Video summary

75 Hacks Chefs Actually Use

Main summary

Key takeaways

Cooking

Presenter / Channel

“Me and Will” (chef presenters; video title: “75 Hacks Chefs Actually Use”). No specific channel name or external sources are clearly stated, but a few hacks are attributed in passing (e.g., “Thomas Color”).

Ingredients & Quantities Mentioned (only from subtitles)

  • Pickling cucumbers (liquor): cucumbers are microwaved until translucency/color develops; no exact liquor recipe/quantities given.
  • Salted water for clam purging: 3% salt saline solution (salt whisked until dissolved).
  • Potato saltiness rescue: uses a peeled potato; amount not specified.
  • Berries shelf-life vinegar rinse: 1 part vinegar : 4 parts water.
  • Wet brine chicken browning: 6 g bicarb per 450 g meat (baking soda; “bicarb”).
  • Sweet potato fries coating: corn flour : rice flour : plain flour, described with a 1:1 ratio of vinegar and water for the dip; exact flour quantities not given.
  • Caramelized onion shortcut: adds a little bit of water and a little bit of salt (no amounts).
  • Re-emulsifying split mayo (method):
    • 1 fresh bowl + a new egg
    • a little salt
    • add the split mayo gradually
  • Clarified butter: 20 seconds per block of butter in the microwave (block size not given).
  • Herb oil (green oil for salads):
    • herb blend heated in oil between 70–80°C (hot to touch)
    • strain using absorbent paper (no quantity specified)
  • Cookie bake / crisp temp and time: no temperatures given; later timing cues exist (e.g., “after 15 minutes” for croutons).
  • Poaching eggs: no vinegar mentioned; uses barely simmering water (timing not stated for eggs in this section).

Equipment & Prep Called Out

  • Cloth/towel over a pan to prevent bowl movement during mayo
  • Water container for handling sticky mints/dough
  • Tray for baking eggs (oil in tray)
  • Microwave (pickling liquor; sugar; clarified butter; onion; cucumbers)
  • Boiling water + ice-cold water (traditional tomato skin blanch)
  • Blow torch (to quickly remove tomato skin)
  • Foil ball brush technique (to level raised foil sheets)
  • Toothpick (removing prawn “poop shoot”)
  • Timer system for proteins/resting/cook times (labeled timers)
  • Container for carrot peeling stability
  • Hot knife technique for cutting tart (or blowtorch to warm knife)
  • Steamer tray over ice / crate setup (keeping salad leaves cold)
  • Stick blender (mayo emulsification)
  • Blender for garlic/“garlic oil” storage
  • Ladle + ice for skimming stock fat
  • Filleting tools (mandolin vs julienne peeler)
  • Stanley knife (shallowly scoring pork belly/duck skin)
  • Fridge drying (fish skin / herb storage context)
  • Microwave/plate for cooking onion (cut side down)
  • Cling film + ice water method for butter/monteing into sauce
  • Slip mat / jar base trick for stabilizing boards/bottles
  • Parchment paper shaping and freezing (cookies); parchment paper for homemade piping bag and “cartouche” cover
  • Ring cutter (reset warm cookie shape)
  • Perforated gastro/tray for clam purging
  • Semifrezing bread (slicing thin) and multiple baking trays (croutons)

Step-by-Step Cooking / Technique (key timings/temps/sequence)

Mayonnaise & Emulsions

  1. Prevent bowl slipping

    • Put a cloth over a pan so the bowl “won’t move anywhere.”

  2. Fast mayo method (stick blender)

    • Add eggs first, then mustard, salt, then add all oil at once.
    • Place stick blender on the base.
    • As it starts, oil is dragged down; raise blender slowly to finish emulsification.
    • Result: “super silky mayo in record time.”

  3. If mayo splits (rescue)

    • Use a fresh bowl, new egg yolk, and a little salt.
    • Gradually add the split mayo into the new yolk until thick and re-emulsified (“thick, glossy”).

  4. Non-stick fish skin via mayo

    • Spread a very thin layer of mayonnaise between fish and cooking surface (skin or flesh side).

  5. Monteing sauce stability (avoid broken sauce)

    • Gently warm sauce; when at just a simmer, add cubed butter in ice water.
    • Melt butter slowly into sauce while moving in a circular motion.
    • Cold butter disperses slowly → glossy, emulsified result.

  6. Sparkling water hack for lightening sauce

    • When “close to splitting,” use bubbling sparkling water to help disperse fat droplets and stabilize texture.

