100 Best Food Hacks

- Joshua Weissman, Chef Chris Young, and Chef Christian presented 100 additional restaurant-inspired cooking techniques. The demonstrations focused on improving food quality, reducing preparation time, minimizing waste, and reproducing professional kitchen results with ordinary household equipment.

- Freeze homemade cookie dough in logs for convenient baking. Prepare a double, triple, or quadruple batch, shape the dough into logs using plastic wrap, and freeze. Slice off portions, remove the plastic, and bake for approximately 10–12 minutes whenever fresh cookies are wanted.

- Remove fish skin using boiling water rather than a knife. Place the fish over a bowl containing ice, cover it with a tea towel, and pour boiling water over the towel. The heat loosens the collagen holding the skin to the flesh, allowing the skin to peel away without cooking the fillet excessively.

- Add flour to pasta water to produce a better-emulsified sauce. Mix approximately one tablespoon of flour into two cups of water and add the mixture to the cooking water before introducing the pasta. The additional starch helps the finished sauce become thicker and cling more effectively to the pasta.

- Start chicken skin in a cold pan to achieve better crispness. Place thoroughly dried chicken skin-side down in a cold pan over low heat and season with salt. Allow the fat to render gradually, then increase to medium-high heat, crisp the skin, and flip to finish cooking.

- Make crispy herb garnishes in the microwave. Lightly coat basil or other delicate herbs in olive oil, arrange them on a plate, and microwave for approximately two minutes. The leaves become crisp as they cool and can be finished with salt.

- Use mayonnaise to attach a golden breadcrumb crust to proteins. Sauté breadcrumbs with butter, garlic, and herbs until golden. Brush the protein with mayonnaise, which acts as an adhesive, before coating it in the breadcrumb mixture.

- Rest dough for 10 minutes instead of kneading continuously. Resting relaxes gluten and makes sticky dough smoother, more elastic, and easier to shape. The demonstration showed that a short additional knead after resting could produce a workable dough.

- Bake bacon slowly under weights for flat, crispy strips. Arrange bacon on parchment paper, add a little water, cover with more parchment, and weigh it down. Bake at 250°F for approximately one hour; the moisture helps keep the bacon flat while the fat gradually renders.

- Remove red food stains from plastic containers by shaking them with soap and water. Add warm water, dish soap, and a sponge to the container, close the lid, and shake vigorously. The demonstration showed the staining lifting without extensive scrubbing.

- Use wet fingers to retrieve broken eggshell from a bowl. Dipping fingers in water helps pick up small shell fragments that otherwise slide away.

- Use a larger piece of eggshell to retrieve smaller shell fragments. The presenters preferred this alternative in some cases because the larger shell can scoop up broken fragments more easily than fingers.

- Use ultraviolet light to identify shell fragments in picked crab meat. A blacklight flashlight makes pieces of crustacean shell fluores, helping cooks identify and remove fragments before serving.

- Measure baking ingredients by weight rather than volume. A digital scale provides greater precision, such as measuring exactly 580 grams of flour, while also allowing multiple ingredients to be measured directly into one mixing bowl.

- Improve frozen French fries by microwaving them before air-frying. The technique works particularly well with thick steak-cut fries. Briefly wet and drain them, microwave covered for approximately five minutes until very soft, then air-fry at maximum temperature for 15–20 minutes, shaking periodically and avoiding overcrowding or basket liners.

- Finish air-fried fries with seasoning and beef fat. The presenters described the resulting fries as exceptionally crisp outside and fluffy inside, approaching the quality of triple-cooked chips made at The Fat Duck with considerably less work.

- Use fish sauce to imitate some of the savory character of dry-aged steak. Brush both sides of a steak with fish sauce and refrigerate for at least one hour. The technique is intended to introduce concentrated umami without specialized dry-aging equipment.

- Turn Parmesan rinds into edible microwave crisps. Scrape the exterior of the rind to remove possible markings or ink, then microwave for approximately two minutes. The resulting expanded, crunchy snack was compared to a cheese puff.

- Use powdered dry ice and a stand mixer to freeze sorbet. Add finely crushed dry ice gradually to a sorbet base while mixing at low speed. The presenters then placed the mixture in a freezer for 30 minutes to harden and allow remaining dry ice to dissipate; all solid dry ice must be gone before consumption.

