas are essential for baking as they have a much sweeter flavour and softer texture. To quickly ripen bananas, place them on a lined baking tray in a 150ºC oven for 15–20 minutes – the skins will go black, but the insides will be perfectly softened. Allow to cool before using.

Repurpose Your Pickle Juice

Next time you finish your jar of pickles, don’t throw away the juice. Pickle brine is a great way to add extra depth of flavour to dishes. Use it to make salad dressings or simply reuse it to make your own pickles. It’s a great tenderiser for meat so it works well in a beef marinade. Elevate your fried chicken by adding some pickling liquid to the wet mix when you’re dredging. Pickle brine can also add a delightful zing to potato salad and items such as store-bought barbecue sauce. Pickle juice lends itself to so many applications, so get creative! 

Master The Chop

Dicing onions is one of the first steps in most recipes and is an essential skill to master. To start, slice off the stem end of your onion, leaving the root end intact (this is essential as the root section will hold all the onion petals together as you’re slicing). Slice the onion in half through the root section, then peel off the papery skin. Lay one onion half flat on your chopping board and make vertical slices in the stem-to-root direction, but not cutting all the way through to the root end. Next, carefully make 1–2 horizontal cuts through the onion towards the root end, again not slicing all the way through the root. Now, holding the onion firmly to hold it together, chop it up crosswise and watch your diced pieces magically fall onto your board. Repeat with the other onion half. Store any leftover onion in a ziplock bag in the freezer.

Words by Kirsty Buchanan
Photography: alamy, pexels, shutterstock

If you feel like cooking isn’t for you, or you just get super flustered in the kitchen, these 5 simple hacks will help you!

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Our top tips and tricks to help you become a pro cook at home

Make meringues from leftover egg whites

Have leftover egg whites sitting around and not sure what to do with them? Why not whip up some meringues! Meringues are a great, versatile treat to have on hand. Serve them as a last-minute dessert with cream and fresh fruit, use them to decorate cakes, or crumble them over ice cream. Bonus: They can keep for a month at room temperature in an airtight container. All you need to do is weigh the egg whites you want to use, then weigh out twice the amount of caster sugar in a separate bowl. Using an electric hand mixer, whip the egg whites until firm peaks form – you should be able to hold the bowl upside down over your head without anything falling out. Gradually add the sugar one tablespoon at a time, whipping well in between additions. Continue to whip the mixture until the sugar has mostly dissolved (rub a little meringue between your fingers to check). Then dollop or pipe the meringues on a lined baking tray and dry out in the oven at 100C for 2–3 hours, depending on the size of your meringues. You’ll know when they’re done when they have developed a crisp shell, start to turn off-white and peel away easily from the baking paper. 

Get more juice out of a lemon

Start by firmly rolling the lemon on the counter under the palm of your hand. You should feel the lemon become softer. Microwave the whole lemon for 10 seconds (trust the process – this is a beloved trick used by lots of our favourite cooks, including chef and The Great British Bake Off judge Mary Berry). Once juiced, you can use the tines of a fork to encourage all the last pockets of juice to release, although you’ll probably find that this isn’t necessary.

Perfect basmati rice every time!

With this guide, you’ll never have to tolerate soggy or mushy basmati rice again! For 3 servings, place 1 cup basmati rice in a pot and add in 1 ½ cups cold tap water, then season. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce the heat to medium- low and cover with a lid. Cook the rice, covered, for 12 minutes (no peeking). Shake the pot occasionally to prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Turn off the heat and leave the rice to steam with the lid on for 5–10 minutes. Fluff up with a fork and enjoy! 

Words by Kirsty Buchanan
Photography: Pexels 

These informative food hacks will help you prevent waste in the kitchen.

The post Top Tips And Tricks To Help You Become A Pro Cook appeared first on MyKitchen.

If you feel like cooking isn’t for you, or you just get super flustered in the kitchen, these 5 simple hacks will help you be a better cook!

1. STAY SHARP
Sharper knives are actually safer, since you can be more accurate.

2. FEEL THE HEAT
Add ingredients to hot oil for best results. And always preheat your oven.

3. COME UNSTUCK
Stop food burning and sticking to the bottom of the pan with a splash of water (or wine or stock).

4. CHECK THE SEASONING
Don’t leave salt and pepper until last. Adding them during cooking will build flavour.

5. TRUST YOUR TASTE BUDS
Adjust ingredients and quantities to your preferences – you’re the one eating it at the end of the day!

Words: Staff Writer
Photography: Unsplash

If you dread going grocery shopping this article- How to make the most of your grocery shopping trip, is exactly what you need!

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It’s the end of the year, when budgets are tight and time has become a scarce commodity. Ditch the stove and oven – hot, time-consuming energy guzzlers – and turn to these microwave hacks for tasty dishes in only minutes.

By Jana du Plessis

1. Mug cake

Need we say more? A super-simple dessert that rises to the sweet occasion, plus you don’t have to share!

2. Scrambled eggs

If you don’t know this one already, it’s time to hop on board. Whisk two or three eggs together with a splash of milk and pop in the microwave for 45 seconds, take out and give it another whisk. Continue to whisk at 15-second intervals until cooked to your preferred consistency.

3. Melting chocolate

Who has the time and energy to use a double boiler? Place chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and heat on medium-high for one minute, remove from the microwave and stir. Repeat the process of stirring at 20–30 second intervals until completely smooth.

4. Cheat’s French toast

Yes, it’s possible to create this breakfast favourite in the micro! Prepare the egg mixture as usual and dip in the bread slices. Smear a microwave-safe plate with a little butter or oil and place the first slice on the plate, microwave on high for one minute and repeat with the other slice.

5. Fruit compote

This one is handy for all the ice cream you will be eating over summer. Put 2 cups of diced fruit, such as berries, apple or peaches in a microwave-safe bowl and stir in 2 tablespoons of sugar and 1 tablespoon of water. Cover the fruit mix and microwave on high for 2 minutes, give it a stir and place back in the microwave until soft and sticky.

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Modern life is all about the rush of work, family, friends – and social media! Here is our selection of handy tips from our favourite foodie Instagram accounts. These nifty hacks will make things a little easier in the kitchen.

By Jana du Plessis

1. Fast Food
@doyoubake

This cooking hack allows you to shred chicken in mere seconds! Simply place a warm, cooked chicken breast in your food processor, pulse for a few seconds and you have finely shredded chicken in a jiffy! Use your shredded chicken in pies, Mexican burrito’s or tossed in a salad.

2. Roll with it!
@chefalaine

To get the most from a lemon’s juice, roll the lemon on your countertop. The pressure from the palm of your hand will gently burst the juicy cells inside. You’ll get all that tangy juice without heavy squeezing. The best way to add some zing and brightness to a dish is with a drizzle of lemon juice – think gaucamole, grilled fish or citrus pancakes!

3. Herby Hack
@maharajawhiteline

Place your leftover fresh herbs in a jar and submerge their stems in water. This nifty trick will keep your herbs crisp and green for longer. Use basil for pesto, mint leaves for smoothies and rosemary for a hearty roast!

4. Freeze focus
@localrootsnyc

Enjoy your favourite summer produce – in winter! Freeze your leftover fruits and veggies in ziplock bags. Add frozen berries to winter desserts or your morning bowl of oats and frozen corn adds a bursts of sweetness in a warming stew.

The post 4 quick and easy hacks to steal from Instagram appeared first on MyKitchen.