Eggs (fried + poached)

  1. “Baked fried eggs” (tray bake)

    • Add a little oil to tray, crack eggs into trays.
    • Bake for 2.5 minutes at 160°C with “a little humidity” (home cue: small pan of water).
    • Look for perfect yolks; yolks described as “molden.”

  2. Poached eggs (no vinegar)

    • Water barely simmering.
    • Optional sieve concept: “sieving” removes thin whites (“feathery bits”).
    • Lower eggs into simmering water; cook until “perfect poached egg” with no feathery bits.

Fish & Seafood

  1. Prawn “poop shoot” removal (keep whole)

    • Insert a toothpick into the “shoot,” lightly pull out.
    • Keeps prawn intact and clean in shell.

  2. Crispy fish skin (best method)

    • Leave fish uncovered in fridge ~6 hours to dry skin.
    • Cook similarly; dried skin gives crispness and texture.
    • Season/oil skin lightly; cook 3–4 minutes, ~90% on one side, then flip briefly to touch underside.

  3. Rinse raw onion harshness

    • Cut onion → rinse in cold running water to reduce aggressive sulfur flavor.

  4. Salmon filleting grip hack

    • Make a small incision down to skin (holding point), or punch a small hole in skin.
    • Use knife to lift/fill for better grip and less slipping.

Meat: Seasoning Crusts, Tenderness, Resting & Timing

  1. Steak seasoning crust (salt technique)

    • Don’t use flaky salt.
    • Lay a bed of fine salt, place steak directly on it; repeat on the other side.
    • Fine salt improves even seasoning and supports better browning/crust formation (flaky salt limits pan contact).

  2. Slice/tenderness

    • Cut against the grain for tenderness; with-the-grain is tougher.

  3. Tempering steaks (room temperature)

    • Temper for ~45 minutes (example: 21°C vs fridge 6°C).
    • Helps fat render faster, better crust, and more even cooking.

  4. Resting steak correctly

    • Don’t leave unwrapped (goes cold).
    • Don’t wrap in foil (can overcook interior).
    • Rest using butcher/butcher paper or baking parchment (matte finish reflects less heat).

  5. Carve/cleanup hack with string (lamb racks)

    • Cut down each side of the bone to hit bone.
    • Knot string around clean bone; place lamb at edge of board; pull to remove sinew/fat faster.

  6. Skin scoring for roast duck/pork belly

    • Use Stanley knife for shallow scoring (avoid piercing flesh).
    • Score across top only; double-check blade depth won’t reach meat.
    • Foil “boat” around meat but keep skin exposed to catch rendered fat.

Vegetables & Prep Hacks

  1. Zest lemon (avoid bitter pith)

    • Don’t zest exposing pith—zest top to bottom.

  2. Peel tomatoes

    • Traditional: mark X, blanch in boiling water until skin releases, then ice bath, peel.
    • Faster hack: blow torch skin until you can wipe it off (no cross marks).
    • Note: blanching slightly cooks the outside and can become mushy/time-consuming.

  3. Peel garlic easier (soak)

    • Soak in hot tap water at least 25 minutes for easier peeling.

  4. Freeze ginger for easier grating

    • Freeze ginger (peel can stay on). Ice weakens fibers → snaps off for “ginger snow.”

  5. Oil-stored restaurant garlic

    • Mince garlic in blender with a bit of oil.
    • Add lemon juice to prevent browning.
    • Top with more oil; cover with cling film; fridge; scoop tablespoons when needed.

  6. Pepper deseeding & prep for julienne

    • Top and tail pepper; make one slit.
    • Open above membrane; remove seeds; julienne.

  7. Carrot peeling “smooth Michelin look”

    • Use a stable container; peel slowly.
    • Overlap each peel line on previous; don’t start a new line.
    • Clean knife into nooks; ready to blanch.

  8. Chive cutting without splays (Thomas Color)

    • Wrap chives in damp kitchen towel, hold tight, then cut.

  9. Keeping salad leaves cold

    • Use steamer tray over ice in crate with water.
    • Lift steamer to drain; leaves stay fresh for service.

  10. Microwave onion (inside-out cooking)

    • Place onion cut-side down on a plate.
    • Microwave until outside feels soft to touch.
    • Peel outer layers; leave root intact; can submerge in pickle as garnish.

  11. Microwave sugar (lumps)

    • Microwave to remove moisture → smooth lump-free sugar.

Pickling, Preservation, and Shelf-Life

  1. Pickle cucumbers quickly (liquor in microwave)

    • Microwave pickling liquor until cucumbers become translucent/yellow-hued; taste like pickle.
    • Move to fridge to deepen classic pickle color after a couple hours.

