Chef-Approved Cooking Hacks Worth Taking Into Consideration

Whether you’re new to the kitchen or a seasoned home chef, there’s always room to refine your skills with some chef-approved cooking hacks. These hacks aren’t just shortcuts—they’re practical solutions that can save time, reduce waste, and make your meals taste even better. In an era where home cooking is more popular than ever, learning these insider tricks can help you elevate your cooking game and make every meal feel restaurant-worthy.

From prepping to seasoning, here are the chef-approved cooking hacks you need to know to streamline your kitchen routine and produce tastier dishes.

Why Chef-Approved Cooking Hacks Matter

As more people are cooking at home, the demand for easy and effective solutions in the kitchen has skyrocketed. Many professional chefs have shared their techniques to help home cooks get better results without complicated methods. Whether it’s improving flavor or speeding up preparation, chef-approved cooking hacks offer valuable insights into cooking smarter, not harder.

These tips have been honed in busy restaurant kitchens, where efficiency and quality are paramount. Now, they can help you master your home kitchen and avoid common mistakes like over-seasoning or overcooking.

1. Master Seasoning with Salt: Use It Early and Often

Salt is the cornerstone of good seasoning, but the key to maximizing its impact is knowing when to use it. One of the most valuable chef-approved cooking hacks is to season your food throughout the cooking process—not just at the end.

Why it works:

• Salting vegetables early helps draw out moisture, allowing them to cook more evenly.
• Seasoning meat hours before cooking (also known as dry-brining) enhances flavor and tenderizes the meat. According to Serious Eats, salting early allows the meat to retain moisture while cooking, leading to a juicier, more flavorful result​.

Pro tip: Taste your dish at different stages to adjust the seasoning and avoid a last-minute rush to flavor everything at the end.

2. Keep Your Knives Sharp for Faster and Safer Prep

One of the most essential chef-approved cooking hacks is to keep your knives sharp. Dull knives not only make cooking more difficult but also increase the risk of injury. A sharp knife allows for clean, precise cuts and makes prep work much more efficient.

Why it’s important:

• Sharp knives reduce the need to apply excessive pressure, which can crush delicate ingredients like herbs.
• Professional chefs sharpen their knives regularly, often before every shift. Home cooks should follow suit, sharpening their knives every few months depending on usage.

Investing in a good knife sharpener or taking your knives to a professional will save you time and effort in the long run.

3. The Palm Test: Your Secret to Perfect Steak

Cooking the perfect steak is an art, but one of the best chef-approved cooking hacks is the palm test to check for doneness. Instead of cutting into your steak and risking a loss of flavorful juices, use this simple touch method:

1. Touch the area at the base of your thumb when your hand is relaxed—this is what rare steak should feel like.
2. Lightly touch your thumb to your index finger for medium-rare.
3. Thumb to middle finger will give you a medium feel, and thumb to ring finger is medium-well.
4. Thumb to pinky indicates a well-done steak.

This method ensures your steak is cooked exactly how you want without needing a thermometer​.

4. Deglaze for Instant Flavor Boosts

Deglazing a pan is a well-kept secret in professional kitchens and one of the best chef-approved cooking hacks for creating flavorful sauces. After cooking meat or vegetables, you’ll notice a layer of browned bits (fond) stuck to the pan. Instead of scrubbing it away, use it to make a rich sauce.

How to do it:

• Add a splash of broth, wine, or water to the hot pan and stir to release the flavorful bits.
• Let the liquid reduce slightly, then add butter or cream for extra richness.

This hack turns what could be waste into a delicious sauce to pour over your meal.

5. Prolong Herb Freshness with Proper Storage

Fresh herbs can transform a dish, but they spoil quickly if not stored properly. Here’s a chef-approved cooking hack: treat your herbs like fresh flowers. This simple method keeps your herbs fresh for days longer.

How to store herbs:

• Trim the stems of your herbs and place them in a glass of water.
• Cover the tops loosely with a plastic bag and store them in the fridge (except basil, which should be kept on the counter).

This method can extend the life of your herbs by a week or more, so you always have fresh garnishes at hand​.

6. Prep Like a Pro with “Mise en Place”

Ever wonder how professional chefs handle the chaos of a busy kitchen? One of the top chef-approved cooking hacks is the concept of mise en place, which means “everything in its place.” It’s all about prepping and organizing your ingredients before you start cooking.

Why it works:

• Prepping your ingredients—like chopping vegetables, marinating meats, or measuring spices—before you begin cooking saves time and reduces stress.
• Mise en place helps you avoid the frantic search for ingredients or tools mid-recipe, leading to a smoother cooking process.

Try adopting this system for your next meal, and you’ll notice how much more organized and efficient your cooking becomes.

7. Use Citrus Zest for a Flavor Boost

A quick and easy way to add intense flavor to both sweet and savory dishes is by using citrus zest. This chef-approved cooking hack unlocks the essential oils in citrus fruit for a burst of flavor that’s far stronger than the juice alone.

How to use it:

• Use a microplane to zest lemons, limes, or oranges directly over your dish, whether it’s a salad, pasta, or fish.
• Add citrus zest to baked goods for a subtle, fragrant kick.

A little zest goes a long way, so start with a small amount and add more as needed.

8. Quick-Chill Wine Using Salt

Need to chill wine fast? Here’s a chef-approved cooking hack: add a handful of salt to your ice bucket. This lowers the freezing point of water, allowing your wine to chill faster. Your wine will be perfectly cold in just 10-15 minutes​.

Why it works:

• Salt melts the ice faster, creating a super-cold water bath that speeds up the chilling process. This trick is great not only for wine but also for quickly cooling any beverages.

9. Blanch and Shock for Perfect Vegetables

Blanching and shocking is a common technique in professional kitchens that ensures vegetables retain their vibrant color and crisp-tender texture. It’s one of the most effective chef-approved cooking hacks for perfect vegetables.

How to do it:

1. Blanch your vegetables in salted boiling water for a few minutes, depending on the vegetable.
2. Immediately transfer them to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process.

This technique keeps your vegetables crisp and colorful, perfect for salads or stir-fries.

10. Freeze Leftover Sauces in Ice Cube Trays

One of the best chef-approved cooking hacks is freezing leftover sauces, broths, or even pesto in ice cube trays. This allows you to save portions of sauces and thaw them as needed for future recipes.

Why it’s effective:

• You avoid wasting food, and it’s easy to defrost just the amount you need for a dish.
• This hack also works well for storing homemade stocks, pestos, and even flavored butters​.

---

Conclusion: Simple Yet Effective Chef-Approved Cooking Hacks

These chef-approved cooking hacks are designed to help you elevate your cooking while simplifying your time in the kitchen. From learning how to season like a pro to storing your herbs the right way, these tricks can make a noticeable difference in the quality of your meals. Try incorporating a few of these hacks into your routine, and you’ll find yourself cooking with more ease and confidence.

Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced cook, these chef-approved tricks will help you save time, reduce waste, and make cooking more enjoyable. Get ready to impress yourself—and others—with your newly sharpened culinary skills.

---

References:

1. Serious Eats. (2021). The Science of Salting Meat. Available at: https://seriouseats.com.
2. Epicurious. (2022). How to Chill Wine Fast with Salt. Available at: https://epicurious.com.
3. Food & Wine. (2020). Palm Test for Steak Doneness. Available at: https://foodandwine.com.
4. The Kitchn. (2021). How to Store Fresh Herbs to Keep Them Fresh Longer. Available at: https://thekitchn.com.
5. The Spruce Eats. (2022). Deglazing for Flavorful Sauces. Available at: [https://