- Carbonate fresh fruit using carbon dioxide from dry ice. The demonstration exposed fruit to a CO₂-rich atmosphere inside a cooler overnight, producing fruit with a fizzy sensation. The presenters also suggested testing CO₂ concentration by breathing into the cooler, which is dangerous because concentrated carbon dioxide can cause asphyxiation.

- Wet a knife before cutting sticky ingredients. A thin film of water reduces adhesion, allowing the blade to pass more cleanly through sticky fruits and similar foods.

- Refrigerate cookie dough before baking for better texture and flavor. Chilling firms the dough, allows flavors to develop, and reduces spreading during baking. The resulting cookies are generally thicker and more uniform.

- Weissman announced a new website containing fully written, printable recipes. The recipes accompany his separate Joshua Weissman Recipes channel, which focuses specifically on recipe content.

- Cover pots to bring water to a boil faster. A lid reduces heat loss, and another pan can serve as a substitute when a properly fitting lid is unavailable.

- Use long sous-vide cooking to tenderize inexpensive chuck steak. Cooking chuck at 137°F for at least 12 hours allows connective tissue to soften. The presenters claimed the resulting tenderness could approach ribeye at a fraction of the cost, with the meat seared afterward.

- Reverse-sear thick steaks when sous-vide equipment is unavailable. Season the steak, place it on a wire rack, and cook in a 250–275°F oven until its center reaches approximately 125°F. Rest briefly, then sear in a hot pan for approximately two minutes per side.

- The presenters demonstrated carbonating orange juice with dry ice. They used approximately four grams of dry ice in cold orange juice inside a plastic soda bottle and refrigerated it for around 30 minutes. Sealing dry ice inside a bottle presents a dangerous pressure-buildup and rupture risk.

- Reuse leftover pickle brine in marinades and salad dressings. Strain the brine and combine it with olive oil, black pepper, and additional seasoning as needed. Its existing acidity provides a convenient dressing base.

- Use semolina instead of ordinary flour to keep pizza dough from sticking to a peel. The coarse particles behave like tiny ball bearings, helping the uncooked pizza slide into the oven.

- Reproduce high-temperature pizza cooking with an upside-down cast-iron pan and broiler. The cast iron provides an intensely heated cooking surface while the broiler supplies radiant heat from above. The presenters reported cooking a pizza in approximately 90 seconds.

- Keep the pizza smaller than the cast-iron cooking surface. An oversized pizza can slide off the back of the inverted pan. A baking tray placed underneath catches accidents and reduces the risk of soiling the oven.

- Add mayonnaise to scrambled eggs for a richer texture. The demonstrated ratio was approximately two teaspoons of mayonnaise for three eggs. A comparison found the mayonnaise version creamier and fluffier without a noticeable mayonnaise taste.

- Use a vegetable peeler to produce restaurant-style cheese ribbons. A peeler creates thin, even shavings from hard cheeses including Parmesan, Pecorino, and aged Gouda.

- Flip steaks every 30 seconds for faster, more even cooking. Frequent flipping repeatedly exposes both surfaces to heat, improving heat distribution and limiting the time either surface remains against the pan. The technique was presented as a way to achieve a good crust while cooking more evenly.

- Account for substantial carryover cooking when frequently flipping steaks. The presenter suggested removing a steak at approximately 105°F internally when aiming for a final temperature around 130°F, allowing residual heat to finish the cooking during the rest.

- Use deli containers as measuring cups. A half-pint container holds one cup, a pint holds two cups, and a quart holds four cups. These standardized sizes can replace separate measuring vessels in many situations.

- Create a makeshift dough proofer with warmth and humidity. Place dough inside an unheated oven or enclosed space with a light and a mug of hot water. The presenter estimated that this could approximately double the speed of proofing.

- Make a homemade Coca-Cola slush using stabilizers and periodic freezing. The demonstration combined Coke with sugar, guar gum, pectin, and yucca powder, then froze the mixture while shaking it roughly every hour to break up ice crystals. After approximately half a day, the drink developed a slush-like consistency.

