1. Stiry-frying: If you’re using a non-stick skillet, using wet vegetables, or filling your pan with too many ingredients, YOU’RE DOING IT ALL WRONG. When using a non-stick skillet, especially with meat, the ingredients will not caramelize correctly. When a pan is crowded, the meat and vegetables get unevenly cooked – some are overdone while others are still raw. To make a stir-fry successfully, the best cooking pan to use is a wok. Another good tip is to cut all your vegetables and meat with the same thickness because when they stir-fry they will cook evenly.
2. Baking and Decorating Christmas Cookies: When you make cookies, if the butter is not at room temperature, YOU’RE DOING IT ALL WRONG. When the butter is at room temperature it can evenly mix with the other ingredients so you don’t have pockets of butter in your cookies. Before baking your cookies make sure to chill the dough in the fridge for at least 2 hours. If not, YOU’RE DOING IT ALL WRONG. This will make the dough too soft and hard to handle because it will stick to everything when you try to roll it out. To decorate your cookies with icing, fill a Ziploc bag with icing and push the icing to one corner. Then, cut a small hole at the corner of the Ziploc bag and begin piping. No piping bag or fancy piping tips needed!
3. Milkshakes: If you’re using too little ice cream and loading your milkshake up with too much fake syrup, YOU’RE DOING IT ALL WRONG. To make a great milkshake, ice cream is the most important ingredient. Don’t be afraid to pile on the ice cream because it adds that thickness that we crave in a delicious milkshake. And, don’t use low fat milk because that just waters down the milkshake. Instead, use whole milk, which adds that creamy texture. Make sure to drink your milkshake with a thick straw (the ones they used to have at the chocolate bar when you ordered a frappe) in order to enjoy all of its tastiness.
4. Scrambled Eggs: If you’re seasoning your eggs before you cook them, YOU’RE DOING IT ALL WRONG. If you put salt in your eggs before you cook them, then it will break down the eggs. If you whisk your eggs before you put them in the pan, YOU’RE DOING IT ALL WRONG. Whisk the eggs in the pan because you want to break them down in the pan. Also, treat the eggs like a risotto – continue to stir them. Frequently take the eggs on and off the heat and continue to work them with a spatula without stopping. Don’t leave the eggs on the burner for too long because you don’t want the eggs to overcook. They will still cook when taken off the heat because there is still heat at the bottom of the pan. Season the eggs when they’re done cooking, and enjoy!
5. Grilled Cheese: If you’re using thick slices of cheese and putting butter right in the pan, YOU’RE DOING IT ALL WRONG. Thick cheese slices don’t have a chance to melt before the bread burns. Also, when you put butter right in the pan, the butter doesn’t coat the bread evenly. To fix this, spread butter directly on the each slice of bread and put the buttered slices of bread face down on the pan. Also, don’t use too little cheese. After all, what’s the point of a grilled cheese if there’s hardly any cheese?! A good tip is to grate the cheese and pile it onto the bread.
6. Mac and Cheese: If you’re overcooking your pasta or using fancy cheese, YOU’RE DOING IT ALL WRONG. Don’t cook your pasta all the way through – make sure it is still al dente because the hot, cheesy sauce you’re going to mix with it is going to cook it a bit more. When the pasta is cooked al dente, strain the pasta and run cold water over it to stop it from cooking. Then, heat milk to a simmer. While that’s going on, whisk together equal parts butter and flour over medium-high heat. Then, add the hot milk to the flour and butter. And, for the best part, add grated cheese. Mix it all together, add a little salt, and voila! Easy and delicious mac and cheese.
7. How to Eat a Cupcake: Make a cupcake sandwich. Equal frosting to cake ratio in every bite!
8. How to Peel a Banana: Pinch the bottom ends and split open. You’ll end up with a perfect banana peel, plus it eliminates the stringy stuff.
Sources:
http://www.chow.com/food-news/62228/how-to-stir-fry-with-grace-young/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaxyzK2mHqw
http://www.buzzfeed.com/peggy/22-things-youre-doing-wrong
Photo Sources:
http://allrecipes.com/recipes/pasta/macaroni-and-cheese/
http://www.funadvice.com/tip/peel_banana_bottom_top
http://www.delish.com/entertaining-ideas/holidays/christmas/traditional-christmas-cookies