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Learn from the pros.
Fresh herbs can go bad so quickly that you're often left throwing away a ton of it. To avoid this waste, chef Alex Guarnaschelli has a solution: She heats up the honey in a pan until it's bubbling and then adds the herbs in and lets them steep in there a few days. Drizzle that herbed honey on cheeses, toasts, or tomatoes — or use it in a vinaigrette or a marinade.
This is Alton Brown's tip and although it might sound crazy, mayo is just eggs and oil — so it makes sense. Chef Michael Cimarusti also recommends using mayo to coat your fish fillets before throwing them onto the grill. It'll prevent the fish from sticking and promote browning.
"This way, by the time the centers of the potatoes are cooked, the outside won't be falling apart," explains Gordon Ramsay.
To avoid hurting yourself while chopping, it's crucial to ensure your cutting board won't move around. To do that, Jamie Oliver recommends placing a wet tea towel (or a wet paper towel) underneath the board to stabilize it.
British chef Heston Blumenthal recommends scrambling your eggs in a double boiler for slow, gentle cooking. All you have to do is pour beaten eggs into a heatproof bowl, place it over a pot of simmering water (making sure the water doesn't actually touch the bowl), and stir regularly until your eggs are ready. This process does take a while but it's a sure-fire way to avoid overcooking.
Rinsing your rice with cold water before you cook it helps get rid of excess starch. "That stops the rice from becoming clumpy in the pan and allows it to become really light and fluffy once it's cooked," explains Gordon Ramsay.
That's according to chef Michael Anthony of Gramercy Tavern. You can toast any nut or seed in a pan and use them to top salads, soups, stir-fry, toasts, and dips. It's a low-effort step that'll add restaurant-quality flavor and texture to your dishes.
Poaching eggs can be tricky, especially if your eggs aren't extra fresh. To make the whole process a little easier, Julia Child recommends boiling the eggs in their shell for 8 to 10 seconds before poaching.
"This will often firm up the white just enough so it will hold its shape around the yolk when the egg is broken into the water," she says. Once you've done that, you can poach the eggs the traditional way, cracking them in a bowl and placing them in simmering water spiked with vinegar.