- Thicken sauces quickly with a cornstarch slurry. Mix cornstarch with water before whisking it into the sauce. The method was presented as a simple alternative to preparing a flour-and-fat roux.

- Rest cooked meat on a wire rack rather than a solid cutting board. Elevating meat promotes airflow underneath it and reduces trapped heat against the surface, giving the cook more control over continued cooking during the resting period.

- Test potatoes in saltwater to identify better candidates for French fries. Dissolve 120 grams of salt in one liter of water and submerge the potatoes. The presenters said sinking potatoes have a more suitable dry-matter content for fries, while floating potatoes are better diverted to mashed potatoes.

- Blanch and double-fry potatoes for superior French fries. After selecting appropriate potatoes, cut them, blanch them, and fry them twice to produce a fluffy interior and crispy exterior.

- Season pasta water generously and taste it. The presenter recommended water that tastes extremely salty, comparing the desired level to seawater, as a way to improve the flavor of pasta itself.

- Dry meat thoroughly before searing. Pat the surface with paper towels to remove moisture. Otherwise, heat must evaporate the water before browning begins, resulting in steaming rather than an effective Maillard crust.

- Use fructose and malic acid to intensify strawberry sorbet. The demonstrated base contained 500 grams of ripe strawberries, 100 grams of fructose, and five grams of malic acid. The mixture was blended, strained, and frozen using a Ninja Creami.

- Add aromatic bitters to fruit sorbet for a more complex adult version. The presenter added approximately 50 grams of Angostura bitters to the strawberry mixture, citing their flavor and alcohol content as giving the sorbet additional intensity.

- Clean a blender by running it with warm, soapy water. This circulates cleaning liquid around the blades and container, reducing the need for manual scrubbing.

- Coat pork chops with mayonnaise before air-frying for better browning. Because mayonnaise is emulsified, it holds oil and seasoning against the meat rather than allowing them to run off. The demonstration cooked pork to approximately 135°F before resting it toward 145°F.

- Score a steak’s fat cap to improve rendering and prevent curling. Make shallow cuts in opposing directions to create a diamond pattern. This reduces contraction of the outer fat layer and helps the steak remain flatter while cooking.

- Cook frozen turkey breast directly rather than thawing it separately. The presenter recommended beginning at 250°F to thaw and cook the meat gradually, then raising the oven temperature to approximately 400–450°F or using the broiler for browning.

- The frozen-turkey demonstration claimed better moisture retention. The presenter recommended an internal temperature of 155–160°F and asserted that cooking directly from frozen retained approximately 30% more juice than refrigerator-thawing followed by roasting. These were the demonstration's claims, rather than independently verified results.

- Cut cinnamon rolls with unflavored dental floss instead of a knife. Slide floss beneath the roll, cross the ends above it, and pull through. Unlike a knife, the floss cuts the dough without compressing the spiral layers and cinnamon filling.

- Add a little previously used frying oil to fresh oil for more even frying. The presenters argued that compounds developed during earlier frying improve the oil's behavior and reduce patchy browning. Their goal was a more uniform golden crust on battered foods.

- Use vodka and rice flour to make lighter, crispier fried-fish batter. The demonstrated dry mixture contained 200 grams of all-purpose flour, 200 grams of rice flour, and one teaspoon of baking powder, with vodka and approximately 300 milliliters of beer added. The batter was intended to remain thin and limit gluten development.

- Fry battered fish in hot oil for a delicate rather than doughy coating. The demonstration used oil around 400°F and described a result with crisp exterior fragments and moist fish inside.

- Cook tomato paste before adding other liquids to a sauce. Sauté it with aromatics such as garlic and shallots over medium heat for approximately two to four minutes, stirring until deeply darkened and beginning to stick. This concentrates flavor and removes excess moisture.

- Clarify used frying oil with gelatin and water. Dissolve gelatin in hot water, stir it into used oil, and allow the mixture to settle. The gelatin-water phase captures debris, allowing cleaner oil to be poured or strained off for reuse, provided the oil remains suitable for cooking.

- Use a squeegee to remove crumbs from delicate countertops. Its soft edge collects loose debris without scratching the surface.

