We all have tricks up our aprons when it comes to whipping up our favourite meals in the kitchen, but what are the hacks big chefs rely on when cooking classic recipes?
Turns out some aren't as straightforward as we thought. Celebrity chefs such as Mary Berry and Anthony Bourdain have revealed some interesting twists on some of our all time favourite dishes, but would you try any of these?
Mashed potatoes
Who doesn't like a creamy mash? Making it is pretty straightforward, you just boil potatoes and then add milk and butter, but Food Network chef Tyler Florence has suggested an alternative!
Talking to PopSugar, the chef suggested cooking the potatoes in cream and butter, and then using that liquid to mash the potatoes with.
'When the potatoes are tender, I put a bowl on the counter and a colander inside that bowl. I pour the potatoes through the colander, and the cream will collect on the bottom', he said.
'Then I'll put the potatoes back into the pot and take the potato-infused garlic cream and fold that back into the potatoes, and it's the most incredible flavour profile. It's the best mashed potato you'll ever taste in your entire life.'
Turkey
Turkey is a favourite when it comes to the main course for Christmas dinner, but would you cook it overnight?
That's how celebrity chef Dave Little, former private chef to Star Wars creator George Lucas, likes to cook his bird, leaving it in the oven overnight at 70 C in a tray with hot water and some paper on top.
Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, he revealed the unusual way he likes to cook turkey, saying that 'when you wake up in the morning it's all ready to go'. Before serving it, the chef likes to pop it in oven uncovered at high temperature so that it gets a 'beautiful burnish'.
He said: 'If you do it this way, you can't mess it up - you can't overcook it or undercook it - and there's more time for the flavours to infuse.'
Roast potatoes
Experimental foodie and Michelin-starred chef Heston Blumenthal thinks you might be cooking you roasties all wrong, and has shared his suggestions for making your Sunday roast even better. The chef says that you can make your roast potatoes even tastier if you hold on to the potato skins after peeling them, and then boil them in with the potatoes for 20 minutes before the potatoes go into the oven.
Cheese toasties
A classic quick comfort food, sometimes there’s nothing more satisfying than a good grilled cheese sandwich to fill a hungry hole in your tummy. While everyone might do something a little different to the filling, adding ham or tomato, pickle or maybe even chutney, one thing most people seem to be able to agree on is that the bread should be crisply toasted with a delicious golden finish.
To achieve that perfectly toasted top, the trick has always been to spread both sides of the bread with butter before popping your cheese sandwich in the toastie maker or pan, but now Australian food writer Tristan Lutz has revealed his game changing top tip to achieve the perfect toastie.
To guarantee a crisp, golden finish to your toastie every time, Tristan insists that the only thing spread to use on the bread is mayonaise. 'Once the outside of your bread hits the heat of the sandwich press, a thin layer of mayo will transform into a perfectly even coating of oil that toasts any bread — be it soft white, hearty ciabatta or luxurious brioche — to crispy perfection,' Tristan wrote on news.com.au.
Pasta
If you add oil to your pasta, chef Fabio Viviani has some words of advice for you.
In an interview with Business Insider, the chef said this was 'wasteful', as all you have to do for the pasta not to stick is stir it.
'Don't waste good olive oil for the pasta not to stick. I think the stupidest thing I've ever heard about making pasta is people who waste olive oil in the water, so the pasta doesn't stick.
'That's a lie, it's wasteful, and you should be ashamed of yourself. Because you should be there stirring your pasta, which doesn't make it stick anyway, if you stir it. Now, if you throw a pound of pasta in the water and then you go play soccer or take a shower, the pasta might stick to the bottom. That's natural. But don't waste good olive oil for the pasta not to stick. Just stir your pasta, you lazy people out there.'
Food author Harold McGee has also offered advice on the best way to cook pasta, saying it should be done in a frying pan, not a sauce pan.
He believes that if you want to whip up a pasta dish quick sharp, a frying pan could help. To cook pasta with this method, all you have to do is put your pasta in the pan and cover it with water. As the frying pan has a larger surface area, the liquid will heat more efficiently - and your dinner will be ready in less time!
Spaghetti Bolognese
British baking queen Mary Berry surprised viewers of her new show, Mary Berry Everyday, with her unusual recipe for the Italian classic Spaghetti Bolognese.
The chef added white wine to her bolognese whilst most people usually go with red, along with cream to make it even richer.
Scrambled eggs
Most people know how to make scrambled eggs, and it usually involves a knob of butter and a bit of milk for added flavour!
However, American TV chef Anthony Bourdain shared his tips on how to make scrambled eggs in a video for Tech Insider, and it might not be what you'd expect!
The chef says he only likes to add salt and pepper to his eggs, and never adds milk or cream.
'I don't add water, I don't add cream. I just don't feel that milk or cream adds anything. Again, it's about the egg. You're not making a quiche here', the chef said.
Instead, Anthony adds plenty of whole butter into the pan and waits until it's hot and foamy to add the eggs.
The chef also stressed that you shouldn't over beat your eggs - 'you want a ripple of white and yellow throughout'.
Pizza
According to Pizza Pilgrims co-founder James Elliot, you don't need an expensive pizza oven to make delicious pizza.
The chef told Mail Online that you can make pizzas at home using a hot frying pan, finishing it off under the grill.
To make pizza using this method, all you have to do is put the pizza base flat in a dry frying pan, and adding the toppings to the dough. Once the pizza has browned, put the frying pan under a pre-heated grill and leave it to brown more for a few minutes.
Will you be trying any of these unusual ways to cook these classic meals? Let us know in the comments!
