Cooking Tips

Quick Hints from Chefs Outlet

When making sauces, you deglaze the pan to get up the "fond"- the little coagulated and browned bits at the bottom of the pan. This is why making a sauce in a non-stick pan is not usually a good idea- there is no chance for the fond to develop. Deglazing is best done with alcohol or acid.

Another sauce hint: Pan sauces taste best when a little butter is added at the end. It gives the sauce a shiny gloss and rounds out the flavor.

Use kosher salt or sea salt when making salads and salad dressings, since those type of salt won't wilt the greens like table salt will.

Have some leftover bits of prosciutto? Chop it up and saute it. It's like gourmet bacon bits!

When working with phyllo dough, cover it with plastic wrap, then a damp towel. Don't put the towel directly on the dough or it will become sticky and impossible to work with.

Wonder why all your baking recipes call for unsalted butter? Pastry chefs will tell you that allows you to control the amount of salt in the finished product, since each manufacturer may use a different amount in their butter. Salt also acts as a preservative, meaning the butter can stay on the shelf longer and still be sold as "fresh". Find unsalted butter on sale? Put the sticks in the freezer in a heavy Ziploc bag and remove them as needed.