- Add MSG or Japanese noodle-soup base to increase savory flavor. The presenters demonstrated adding either a pinch of MSG or approximately one teaspoon of soup base to a sauce made from mayonnaise, mustard, and relish. The enhanced sauce was used in a turkey-and-lettuce sandwich.

- Use sodium citrate to produce smooth, meltable nacho cheese from real cheese. The presenter described generating it through a reaction involving three Alka-Seltzer tablets and six teaspoons of vinegar, then melting approximately six ounces of cheese into the mixture over low heat. An aspirin-free formulation was specified, and commercially prepared food-grade sodium citrate was offered as an alternative.

- Control nacho-cheese sauce thickness by adjusting the water. The sodium-citrate method allows cheese to form a smooth emulsion, with additional liquid creating a thinner sauce.

- Save suitable vegetable scraps for future stocks and soups. Collecting trimmings reduces waste, lowers ingredient costs, and provides additional flavor when preparing broth.

- Use separate hands for wet and dry ingredients when breading chicken. Handle moist chicken with one hand and flour or breadcrumbs with the other. This prevents batter from accumulating on fingers and makes repeated breading more efficient.

- Create a sour-candy effect on fruit using malic acid and sugar. Mix malic acid with a few tablespoons of sugar, adjust the sweet-sour balance, and toss with strawberries or other ripe fruit. The result was presented as an alternative to commercially prepared sour candy.

- Revive limp herbs by briefly immersing them in ice water. Allow the herbs to soak for a few seconds, remove them, and drain on paper towels. The cold water helps restore their firmness.

- Warm an ice-cream scoop to make hard ice cream easier to serve. Place the scoop in warm water for a few minutes before cutting into the frozen dessert.

- Add delicate herbs near the end of cooking to preserve their aroma. Bruise the herbs, add them to hot stock after switching off the heat, and allow approximately 10 minutes of infusion. The presenters argued that this retains more fresh herbal flavor than prolonged boiling.

- Make a French-style omelette by poaching beaten eggs in boiling water. The demonstration used three beaten eggs poured into boiling water, then covered the pan until the egg floated. The cooked egg was drained, shaped in a clean tea towel, and served with butter and flaky salt.

- Make green herb oil entirely in a blender. Combine tender herbs such as parsley and chives with neutral oil and blend at high speed until the mixture reaches approximately 149°F. Strain through cheesecloth to produce a clear, intensely green finishing oil without a separate blanching step.

- Batch repetitive knife work to increase kitchen efficiency. Instead of fully preparing each onion individually, trim every onion first, then peel every onion, and continue through the remaining stages. Repeating the same movement reduces interruptions and unnecessary handling.

- Use a food processor when finely chopped onions do not require precise knife cuts. For applications such as meatballs or sauces, the presenters considered machine chopping a practical alternative to time-consuming hand preparation.

- Remove citrus pith using the enzyme Pectinex. Peel mandarins or other citrus and submerge them in water containing Pectinex at 1% of the water's weight. The demonstration used four grams of enzyme with 400 grams of water and refrigerated the fruit overnight before rinsing away the degraded pith.

- Prepare smooth vegetable soup from nearly any thoroughly cooked vegetable. Cook vegetables until very soft, then blend with an immersion blender. Incorporating a little olive oil or butter makes the soup richer, smoother, and more creamy without necessarily adding cream.

- Press tofu overnight to improve its browning and crispness. Place tofu between paper towels under a weight and refrigerate. Removing excess moisture from both its surface and interior produces a better crust when frying or searing.

- Freeze and grate butter for more evenly distributed pastry fat. Instead of manually cutting butter into irregular cubes, grate it while frozen to obtain consistently sized pieces that distribute more evenly through dough.

- Replace a piping bag with a resealable plastic bag. Fill a sturdy food-storage bag with batter or another pipeable mixture and cut off one corner to produce a dispensing opening.

- Pipe pancake batter for more circular pancakes. Using a piping bag or its improvised equivalent provides greater control over where batter lands and how it spreads across the hot pan.

- Accelerate sous-vide chicken cooking by starting with a hotter water bath. For a target chicken temperature of 155°F, the presenter began the bath at 175°F, then reduced it toward the target temperature as cooking progressed. He claimed the approach could reduce cooking time from over an hour to approximately 30 minutes before a finishing sear, although safe results depend on thickness and adequate temperature-time control.

