Give them a sleek and well-stocked kitchen, along with some high-quality ingredients, and chefs can work wonders. It’s their expertise, after all. However, what many people don’t realize is that chefs are also skilled at enhancing flavors and improving food without breaking the bank. They can take a basic weekly shopping list and transform it into a delicious feast with a few simple tricks. Expensive gadgets and rare ingredients aren’t necessary. From rediscovering traditional cooking methods to trendy seasoning techniques, here’s how you can maximize flavor while minimizing costs.
Before recycling jars of condiments like pesto, mayonnaise, tomato paste, or mustard, add some oil and shake vigorously. This creates a tasty salad dressing and ensures that no remnants go to waste, according to Samantha Harvey, the head chef at the Laundry in Brixton, London.
Don’t throw away leftover cheese rinds. Adding a parmesan rind to a meaty ragu while it cooks will add a strong and savory umami flavor, advises Tom Tsappis, the chef patron at Killiekrankie House in Perthshire, Scotland. Remember to remove it before serving. Alternatively, you can steep any old cheese rinds or hard cheese ends in milk for a day, then use the mixture to create a rich and intensely cheesy béchamel sauce. This method allows you to use less grated cheese in recipes like mornay sauce for fish or macaroni and cheese.
Simply diluting stock cubes in water barely scratches the surface of their potential. They can be used as a dry rub for roast meats or as a substitute for salt in everyday cooking. Seasoning expert Si Toft, owner of the Dining Room in Abersoch, Gwynedd, recommends creating compound stock butters by whisking three or four chicken stock cubes into softened butter. Roll the mixture, refrigerate, slice into coins, and freeze. These stock butter nuggets can be easily added to sauces, roasted vegetables, or steamed vegetables for a burst of flavor.
Next time you rinse white rice, save the starchy water to boil your vegetables. This traditional Japanese method helps remove bitterness from vegetables like daikon radish, according to Masaki Sugisaki, chef-owner at the restaurant Dinings SW3.
Batch cooking not only saves energy but also enhances flavor. Leafy vegetables don’t always hold up well when reheated, but meat- or pulse-based soups, stews, curries, and even certain salads retain their texture and develop stronger, more cohesive flavors after being frozen or refrigerated for 24 hours. The chemistry behind this phenomenon is complex, but the Japanese word “kokumi” is used to describe the increased complexity of flavors in reheated foods.
Anchovies and shiitake mushroom powder are secret flavor enhancers. Adding finely chopped anchovies or shiitake mushroom powder to stews or sauces provides a salty umami layer without overpowering the dish, recommends Sam Grainger, co-owner of Belzan in Liverpool and Madre in Manchester.
Saving fats from roasted meats is a practice that used to be common among home cooks but has been forgotten in recent times. Henry Omereye, executive chef at the Riding House cafes in London, advises freezing these flavorful fats in ice-cube trays for up to three months. Use the frozen fat to dress boiled potatoes, in rice stir-fries, or as a base for gravies. The result is added flavor without relying on salt or artificial additives.
To take instant gravy to the next level, dilute the meat juices with the cooking water from your potatoes, suggests Oli Marlow, head chef at Aulis, London. Another trick from Ben Mulock, executive chef at Balans in London, is to blend any vegetables used as aromatics (such as onion, carrots, and celery) under a roasting joint and add the puree to the gravy for added body and flavor. This eliminates the need for thickening flour which often causes lumps in gravy.
Chilli sauces are a versatile ingredient that can add depth to dishes like noodles, stir-fries, soups, and stews. Nina Matsunaga, head chef at the Black Bull in Sedbergh, Cumbria, suggests using chilli sauce instead of fresh chillies for a subtler and more well-rounded flavor. For vegans, shiitake mushroom powder can achieve a similar effect.
Seasoning with acidity is just as important as seasoning with salt. Lemony flavors can be achieved by adding finely grated lemon zest to pasta dishes, ratatouille, braised pork, or roast chicken, according to James Simpson, co-founder and chef at Owt in Leeds. Vinegar, such as moscatel vinegar, can be added to rich, buttery sauces or gravies to give them a lift, advises Phil King, executive chef at Pophams, London. Irina Georgescu, a cookery writer and author of Tava, also uses white wine vinegar to balance sweetness in cakes, mousses, and sauces.
Don’t pour away the brine from jars of pickled capers or gherkins. Chefs like Jun Tanaka, chef-owner at the Ninth, London, use this brine to create interesting vinaigrettes. Mix the brine with oil and other seasonings to taste for a flavorful dressing. Aktar Islam, chef-owner of Opheem, Birmingham, uses jalapeno brine to enhance the flavor of tuna or egg mayo sandwiches. Orange zest and olive brine can be combined to create a flavored aioli for grilled salmon. Adding a drop of olive brine to a ragu can provide the acidity needed to balance the flavors.
Sugar is an underrated ingredient in savory cooking. Using a small amount of sugar when caramelizing onions enhances their flavor without making them overly sweet, explains Irina Georgescu. Tsappis recommends adding sugar to tomato sauce as a way to compensate for the lack of intensely flavored tomatoes. When making carrot and coriander or parsnip soup, the natural sugars in the vegetables can be amplified to create a more flavorful dish.
To lock in sweetness and acidity, chefs traditionally used sugar-vinegar reductions called gastriques.
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