Tips and Tricks

51 Tricks and Techniques for More Delicious Meals Every Day

With every move you learn, your food gets better.
Cooking hacks revive stale bread by running it under water. Shows loaf of bread under faucet bread is bottom side up.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle

We’ve gathered a lot of essential cooking advice on Epicurious over the years. But the truth is, we’re always learning more. As we develop and test recipes, read widely, and talk to both home cooks and restaurant pros, we constantly learn more ways to improve our technique. Call them cooking hacks if you like—we’ll just call them a tastier dinner. (Or lunch, or breakfast.) Below, you’ll find 51 of our favorite little things that you can do to make all your meals tastier.

  • Hands sprinkling a bright red spice mix over torn pieces of tofu on a sheet pan.
    Photo by Ted + Chelsea Cavanaugh, Prop Styling by Nathaniel James, Food Styling by Laura Rege
    1/51

    Tear and roast your tofu

    Forget cubes. Tearing tofu into rough, craggy pieces will increase the surface area and allow you to get tons of crispy-textured bits.

    View Story
  • Cooking hacks revive stale bread by running it under water. Shows loaf of bread under faucet bread is bottom side up.
    Photo by Chelsea Kyle
    2/51

    Give your stale bread a shower

    The best move to revive stale bread is to get your oven hot and run the bottom side of your loaf under the faucet. In the oven, the water will turn to steam and re-crisp the bread's outer crust. It's pretty miraculous.

    View Story
  • Photo of a burning piece of charcoal in a small bowl in a dutch oven filled with brussel sprouts.
    Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton
    3/51

    Try the dhungar method

    To add a touch of smoky flavor and perfume to roasted chicken, simple veggies, or even leftover fried rice or mac and cheese, place your food in a pot along with a small metal bowl. Ignite a small piece of coal and add it to the bowl with a touch of ghee, cover with a lid, and you're in business.

    View Story
  • Hot water cobbler in a baking dish surrounded by three bowls with servings of cobbler and spoons.
    Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton
    4/51

    Pour hot water on your cobbler

    For cobbler with a remarkably crackly, crunchy topping, scatter a dusting of sugar over the batter, then pour half a cup of hot water over the top before baking.

    View Story
  • Photo of a pancake in a pan being candied with maple syrup.
    Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Liza Jernow
    5/51

    Candy your pancakes

    Make your pancake as crispy as a waffle by returning cooked pancakes to the pan—along with a generous drizzle of maple syrup. 

    View Story
  • Charred salmon on parchment paperlined baking tray with a fish spatula.
    Photo and Food Styling by Joseph De Leo
    6/51

    Cube your salmon

    Give your salmon maximum crispy edges by increasing the surface area, and cooking it hot and fast.

    View Story
  • Photo of a person grating dough to make shortbread bars.
    Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by M. Pearl Jones
    7/51

    Grate your shortbread dough

    Shredding frozen dough on a cheese grater gives you shortbread with a frilly, open-crumb texture that's light and airy.

    View Story
  • Image may contain Food Bread French Toast Toast Blade Weapon Knife and Weaponry
    Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Simon Andrews
    8/51

    Butter your bread before toasting

    Switching the order of things results in toast that's richer and crispier. If you're into cinnamon toast, this is a must-try. Or use savory compound butter if you prefer.

    View Story
  • Photo of caramelized and uncaramelized tomato paste on a stovetop.
    Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell
    9/51

    Cook your tomato paste longer

    Get the best flavor out of this concentrated ingredient by browning it until deep maroon.

    View Story
  • Photo of binder clips being used to hold parchment in place in a baking pan.
    Photo and Styling by Joseph De Leo
    10/51

    Get out the binder clips

    Keep your parchment in place when you're pouring batter and baking cakes by calling on a standard office supply.

    View Story
  • Photo of a person making iced coffee in a cocktail shaker
    Photo and Food Styling by Joseph De Leo
    11/51

    Shake your espresso

    For the best iced coffee, skip the cold brew. Instead, dump a shot of espresso into a cocktail shaker filled with ice, and shake it up, baby. The coffee will be delightfully frothy and flavorful, with just the ideal amount of dilution.

    View Story
  • Photo of oats being toasted in brown butter
    Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Pearl Jones
    12/51

    Toast your oats in butter

    The tiny extra step adds tons of flavor. Toasting them in brown butter? Even better.

    View Story
  • Photo of a person breaking an unsweetened chocolate cookie.
    Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell
    13/51

    Add unsweetened chocolate to your cookies

    Chunks of unsweetened chocolate add extra chocolate impact to chewy cookies, underscoring the deep, fruity, smoky flavors of the stuff, without being overshadowed by too much sugar.

    View Story
  • Image may contain Plant Food Dish Meal Bowl Spice and Produce
    Photo by Chelsea Kyle, food styling by Rhoda Boone
    14/51

    Start your garlic in a cold pan

    If you heat the oil first, there's a good chance you'll end up with acrid, burnt garlic in a flash. Start cooking garlic and oil together in a cold pan, though, and you can cook it slow, steady, and just enough. Cold oil is also the way to go when you're making French fries.

    View Story
The Epicurious editorial team develops original recipes, and publishes stories about cooking better, faster, and more creatively, sustainably, and affordably. See our full masthead, here. ... Read More
Read More
What Went Wrong With Your Sourdough?
What Went Wrong With Your Sourdough?
Here are the answers to 18 of the most perplexing issues novice sourdough bread bakers face when first starting out.

Joe Sevier

You Can Make Pita, Too
You Can Make Pita, Too
Alon Shaya shares his tricks for fresh, hot, fluffy, infinitely-better-than-stale-store-bought pita bread.

Joe Sevier

For the Most Succulent Fish, Cook the Collar
For the Most Succulent Fish, Cook the Collar
This ocean-friendly cut is cheaper than fillets—and richer in flavor.

Katie Okamoto

Make Cured Salmon at Home, Enjoy Brunch Vibes for Days
Make Cured Salmon at Home, Enjoy Brunch Vibes for Days
You don’t need dill and aquavit to cure fish at home—in fact, you don’t even need salmon. Choose your own fish adventure with these guidelines for spicing, seasoning, and otherwise flavoring salt-cured cod, mackerel, trout—or, sure, salmon—at home.

Joe Sevier

Glazed Apple Pie Fritters
Glazed Apple Pie Fritters
Apple pie in doughnut hole form? We’re in love.
Giant Garlic Knot
Giant Garlic Knot
This savory babka is braided with a whole head of garlic, fresh parsley, and salty Parmesan.
Buckwheat Crepes With Banana-Sesame Jam
Buckwheat Crepes With Banana-Sesame Jam
Practical to make and feels like a total flex.
Crunchy Veg Salad With Dates and Fried Shallots
Crunchy Veg Salad With Dates and Fried Shallots
Elegant enough for a dinner party centerpiece, sturdy enough to take the leftovers for lunch tomorrow.
Cheeseburger Fried Rice
Cheeseburger Fried Rice
An immediately familiar and comforting dish from Agnes and Sherman in Houston.
Nuoc Cham Chicken Salad
Nuoc Cham Chicken Salad
A spicy-funky upgrade for lettuce cups, sandwiches, and more.
Gooey Butter Cookies
Gooey Butter Cookies
These playful cookies are reminiscent of St. Louis butter cake, with specks of crunchy rice brittle throughout.
No-Mayo Tuna Salad
No-Mayo Tuna Salad
Riff on the lunchbox staple. Mayo-haters deserve tuna, too.