- Add a small pinch of sugar to accelerate onion browning. The presenters suggested supplementing onions' natural sugars while cooking them in butter or oil with salt. This was presented as a way to shorten the normal caramelization process.

- Use repeated deglazing to make browned onions in 10–15 minutes. Cook onions over medium-high heat until brown deposits form, add approximately a tablespoon of water, scrape up the browned material, and repeat. The presenter acknowledged that the result resembles caramelized onions in flavor and color but is less thoroughly cooked than the traditional hour-long version.

- Weissman promoted a clean-water fundraising initiative called Team Water. He stated that a one-dollar donation could provide one person with water for a year, with 100% of money raised supporting charity partners led by WaterAid. The campaign's stated fundraising target was $40 million.

- Use water displacement to remove air from a resealable bag. Put steak, fat, and herbs into a suitable bag, leave a small opening, and lower it into water so the surrounding pressure forces air out before sealing. The method was presented as an inexpensive alternative to a vacuum sealer for sous-vide preparation and food storage.

- Prepare hollandaise sauce with sous-vide equipment and a blender. Combine butter, egg yolks, salt, a shallot-and-vinegar reduction, and lemon juice in a suitable bag. Heat in a 165°F water bath, then blend the warmed contents into a smooth emulsion, allowing larger quantities to be prepared without continuous stovetop whisking.

- Add salt and a splash of vinegar when poaching eggs. The presenter said vinegar helps the whites coagulate, while gently stirring the water before introducing the egg helps produce a neater shape.

- Refresh stained or smelly cutting boards with lemon and salt. Apply coarse salt and lemon juice, then scrub using a cut lemon. Salt supplies abrasion, while lemon helps remove odors and freshen the surface.

- Keep separate wet and dry towels available during cooking. Use the damp towel to remove sauces, residues, or spills and the dry towel to remove moisture. This makes cleaning knives, utensils, and work surfaces quicker during active preparation.

- Pipe small dumplings directly into simmering water instead of rolling and cutting them. The demonstration used a piping bag and a string to cut portions from the extruded dough. The cooked dumplings were transferred to an oiled tray to prevent sticking, then briefly browned in butter before serving.

- Prepare and measure ingredients before beginning a recipe. The presenters emphasized mise en place, using vodka pasta as an example. Having garlic, seasonings, liquids, and other components ready avoids interrupting cooking to search for ingredients or equipment.

- Char peppers directly over an open flame for faster preparation. A gas burner, grill, or campfire can blacken pepper skins more rapidly than conventional oven roasting. The presenter also suggested using a blowtorch to accelerate the process.

- Wipe charred pepper skins away rather than rinsing them under water. A damp paper towel removes blackened material while retaining more of the roasted pepper's flavor, which the presenter argued could be washed away by rinsing.

- Serve hot dishes on warmed plates and cold dishes on chilled plates. Plates can be heated briefly in an oven or cooled in a refrigerator before service. This reduces unwanted temperature changes between plating and eating.

- Wrap stored cheese in parchment paper, optionally followed by foil. The presenter argued that tightly wrapping cheese directly in plastic encourages mold. Parchment with an outer foil layer was recommended for longer refrigerator storage.

- Save Parmesan and Pecorino remnants to enrich stock. Refrigerate leftover pieces and add them during approximately the final 30 minutes of stock preparation. They contribute savory depth and mild cheese flavor, especially useful for broth intended for risotto.

- Microwave vegetables such as fennel to preserve flavor while producing a tender texture. Add a little water, olive oil, and salt to a covered microwave-safe container. Begin with approximately four minutes and continue in 30-second increments until tender, rather than allowing the vegetable to stew for an extended period.

- Blanch small quantities of vegetables using a kettle and one bowl. Cover green beans or similar vegetables with boiling water, cover the bowl, and wait approximately three to five minutes. Add ice directly to the water afterward to stop cooking, preserving a tender but crunchy texture.

- Store celery wrapped in aluminum foil to help retain crispness. The presenter preferred foil over paper towels or plastic, claiming that it retains moisture without causing celery to become limp as quickly.

