We hope 2019 has been good to you! Here at COOK we’ve had some entertaining and informative January classes in the first month of the year. Our visiting chefs have shared some pointers throughout January, and we want to share them with you. Read on for the top five tips and tricks from January, sure to improve your home cooking in 2019!

Tip #1: Curing With Cheesecloth

Have you ever tried curing your own fish at home? If so here’s a great tip for you. Ian Moroney of Pumpkin put on a seafood feast with fresh catches provided by Local 130 Seafood. As a surprise for all the guests, Ian started off the meal with a tasty amuse bouche – cured trout. Ian uses a typical 50/50 salt to sugar ratio, along with other spices such as juniper, black peppercorns and more, to cure his fish. His handy trick is to wrap his trout or salmon with a thin layer of cheesecloth. This prevents the flesh from getting overly textured from the spices. Additionally, the clean up process is a breeze – no scraping needed!

Tip #2: Starchy Skins For Superior Soup

How many times have you peeled potatoes and simply thrown away the skins? Well, next time keep them! Kenneth Bush of Bistrot La Minette warmed up our guests with his cauliflower soup, which he thickened a bit by use of said potato skins! Kenny suggests saving your potato skins, rinsing them off, and placing them in cheesecloth. You can put the cheesecloth bundle in stock to thicken soups or water with your potatoes for even starchier mashed potatoes. Yet another use for your cheesecloth!

Tip #3: Blast Away The Cold

It is definitely too cold for barbecue right now. However, John Rodriguez of Mission Taqueria showed us a nifty trick that gives you a crispy pork belly which can be difficult to obtain in your home oven. By using a heat gun (which many use for stripping paint or other household chores) you can puff up your pork skin instantly! You’ll be amazed at how fast and easy it is.

Tip #4 Toothpick Tip 

Braising stuffed or rolled meats often requires holding them together in the oven with butcher’s twine. However, when cooking for a crowd toothpicks can be easier and quicker to remove than cutting a bunch of string. Nick Macri of La Divisa Meats served up braised pork in a tomato sauce to 16 COOKguests.  Each bundle was held together with toothpicks. His important tip: use the same number of toothpicks for each item. That way you can count and be certain you didn’t leave any behind for your friends and family to find!

Tip #5: Gooey Grilled Cheese 

Grilled cheese and tomato soup. Name a more famous comfort food pairing… you can’t! That’s precisely why Kealan O’Donnel of Whole Foods dished out this classic combo for his winter comfort foods class. Kealan shared his method for making a perfect grilled cheese. First, butter your bread and put it face down on your pan or skillet. Then add your cheese to the bread. Now thrown the pan in the oven for a bit to allow the cheese to melt. This way you won’t burn the one side of the bread while trying to melt the cheese. You’ll have ooey gooey grilled cheeses every time!