Pan trick
If you have a stainless pan but you need it nonstick. Heat pan until smoking then wipe with a paper towel that has cooking oil on it. This will create a film that will make it non stick for a while.
Eggs are delicate take your time with them
Always let your steaks come to room temp before putting them on the grill.
There in NO equivalent for BUTTER!
A decent knife that feels right to you.
Keep your knives sharp hone on steel every time you pick it up. Sharpen your knives more often, you should learn how to do this yourself. Most professional services are not doing kind things to your steel.
+1
I work in a kitchen where the other chef doesn't do this and it really winds me up having to take a knife back to the stone so often. I've got knives at home that can go 6 months+ without having to be honed as I use the steel before and after prep and it keeps them extremely sharp.
Another tip for jalapeños is to char their skins over a flame until blackened and place in a plastic bag to cool. Scrape off the char and you'll find they've got a much deeper flavour, this way they also stand up well to cooking in stews or chilli and it ensures you won't end up with strands of pepper skin in your meal.
And one more - you know you eat too many chillis when you instinctively rub your eyes with your knuckles
Great point on the jalapenos Slash. It takes far more than a casual rinse to get the heat off your hands. Any part of your body you touch that does not have a callous can become uncomfortable. I don't want to be fired as a steward here so I'm trying to use politically correct terms. You must really wash well with soap and water before you head off from the kitchen for a Bio-break.
Probe thermometer is my fav gadget by far. I have not over/under cooked any thick piece of meat in years since getting one of these things.+1 ... I left behind 2 of them when I vacated my last place I lived, and I miss them already. (and I need to add it to my Renter's Insurance claim ... note to self.)
Those things are terrific for hitting the "doneness" right on. Mine was a Pyrex that you could program for Beef, Chicken, Pork, etc ... and it was adjustable for rare / med / well / etc.
It didn't always get it right, but if it was wrong, it was usually my fault ... I set the grill too high or did not thaw fully or put the probe in wrong.
Any recommendations on a Top-Shelf replacement(s)? I think I spent a grand total of $12 on these two, one was a Pyrex and the other was a Radio$hack ... but they both served me well until 3 weeks ago, but they had to take one for the team and while we can mourn them in their passing, their mortal remains will be considered permanently MIA. I hope my ex-landlord gets as much use out of them as I did the last 15 years, because they will probably last just as long if he takes care of them ... he won't.
BTW, I can go up to $50 for new kitchen temps and timers, I'll be needing several, and a good old-fashioned egg-timer with the fine sand is always cute to have on your desk. My vendor of choice is Amazon Prime.
+1 on the brine. Supermarket chickens here are pretty bland, but overnight in a simple salt and sugar brine makes a difference you wouldn't believe. Well, perhaps you would since you brought the subject up!
Is it still very salty then when you cook it? I thought supermarket chicken would have already been injected with lots of salt water to fatten them up.