17 Pro Cooking Moves You Learn Working In Restaurants

Charlotte Gomez / BuzzFeed

We asked the Buzzfeed Community to share some of the best cooking tips and tricks they learned from cooking in restaurants. Here are some of the life-saving hacks they swear by.

1. Core iceberg lettuce by smashing it onto a cutting board.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ybO41ZJTnM

"You can core a head of iceberg lettuce by slamming it, core down, on the countertop. The core will pop out all in one piece!"

—katw46e15b743

Check out this video to see how it's done.

2. Never struggle with peeling hard-boiled eggs again with the help of baking soda.

Getty Images

"Add baking soda (about 1/4 teaspoon) to your water when boiling eggs. It will help the eggshells peel off easier."

—marah-stellej

3. Achieve perfectly juicy chicken every time by brining.

Zach DeSart / Via bonappetit.com

"Soak your chicken in a brine whenever possible!"

—lsimon2088

Learn how to make an all-purpose poultry brine here.

4. Quickly clean up after peeling vegetables with plastic wrap.

Alenkadr / Getty Images

Getty Images

"When peeling vegetables, lay a piece of plastic wrap over your cutting board and peel above it. When you're done, pick up the plastic for an instantly clean cutting board."

—kated488289752

5. Secure your cutting board with a damp kitchen towel.

Emily Fleischaker/Buzzfeed

"Put a dish towel under your cutting board to keep it in place as you chop things. It is also helpful if you are rolling out dough on a cutting board."

—cristat

6. Remove the skin of toasted nuts with a tea towel.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3_RUPGJzBk

"Roll toasted nuts in a tea towel to easily remove skins."

—c4a49bd1bf

Check out this video to see how it's done.

7. Dredge bacon in flour before cooking for optimum crispness.

http://soupaddict.com/2010/02/burn-your-bacon-no-more-bake-it/

"Lightly flour bacon before cooking it on the stove top. It comes out nice and crispy and there is no splatter."

—Jean Presiler Melek, Facebook

Check out a step-by-step guide to dredging bacon here.

8. Steam-baste your eggs for a new take on sunny-side up.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kd3lDnP2dqA

"I worked as a breakfast cook for a bit in college where I learned how to make basted eggs. I haven't had to flip an egg since! You get the same runny yolk/cooked whites effect as over easy, without risking broken yolks."

—NC89

Learn how to perfect the technique here.

9. Use a touch test to cook steak perfectly.

Robsonabbott / Getty Images

"When I was working as a server and it was slow, my chef friend would teach me little cooking tricks. The one that I use the most is how to tell if a steak is done. When you press on it and it feels like you are pressing on your chin, that's rare. If it feels like you are pressing on your nose, that's medium. If it feels like you are pressing on your forehead, that's well. I use this all the time and now I am the steak grill master at our house!"

—amandah418f577fe

10. And use the surprisingly accurate finger test to perfectly cook rice every time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHN60UKQx_o

"When cooking rice, add your liquid until it comes up to the first knuckle on your index finger (placed so the tip is touching the very top of the rice). Cover with foil and place in an oven for 45 minutes at 350°, or 30 minutes in a convection oven. Perfect rice every time. No measuring required."

—jon11288

11. Three Words: Mise. En. Place.

www.instagram.com

"This may not be an actual cooking hack, but it makes cooking so much easier. Have all your ingredients prepped, measured and ready to go. When you actually start the cooking process, it's as easy as can be and you're not scrambling for things at the last second."

—maiat40d30191e

12. Soak peeled onions in ice water before cutting to prevent tears.

Centralitalliance / Getty Images

Getty Images

"Soak onions in ice water right before chopping them to help with the crying."

—cristat

13. Season every step of the cooking process to prevent over-salting at the end.

Wavebreak / Getty Images

www.instagram.com

"Season your food liberally, but taste as you go along. You can always add salt, but you can't take it away!"

