5 chef hacks for home cooks
Step up your home cooking game – one hack at a time.
Chefs make cooking look easy. Their toast doesn’t burn, nothing seems to stick to the pan, and some of them seem to be able to juggle three courses at once – without setting anything on fire. How do they do it?
Here in the NEFF kitchen, our chefs will be the first to tell you that behind every true culinary master (or novice) is a long list of tricks up your sleeve! Here are 5 of our favourite chef hacks to help you step up your home cooking game this winter – straight from the experts themselves:
Keep your chopping board steady
Before you start slicing and dicing your winter vegetables this year, make sure that your chopping isn’t going anywhere. A sturdy surface can make all the difference to your cutting technique, and all you need is a damp cloth underneath the board to keep it in position while you work. A damp paper towel will do the trick too!
Warm your plates
Want to serve up something that feels professional? Simply warming up your plates in the NEFF Warming Drawer will keep your food warmer for longer, and retain the flavours and textures of your culinary creations. There’s nothing worse than a luke-warm soup.
Carve across the grain
Want meat that melts in your mouth? No matter how well you cook each cut, slicing with the grain of the meat makes for a rubbery texture that doesn’t do your flavours and cooking techniques justice. However, when you carve across the grain you’re shortening the muscle fibres, and keeping the mouthfuls tender.
Steam just about everything
How do those chefs get such tender, light and moisture-filled bakes? With a bit of steam, that’s how. It can be near impossible to retain enough moisture in every dish without ruining the cooking times and flavours – but with a steam oven like NEFF’s VarioSteam function, the tech is doing this part for you.
Don’t be afraid to experiment
No chef got to where they are today simply by following the rules. While following a recipe is a sure way to produce a delicious dish, don’t feel constrained if you have a better idea. Want extra fluffy biscuits? Add an extra egg yolk. Want to spice up your chocolate cake? Add a pinch of chilli. You may just discover a new family secret
Learn more from the NEFF home economists here.
