Kitchen tips & tricks
The things we tell people at the stand when they ask how to cook the eggs and birds they just bought. No gadgets, no chef school — just what works.
No chicken stock on hand
Use 1 cup hot water with 1 tsp soy sauce and a small pat of butter. It won't taste identical, but it adds the salt and body most recipes need.
No whole egg
Use 3 tbsp aquafaba (liquid from canned chickpeas) as an egg substitute.
No buttermilk on hand
Stir 1 tbsp lemon juice or vinegar into 1 cup milk. Wait 5 minutes until it curdles, then use it straight across.
Cut corn over a bundt pan
Stand the cob in the center hole of a bundt pan and slice down. Kernels fall straight into the pan, not across your counter.
Poach chicken low and slow
Bring water to a bare simmer, around 170°F, then slide the chicken in. Never let it boil. It stays tender and juicy instead of rubbery.
Dry the surface first
Pat chicken skin and steak dry before they hit the pan. Wet meat steams and stays pale; dry meat browns and crisps.
A wooden spoon
One flat-edged wooden spoon handles stirring, scraping up fond, and testing oil heat. It won't scratch your pans or melt on a hot stove.
A splatter screen
Lay it over the pan when you fry chicken or render bacon. Grease stays in the pan, not on your stovetop, and you still get the steam out.
A spider skimmer
A wide wire-mesh spider pulls pasta, eggs, or fritters from hot water or oil in seconds. Around $12, and it saves you from draining a whole pot every time.
Baste with butter at the end
Once your chicken or chop is almost done, add a knob of butter, tip the pan, and spoon the foamy fat over the top for 60 seconds. It browns and bastes at the same time.
Baste with the pan fat
Tilt the pan, let the fat pool, and spoon it over chicken or fish every minute or so. You get more browning and flavor without flipping.
Mise en place
Everything in its place. Chop, measure, and line it all up before the heat goes on. It's the reason a line cook never looks rushed.
Questions we hear a lot
How do I know when chicken is done?
By temperature, not color. 165°F in the thickest part of the thigh. Pull it at 160 and let it rest — it finishes on the counter.
How long do farm eggs keep?
Unwashed on the counter, about 2 weeks. Washed and refrigerated, 5 to 6. Not sure? Float it — a sinker is fresh, a floater is past it.
Why is my scramble rubbery?
Heat's too high and you cooked it too long. Low flame, keep it moving, and pull the pan while they still look a touch wet.
Can I freeze a whole chicken?
Yes — up to a year at 0°F. Thaw it in the fridge, about 24 hours for every 4 pounds. Never on the counter.