—mandyciampa

14. Prevent cut vegetables from browning by storing them in water.

Szakaly / Getty Images

"If you are cutting potatoes but don't want to use them immediately, store them in water so they don't turn black."

—camillabrock

15. No peeler handy? Use the back of your knife.

Luckybusiness / Getty Images

"Use the back of your knife to peel carrots and other hearty vegetables."

—pandabear14

16. Deep-fry expensive cuts of meat for even cooking throughout.

Michael Graydon & Nikole Herriott / Via bonappetit.com

"Deep-fry your steak. The oil doesn't penetrate the meat and the technique cooks it evenly throughout. Afterwards, pop it on the grill for nice marks."

—b41e461f6e

Check out a step-by-step guide to deep-frying steaks here.

17. Dry off any meat or tofu with a paper towel to achieve a perfect sear.

Szakaly / Getty Images

"Always pat dry your proteins before searing to get that great crispy skin and seal in the moisture."

—cattibriep

Note: Submissions have been lightly edited for length and/or clarity.

17 Pro Cooking Moves You Learn Working In Restaurants

We asked the Buzzfeed Community to share some of the best cooking tips and tricks they learned from cooking in restaurants. Here are some of the life-saving hacks they swear by.

1. Core iceberg lettuce by smashing it onto a cutting board.

2. Never struggle with peeling hard-boiled eggs again with the help of baking soda.

3. Achieve perfectly juicy chicken every time by brining.

4. Quickly clean up after peeling vegetables with plastic wrap.

5. Secure your cutting board with a damp kitchen towel.

6. Remove the skin of toasted nuts with a tea towel.

7. Dredge bacon in flour before cooking for optimum crispness.

8. Steam-baste your eggs for a new take on sunny-side up.

9. Use a touch test to cook steak perfectly.

10. And use the surprisingly accurate finger test to perfectly cook rice every time.

11. Three Words: Mise. En. Place.

12. Soak peeled onions in ice water before cutting to prevent tears.

13. Season every step of the cooking process to prevent over-salting at the end.

14. Prevent cut vegetables from browning by storing them in water.

15. No peeler handy? Use the back of your knife.

16. Deep-fry expensive cuts of meat for even cooking throughout.

17. Dry off any meat or tofu with a paper towel to achieve a perfect sear.

Want to be featured in similar BuzzFeed posts? Follow the BuzzFeed Community on Facebook and Twitter!

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We asked the Buzzfeed Community to share some of the best cooking tips and tricks they learned from cooking in restaurants. Here are some of the life-saving hacks they swear by.

1. Core iceberg lettuce by smashing it onto a cutting board.

2. Never struggle with peeling hard-boiled eggs again with the help of baking soda.

3. Achieve perfectly juicy chicken every time by brining.

4. Quickly clean up after peeling vegetables with plastic wrap.

5. Secure your cutting board with a damp kitchen towel.

6. Remove the skin of toasted nuts with a tea towel.

7. Dredge bacon in flour before cooking for optimum crispness.

8. Steam-baste your eggs for a new take on sunny-side up.

9. Use a touch test to cook steak perfectly.

10. And use the surprisingly accurate finger test to perfectly cook rice every time.

11. Three Words: Mise. En. Place.

12. Soak peeled onions in ice water before cutting to prevent tears.

13. Season every step of the cooking process to prevent over-salting at the end.

14. Prevent cut vegetables from browning by storing them in water.

15. No peeler handy? Use the back of your knife.

16. Deep-fry expensive cuts of meat for even cooking throughout.

17. Dry off any meat or tofu with a paper towel to achieve a perfect sear.

Want to be featured in similar BuzzFeed posts? Follow the BuzzFeed Community on Facebook and Twitter!

Need easy dinner ideas?

TRENDING RECIPES

The Tasty Newsletter

LATEST TASTY GUIDES

Need easy dinner ideas?

MORE TASTY GUIDES

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