- Salt and drain cucumber slices before preparing cucumber salad. Toss cut cucumbers with a little salt, rest for approximately five minutes, and squeeze out the released moisture before adding dressing. This helps prevent a watery finished salad.

- Label stored food with its intended discard date. Dating containers when food is put away provides an immediate reference for deciding when it should no longer be used.

- Refresh stale bread by reheating it wrapped in foil. The presenter explained staling partly through starch crystallization and suggested heating bread at approximately 300°F until warmed through, potentially around an hour for a large loaf. Reheating softens the bread by reversing some of the changes associated with staling.

- Store mushrooms in paper bags rather than plastic bags. Paper allows moisture to escape, helping reduce sliminess and mold associated with moisture accumulation in sealed plastic.

- Keep homemade sauces in squeeze bottles for convenient storage and dispensing. Refrigerated squeeze bottles reduce mess and allow sauces to be applied directly without repeatedly opening containers and using spoons.

- Store frequently used cooking oils in squeeze bottles as well. The presenters described this as standard restaurant practice that makes adding controlled quantities of oil during cooking quicker and easier.

- Make chicken stock from a leftover rotisserie-chicken carcass in a pressure cooker. Place the carcass and suitable leftovers in an Instant Pot, add enough water to nearly cover the contents, and pressure-cook for approximately one hour. Strain the finished stock for uses such as chicken noodle soup.

- Clarify stock by freezing it and allowing it to thaw through a coffee filter. Freeze stock in ice-cube trays, place the frozen portions into a filter-lined vessel, and leave them in the refrigerator overnight. As the stock thaws, the filtration process separates suspended material and produces a clearer liquid similar to consommé.

- Skim impurities from stock throughout cooking for a clearer broth. Use a small strainer to remove foam and scum rising to the surface. The presenter argued that regular skimming improves both appearance and flavor.

- Cook rice in a regular saucepan using the finger-depth method. Rinse rice repeatedly until the water runs clear, spread it evenly in the pot, and add water until it reaches approximately the first knuckle of a finger touching the rice. Bring to a boil, cover, turn off the heat, and allow approximately 20–25 minutes of steaming before fluffing and checking doneness.

- The presenters preferred rice cookers but offered the saucepan technique as a substitute. They acknowledged that the demonstrated stovetop rice was not quite equal to their preferred rice-cooker results, although it came close.

- Let lasagna rest before slicing so its layers remain intact. Rest baked lasagna for approximately 10–15 minutes, or up to 20 minutes for particularly thick versions. Cutting immediately allows the hot filling and sauce to spread, while resting produces cleaner, more stable portions.

- Clarify cloudy fruit juice with pectinase enzyme. The demonstration added approximately half a teaspoon of Pectinex to half a liter of juice, then refrigerated it for about a day. The enzyme broke down pectin, allowing suspended pulp to settle before the liquid was passed through a coffee filter.

- Use clarified orange juice for a clearer mimosa. The presenter combined the enzyme-treated, filtered orange juice with champagne, illustrating a cocktail application for the clarification technique.

- Quick-pickle sliced cucumbers using a vacuum sealer. Place sliced cucumbers and a small quantity of pickling liquid in a vacuum bag and remove the air. The presenter claimed the vacuum process rapidly introduced the liquid into the cucumbers, producing an almost immediate pickled effect.

- Heat and wipe a knife between cuts for clean dessert slices. Run the blade under warm water and wipe it before each cut. This prevents sticky or soft desserts from accumulating on the blade and improves presentation.

- Use culinary tweezers for precise plating. Fine-tipped tweezers help place delicate herbs, jalapeño slices, and other small garnishes accurately, particularly when fingers are too large or unsteady for detailed arrangements.

- Chill both meat and grinder components before grinding. Keeping grinder parts in the freezer and meat cold reduces warming and smearing of fat during grinding. The demonstrated result retained distinct fat particles rather than producing a greasy, emulsified mixture.

- Lightly grease measuring utensils before measuring sticky ingredients. A little cooking spray inside a spoon or measuring cup helps honey and similar ingredients release almost completely. The demonstration compared coated and uncoated utensils and showed substantially less residue on the greased surface.