  2. Extend berries shelf life with vinegar solution

    • Mix 1:4 vinegar:water.
    • Quick rinse berries; let dry.
    • Submerge and refrigerate; described as fresh after 7 days vs visibly worse without treatment.

Sauces & Seasoning Timing

  1. Finish sauce with acid at the end

    • Add acid late; early acid can cook off.
    • Red wine sauce fix: add a few drops of Cabernet Sauvignon vinegar to restore brightness.

  2. Skim stock without losing good stock

    • Fill ladle with ice; lower into stock and move circularly.
    • Keep ice just above stock surface so fat cools/solidifies on ladle outside.
    • Lift ladle to remove fat with minimal stock loss.

  3. If stock/sauce is too salty (potato trick)

    • Peel potato; place into stock.
    • Cook about 10 minutes until potato changes color and absorbs salt.
    • Remove before disintegrating (quality affects sauce).

Caramelizing Onions Faster

  1. Add a little water to create steam → onions break down quicker.
  2. Add a little salt to draw moisture out.
  3. Example: onions normally take ~40 minutes; with water can reach golden caramelization sooner (around 20 minutes in the example).

Baking & Pastry Hacks

  1. Oven spring & crust (steam via ice)

    • Add ice on a tray at bottom of oven (not water).
    • Helps coloring and crust development; bottom stays softer while loaf springs back.

  2. Cookie dough shaping (even cooking)

    • Shape using parchment to form uniform cookies.
    • Roll parchment into a log/cylinder; freeze to set.
    • Add slight water to tray so paper sticks.
    • Bake until soft/gooey.
    • While warm: use ring cutter to remold/reset shape before it sets.

  3. Crispy croutons from old bread

    • Semi-freeze stale loaf; slice thin.
    • Bake between two trays for 15 minutes.

  4. Shortcrust pastry better texture

    • Use frozen butter.
    • Chill flour in freezer 1 hour before starting.
    • Grate frozen butter into cold flour for cold, even flakes.

  5. Cookie/cream piping bag hack (no piping bag)

    • Fold parchment into a triangle; lock folds so triangle becomes a bag.
    • Add melted chocolate through a small opening; tension keeps it closed.

  6. Cut cherry tomatoes fast

    • Layer tomatoes on a lid; place another lid inverted on top.
    • Use serrated knife for clean halving.

  7. Perfect “cartouche” lid for pans

    • Tear parchment into fold line; fold repeatedly into small triangle.
    • Place over pan; cut ~1/3 cm off-center where pan edge was to create an air hole.
    • Unravel and place over contents: traps moisture while protecting food.

Miscellaneous Service Hacks

  • Timers for meats: labeled timers for multiple proteins.
  • Bottles and hot oil / slow fill: suck air out; insert bottle top into liquid; tap down; repeat once more; cap (reduces mess and waste).
  • Board stability: use slip mat; at home use Kilner jar rubber seal(s) base as non-slip support.
  • Piping bag filling (less mess): hold piping bag fully open; use hand like a scraper to load cleanly.

Plating / Serving Cues

  • Poached eggs: described as having no feathery bits and “perfectly fried yolks.”
  • Fish: expected perfectly crispy skin and “glass-like finish.”
  • Caramelized onions: “beautifully golden, sticky.”
  • Salad leaves: drain and serve while still cold/fresh.
  • Berries: used as garnish/kept fresh for later.

Common Mistakes Referenced (and Fixes)

  • Mayo bowl moving: use cloth under bowl.
  • Steak crust inhibited by flaky salt: use fine salt bed for better contact on both sides.
  • Lumpy fish melt (faukatcha/béchamel-type): don’t use fridge-cold milk; warm to match temp, whisk thoroughly, finish faster.
  • Zest bitterness from pith exposure: zest top-to-bottom.
  • Dry herbs: wrap herbs in a damp towel in the fridge.
  • Stock skimming removes good stock: use the ice-filled ladle technique.
  • Over-salty sauces/stocks: potato absorbs salt; remove before disintegration.
  • Mayo splitting: fresh yolk + salt, add split mayo gradually.
  • Fish skin sticking: dry fish skin in fridge and/or use a thin mayo layer.
  • Steak resting errors: avoid no-wrap and foil-wrap; use butter paper/parchment.
  • Carving with the grain: slice against the grain.

Referenced Named Items / Attributions (from subtitles)

  • “Thomas Color” (chive-wrapping technique)
  • Mention of “Heston Blummental’s kitchen” (microwave onion anecdote)
  • “H Blummental” and “Cabernet Sauvignon vinegar” (sauce finishing example; brand/type named only as “Cabernet Svenon vinegar” due to subtitles)

Original video