With convenience becoming the most important thing for people and high-tech kitchen gadgets taking over traditional craft, it’s easy to forget about the tried-and-tested cooking tricks that people used to swear by in the past. These old-fashioned cooking methods helped make more flavorful and complex dishes and encouraged people to slow down and experience the joy of cooking. No matter whether you’re an expert or a beginner in the kitchen, give these 18 old-fashioned cooking techniques a go.
Braising
Braising is a timeless cooking technique that gives a dish a deeper, richer flavor and makes meat melt in your mouth! You start by searing the meat or vegetables on a high heat then simmer it in a liquid typically filled with onions, garlic, and herbs to create the flavor, and this flavor gets infused into your dish. Braising is a great way to make hearty, comforting food that’s tender, succulent, and full of flavor.
Slow Cooking
Another recently overlooked cooking method you can use to tenderize meat and develop rich flavors is slow cooking. Whereas braising is better for smaller cuts of meat, slow cooking is better suited to larger cuts. Slow cooking is great for making soups, stews, and roasts, and it requires minimal effort, as you just need to fill the slow cooker then leave it to do its thing and work its magic!
Making Stock From Scratch
According to Time Magazine, “within the last few years, 80% of Americans say they’ve felt a notable increase in the cost of groceries–and more than a quarter have said they’ve occasionally skipped meals as a result of rising costs.” Making things like stock from scratch out of things you already have in your kitchen can save you money in your grocery shop. You can make homemade stocks and broths with different vegetables, herbs, and spices.
Using Cast Iron Pans
Most people probably don’t have a cast iron pan sitting in their drawer these days; however, this was a staple in the kitchen back in the day. Cast iron pans can hold onto heat really well, and they evenly distribute the heat across the pan. This makes cooking on your stove-top or in your oven so much easier and gives more consistent results. Try using a cast iron pan for cooking steaks, frying chicken, or almost anything else!
Crushing Fresh Spices
Crushing fresh spices is an age-old technique that unlocks their rich flavors and aromas. Using a traditional pestle and mortar or a spice grinder to break down whole spices before cooking will make sure they release as much flavor as possible into your dish. Preparing spices this way will make them much stronger than the pre-ground spices most people use nowadays. Taking the time to crush fresh spices will always level up your cooking!
Marinating Overnight
Nobody wants plain and bland-tasting meat, so why not use the old trick of marinating your meat overnight to infuse it with delicious flavors? It might seem like a lot of effort, but time does most of the work for you. Either create your own or buy a pre-made marinade and soak your meat in it overnight to let it absorb all the taste of the marinade. This little bit of prep can make the next day’s dinner much more enjoyable!
Seasoning
Seasoning is a fundamental part of cooking that can sometimes be overlooked by people who see cooking as more of a chore than an art. Before convenience became the most important thing, people would spend more time carefully seasoning their food. Salt and pepper is the bare minimum, and getting to grips with using seasoning to balance flavors can enhance the natural tastes of your ingredients. Seasoning can transform simple dishes into masterpieces!
Caramelizing Onions
Onions are an essential ingredient that’s used in so many different recipes all around the world. Take your onions to the next level by caramelizing them to create a more powerful taste. To caramelize onions, you simply need to cook them on low heat for a while (it’s that easy). Using this technique breaks down the sugars in the onion, which releases more flavor. This old-fashioned tip can elevate any dish!
Creatively Using Leftovers
The Atlantic reports that “almost a third of the food that American households buy is wasted.” Rather than contributing to this, wasting your money, and throwing away your leftovers, take a leaf out of an old-fashioned cookbook and get creative with it. You could use leftover vegetables to make a soup, put cooked meat in a stir-fry or casserole, or turn your stale bread into croutons or bread pudding. The possibilities are endless!
Making Sauces from Scratch
A good sauce can save almost any dish. If your meat is dry, add a sauce. If your meal is bland, add a sauce. Sauces can make your meal so much better, so try making your own sauces from scratch like grandma used to and really go the extra mile with your cooking! You can make savory sauces, pasta sauces, sweet sauces for desserts, or whatever else your brain can think up.
Preserving Herbs
The art of preserving has disappeared from most homes in modern times. People used to preserve many things, including herbs, to keep them fresh and maintain their flavor. To preserve fresh herbs, people would quickly blanch them, chop them, and mix them with oil or softened butter. This trick lengthens the herbs’ shelf life and helps it hold onto its flavor so that you can use it for longer without sacrificing flavor.
Simmering Gravy
People used to make so much by hand in the past, and the time and effort they would spend on cooking is something many of us couldn’t even imagine these days. Cooking up homemade gravy might be kind of a lengthy process, and you’ll definitely need some patience, but I promise it’ll be worth the wait! Throw some herbs, spices, and other ingredients in a pan full of water and let the simmering do the rest.
Brining
If you want to stop your chicken from being dry, the old-fashioned technique of brining is the way forward! Brining is a helpful trick where you soak your chicken in water, salt, sugar, and your chosen herbs and spices for multiple hours to season and add moisture to the meat. As well as chicken, you can brine other poultry, pork, or even seafood to make them juicy and create additional layers of flavor.
Using Seasonal Ingredients
Seasonal ingredients often taste better, are more nutritious, and are better for the environment. Verywell Health highlights that “out-of-season produce may travel hundreds or thousands of miles to reach your local supermarket, which can be more expensive and less sustainable.” Produce that’s out-of-season can also have less nutrients due to being picked too soon and its transportation. So next time you’re at the grocery store, choose the fruit and veg that’s in season!
Using Buttermilk in Baking
Some of you might’ve never even heard of buttermilk, but it was a popular baking ingredient in times gone by. Mixing buttermilk in with your other ingredients when you’re baking can give your baked goods a softer and more moist texture. Buttermilk also has quite a strong taste, so it can add flavor to your baking. Make anything like cakes, biscuits, pancakes, or muffins a bit more luxurious with this old tip.
Leaving the Bone In
Leaving the bone in when cooking meat is a traditional practice that improves its taste and texture. The bones conduct the heat when cooking, which helps the meat cook more evenly, and they release marrow and collagen during the cooking process, making the meat more succulent and giving it a deeper flavor. You can leave the bone in when braising, roasting, and even grilling meats for great results.
Cooking with Bacon Fat
In the past, people wouldn’t waste anything when cooking, not even the fat and drippings from their bacon! They would save the bacon fat and use it for cooking other dishes. Bacon fat has a savory, smoky flavor that can enhance the taste of other foods when used in the cooking process. Try using bacon drippings next time you saute some vegetables, fry eggs, or roast potatoes, and see the yummy results for yourself.
Cooking with Citrus
Bring back the old-fashioned trick of using citrus in cooking and baking to add another level of flavor to your food. The acidity of lemons, limes, oranges, and grapefruits can complement both sweet and savory dishes, and citrus juice can also tenderize meat, balance rich flavors, and enhance marinades, dressings, and sauces. You can use the zest of citrus fruits in baking and garnishing too, as it contains aromatic oils that offer a more concentrated taste.
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