With these tips you’ll be able to cook just like the chef himself
Chef Gordon Ramsay knows everything about cooking. For example, he knows exactly how to best flavor a dish and he knows how to make various culinary delights down to the last detail. Gordon Ramsay regularly shares cooking tips that make life a little easier and the dishes a little tastier. We have listed the 20 best tips from the 55-year old chef for you.
We’re sure that these tips will make your life in the kitchen a lot easier. We will be testing number 7 soon!
These 20 cooking tips from chef Gordon Ramsay will improve your cooking drastically
1. Add a spring onion to your mashed potatoes
Gordon Ramsay gives his mashed potatoes more spice by stirring in no fewer than three chopped spring onions. In addition, add a little whipped cream and butter and you have a mashed potato to die for. Impress your guests or yourself with this easy way to make mashed potatoes a little more special.
2. Unripe fruit? Put it in a paper bag with a banana
The hassle of having to wait a long time for your unripe fruit to be ready to eat is a thing of the past. Gordon Ramsay has a tip on what to do when you have bought fruit that is not yet ripe. “You have to put a banana in a paper bag along with the unripe fruit. Put the bag in a dark place and the banana will make your other fruit ripen faster.” This tip was shared on the chef’s own YouTube channel. We’ve tried it out and it is a lifesaver!
3. Pull the leaf of a pineapple to check if the fruit is already ripe
A pineapple is of course the best when it is well ripe, but how can you easily check this? All you have to do is pull the leaf at the top of the pineapple. Does it come off easily? Then your pineapple is ripe. Is it difficult for you to pull the leaf off? Then your pineapple is not quite ripe yet.
4. Cut hot peppers? Wash your hands with lemon juice
Just washing your hands after cutting a pepper will not get you there. The juices are still there in your hands and when you touch your face later in the day you will feel it. That burning sensation will last for a while. To prevent is better than to cure. Gordon Ramsay says you can prevent this burning sensation by washing your hands with lemon juice. Washing your hands with lemon juice after cutting a pepper neutralizes the sharpness and prevents the burning sensation from spreading. So when you go to rub your eyes later, the lemon juice will have prevented them from burning.
Gordon Ramsay has tested many recipes during his time as a student, in his quest find the recipe for the best scrambled eggs. The chef eventually came to the conclusion that the eggs taste best when you cook them in a saucepan with some crème frache and butter. Try it out for yourself and be amazed!
6. Make a ‘tea bag’ from the green ends of a leek
The green ends of a leek don’t always look the freshest, or you simply do not need them for a recipe. However, never throw the ends away, because you can still use it for a soup or stock. Gordon Ramsay makes a kind of tea bag from the tips of the leeks. The chef folds a bay leaf, rosemary and thyme into the leaf and then rolls it up and secures it with cooking twine. Then he puts the bag in the soup or stock and the dish gets much more flavour.
7. Give your chicken a delicious crispy jacket by preparing it in buttermilk
Anyone who has ever eaten a fried chicken knows that it is all in the crust. But how do you make that tasty, crispy crust? Gordon Ramsay swears by buttermilk. The buttermilk makes the chicken extra tender and gives the chicken a fresh taste and the flour sticks well!
8. Keep your knife sharp
The secret to preparing your food in a quick and safe way is to use a sharp knife. The sharper the knife, the less room for error. A sharp knife wont slip on a piece of tomato for example, which makes it a lot safer and easier to predict than a dull knife. It also speeds up the process of cooking tenfold by allowing you to cut quicker. Gordon’s secret to keeping your knife sharp? Get a sharpener and sharpen it before and after every use.
Gordon Ramsay shares an easy way to keep your cutting board from slipping. A slippery cutting board can lead to injuries and other awkwardness, so it’s a great idea to make sure it stays put. To do this, Gordon suggests you wet a paper towel, then place this underneath the cutting board. The friction will make sure your cutting board stays right where it is.
10. Easy garlic peeling hack
Have trouble peeling your garlic? Gordon shares an incredibly easy tip that will speed this annoying task up considerably. Simply crush it with the flat part of your knife’s blade. The peel will come off very easily, saving you a lot of time and hassle!
11. A waste bin
Do you spend a lot of time walking to and from your garbage can? Gordon Ramsay doesn’t. His tip is to always have a small waste bin or a bowl close, so you can easily dispose of your food waste without having to walk across the kitchen every time you’ve peeled or cut something. Implement this tip in your kitchen and watch your process speed up considerably!
12. The key to making your meat more tender
Does your meat never taste the way it does in restaurants? Is it always too tough? Gordon has a very easy solution for this. You should always let your meat get up to room temperature before you start cooking it. This will have caused the fibres in the meat to loosen up, giving you a more tender piece of meat. Try this out the next time you prepare meat and see the results!
13. Get rid of chili seeds without burning your hands
Do you like a little bit of spice, but are chili seeds a bit too hot even for your taste? Gordon has a very easy way to get rid of them, without having to tinker with a small knife and an ocean of patience. Simply rub the uncut chili between your hands, then smack it against the counter a few times. You’ll loosen the seeds on the inside. Then cut off the top and turn the chili upside down. The seeds will come pouring out, without any effort at all.
14. How to peel ginger
Do you always have to throw away a lot of your ginger after cutting it? Gordon advises you to use a teaspoon instead of a knife to peel ginger. This way you can easily get around the many bumps and crevices on the root, leaving you with a perfectly peeled piece of ginger.
15. Store your avocado’s without them turning brown
Sometimes you only need one half of an avocado. But if you store the other half in the fridge, it will have turned brown in a very short while. To prevent this from happen, pour some lemon juice in a bowl and store the avocado in it, exposed side facing down. The lemon juice will stop the avocado from oxidating, which is the process that causes it to turn brown. You will be left with a fresh avocado half!
16. Perfectly cooked potatoes
When boiling your potatoes, Gordon advises you to start off with cold water. When you start with hot water, the outer layer of the potato will cook a lot faster than the center, which leaves you with a potato that’s soft on the outside, yet hard on the inside. To cook the potato evenly, you will want it to heat up along with the water. This easy tip will improve your potatoes massively! Try it out for yourself.
17. Beautifully browned meat or fish
Do you struggle with getting that beautiful brown sear on your meat or fish when you cook it? Gordon says this is because of it being too wet when you start to cook or grill it. To get it nice and brown, simply use some kitchen towel to dry the meat or fish before you toss it in the pan. You’ll amaze your guests and yourself with perfectly cooked meat or fish.
18. Easily slice thin meats and fish
A fan of carpaccio or thinly sliced fish for sushi? You’ll make your life a lot easier by freezing the product before you cut it. Freezing it will make it firmer, which will make it easier to cut into the thin strips you’ve come to love. Try this tip out and amaze everyone with your cutting skills.
19. Preserve cooking wine
Do you like to cook using wine, but don’t feel like drinking the rest of it before it goes bad? Simply pour it in an ice cube mold and you’ll have small portion-sized wine cubes to use in your next recipe. Try it out yourself the next time you have leftover wine from a recipe!
20. Use for leftover limes and lemons
Do you have leftover limes or lemons and do you want to use them before they spoil? Gordon has a great tip for you. Simply cut the lemons or limes in wedges, then freeze them. Use them as ice cubes in your next summery drink or cocktail. The wedges will keep your drink cool, add a citrusy flavor and they wont water your drink down the way regular ice cubes do. Try it out yourself!
