15 kitchen secrets that will make your dishes more delicious

Chefs don't often share their secrets, revealing them only to their best students. However, some of their secrets do become available to the public. Many of these tricks can only be taught in culinary schools and will surprise even experienced cooking enthusiasts.

Using these secrets of world-class professionals will help you feel like the legendary Gordon Ramsay in your kitchen. This is reported by the Bring Side publication.

1. The perfect steak

The first rule of the perfect dish is to take the meat out of the fridge and leave it to "warm up" for a couple of hours. Then the roasting will be even and you should get a perfect steak. It is important to emphasize that to get a crispy crust, pat the meat with a paper towel.

2. The most juicy meat

It is quite easy to dry out chicken or lean pork. European chefs have found a simple way out – soaking the meat in brine. It is prepared very quickly: for 1 liter of water, you will need ¼ cup of salt, if desired, you can add half a cup of sugar. When the brine is ready, you need to pour it over the meat so that it is completely immersed in it and put it in the refrigerator.

The brining time is quite simple to calculate – 1 hour per 1 kg of meat weight. It is important to clarify that you should not leave it in the refrigerator for more than 8 hours and take it out earlier than half an hour later. If you are cooking chicken thighs, calculate the brining time based on the average weight of one piece. Don't forget to clean the meat from any salt residue before cooking.

3. Fragrant spices

To add flavor and aroma to a dish with spices, such as black pepper or caraway seeds, you first need to heat them in a dry frying pan and then crush them. It is best to use a stone mortar for this purpose. After grinding black peppercorns into powder and adding them to your dish, you will immediately feel the difference in the flavor palette.

4. Airy baking

To prepare the perfect dough, professional chefs advise to fulfill only one condition: leave the eggs and butter at room temperature overnight.

5. Fish with crispy crust

To get a crispy crust on the white fish fillets you are going to grill, first brush them with mayonnaise. This can be easily done with a cooking brush. The only thing left to do is to salt the fish and send it to the grill or barbecue. It should be noted that it is better to use the minimum amount of spices, ideally leaving only salt, and then sprinkle the fish with lemon juice.

6. Steak without oil

And here's another secret of cooking a delicious steak from one of the world's most famous chefs, Alain Ducasse. When frying in a pan, he puts the meat on the side with the layer of fat. This will not only make the dish tastier but also allow you to do without using other cooking fat.

7. Delicate mashed potatoes

Before making mashed potatoes, dry them thoroughly. To do this, place the tubers in a dry, hot frying pan. All excess water must evaporate, but it is important to make sure that the potatoes do not start to fry. This simple method will make incredibly tender mashed potatoes.

8. Gourmet puree soup

Frying vegetables in a frying pan with oil, and only then adding broth or water, will make a richer and more flavorful puree soup. This method is also suitable for vegetable stews.

9. The most delicious pancakes

Two tablespoons of sour cream in the pancake batter, regardless of the recipe, will make your dishes much tastier and more tender. In addition, pancakes will not break when wrapping the filling.

10. Sugar is not for pleasure

Every cook knows that sugar can be an indispensable seasoning in the kitchen. Adding a pinch to a dish with tomatoes or tomato paste will remove acidity and make the taste of the dish more intense.

11. Perfect scrambled eggs

To make perfect scrambled eggs, you need three important ingredients: a thick-walled skillet, butter, and the lowest temperature. Put half a teaspoon of butter in a slightly heated frying pan. Only then crack an egg into the pan and cook for about 5 minutes. After adding a little salt, the dish can be served.

12. "Glass" broth

Chefs use soup chicken to make a clear broth. It should be cooked for at least 3 hours over low heat without a lid. It is important to prevent boiling and remove even the slightest foam. Only after 1.5 hours of cooking can you add onions, carrots, and celery root to the pot.

Another secret to a rich lamb or beef broth. The vegetables must first be "charred". To do this, simply cut them into two halves and place them in a dry frying pan. When a black crust forms on them, they can be added to the broth. This will give the dish not only a rich flavor but also color.

13. Crispy crust

When baking homemade bread, it is quite difficult to achieve an appetizing crust. For many, it remains too pale or becomes too hard. Cooks have a trick for this case – you just need to put a container of water in the oven. Thanks to the steam, the crust will turn out not only beautiful but also crispy.

14. Fry onions properly

When cooking onions, first of all, put a frying pan over medium heat. When it is hot, add the vegetable oil and butter. Put the chopped onions in with a pinch of salt. This will not only rid the kitchen of an unpleasant odor but also caramelize the onion, which will give it a sweetish flavor and speed up frying.

15. Don't be afraid of garlic

If you love garlic but are afraid of bad breath, this life hack is for you. It will be enough to grease the plate with it, which will help to avoid an unpleasant odor but still convey the aroma of garlic to the dish.

And one of the main secrets of cooks is to give up non-stick pans. It is incredibly difficult to fry a dish to a crisp on such a coating. However, such pans can be used for cooking omelets, pancakes, or scrambled eggs. But when frying meat, fish, or potatoes to a crisp, it is better to refuse non-stick coating – you will immediately feel the difference.