Top 11 Best Cooking Tips for You

1. Keeping Bananas Fresh

Bananas are a type of fruit that provides many nutrients such as Vitamin B6, vitamin C, Manganese, Potassium, Magnesium, etc. Besides, bananas are also a source of food rich in fiber to support digestion, reduce cholesterol in the blood, etc. It can be said that this is a fruit that is both delicious and nutritious. However, unlike other fruits, ripe bananas spoil very quickly. So, what is the most effective way to preserve ripe bananas?

• Wrap plastic wrap around the stem part of the banana to keep them fresh longer. Bananas will not turn black and the covered part will still retain moisture. If you don't have food wrap, you can use aluminum foil. Wrap the whole bunch of bananas or cut each banana separately and wrap them, then store them in a dry place (It is better to cut them separately rather than wrap the whole bunch of bananas). With this method, ripe bananas can stay fresh for up to another week. Therefore, when buying bananas, you should only buy ripe ones to keep them longer.
• Preserving ripe bananas in the refrigerator only keeps them ripe for over a week, but it's enough for your whole family to consume. You just need to wrap ripe bananas in a zip-lock bag, vacuum seal them, and store them in the cool compartment of the refrigerator.
• For peeled ripe bananas, you should slice them thinly and spread them evenly on a baking sheet, then put them in the freezer for about 2 hours. After that, take out the bananas and put them in a container, then store them in the freezer compartment of the refrigerator. With this method of preserving ripe bananas, the time for bananas not to spoil can be extended up to 3 months. Note that you must store peeled ripe bananas in the freezer compartment; if not, no matter how well you wrap them, the bananas will still spoil quickly.

2. Preserving Avocado

If you're a fan of avocados but they only ripen a few months a year. How to keep avocados fresh and still last long? Here are some surprisingly simple and effective tips for storing ripe avocados in the refrigerator, read and apply right away!

• Preserve ripe avocados with lemon: Brush a little lemon juice on the surface of the avocado then put it in a ziplock bag or vacuum bag to put it in the refrigerator freezer compartment. Storing avocados with lemon helps prevent the outer layer from turning brown due to direct exposure to air.
• Preserve ripe avocados with olive oil: Similar to preserving with lemon, brush a thin layer of olive oil on the halved avocado and put it in a plastic wrap or a sealed container. This layer of oil acts as a protective barrier for avocados from factors that cause spoilage. Avocados used for sauces are preserved this way.
• Preserve ripe avocados with onions: Put avocados together with onions and cover them tightly. At this point, the substances in the onion released to help inhibit the enzymes that promote oxidation, causing avocados to deteriorate. Mold, bacteria in the air cannot be eliminated, but with this method, it will greatly reduce their growth rate. Avocados used for savory dishes are preserved this way.
• Preserve ripe avocados by crushing: This is the optimal method of avocado preservation if you want to maximize space in the refrigerator. First, use a spoon to scoop all the avocado flesh into a container or ziplock bag, then squeeze a little lemon juice in. Crush the avocado so that the lemon juice mixes evenly into the avocado flesh. Finally, just cover the container or bag tightly and put it in the refrigerator freezer compartment. Depending on the amount of avocado, you should not add too much lemon, at most about 2 teaspoons of lemon juice. Don't worry about the sour taste of lemon affecting the flavor of the avocado. According to nutrition experts, lemon juice helps preserve the color and nutrients of avocados most intact.

Onions are a commonly used spice in Vietnamese cuisine. Along with garlic, ginger... onions are often bought in large quantities and stored in the kitchen. If stored properly, onions can stay fresh for 3 to 5 months.

• If you want to keep a bulb of onion in the refrigerator, just spread a little butter on the cut surface of the onion bulb. Then wrapping half of the onion in a plastic bag will help it retain its color and not wither away.
• If not used up, you should store onions in a mesh bag, paper bag, or use stockings... Putting each bulb in a bag will make them last longer than putting them all together in one place. Note that you need to create air holes for the onions to breathe, avoiding low humidity and rotting. By putting onions in stockings, tying a knot for each bulb, and then putting them all in one after another until finished. This not only helps isolate the onions but also provides a dry, well-ventilated environment, good moisture absorption to keep the onions for a long time.

Spinach and herbs should be stored in special plastic boxes with zipper locks, specially designed for storing green vegetables. These boxes often have multiple compartments, with plastic grooves to allow good air circulation or air vents.

If you don't have these boxes, you can use plastic bags with zipper locks with absorbent paper to store vegetables. Place 1 or 2 sheets of absorbent paper inside the plastic bag, put the vegetables in, and zip it up. The absorbent paper will absorb moisture because the plastic bag does not have steam vents. You can apply this method to spinach, watercress, chives, coriander, and some similar vegetables.

Typically, adding water to fix overly salty dishes diminishes the natural flavors of vegetables, meats, and seafood. Consider these tricks instead!

• Use egg whites: If your soup or broth is too salty, drop whole, unbeaten egg whites from chicken or duck into the pot, let them sit for 5 minutes in the boiling liquid, then remove them. They'll absorb some of the excess salt, restoring a balanced taste.
• Opt for raw potatoes: If you've accidentally oversalted a stir-fry, fear not. Grab some raw potatoes from the fridge, as they're excellent at absorbing excess salt. Peel them, slice thinly, and add them to the pan for 15 minutes. Remember to remove them before serving. Each potato slice will help mitigate the saltiness. This method works well for soups, stews, and stir-fries.
• Try lemon juice: Lemon juice is a fantastic salt reducer without compromising the flavor profile of your dish. However, be cautious when using lemon juice in dishes with dairy products, as its acidic nature may cause curdling, which isn't ideal. Simply add lemon juice to your dish sparingly, especially if it contains dairy ingredients.
• Employ honey: Besides its beauty benefits, honey also acts as a salt diminisher and flavor enhancer due to its natural sweetness and aroma. Just a small spoonful of honey added to your dish can resolve the saltiness issue and elevate its taste effortlessly.

Many delicious dishes require the addition of onions for the right flavor, but most people hate and fear them because they make your eyes water when you cut them. When you cut onions, they release a solvent containing the gas propanethial sulfoxide, which irritates the eyes.

• Before you start cutting onions, try spraying a little fresh lemon juice on the cutting board and knife. Lemon juice can help dissipate that onion smell.
• Chill the onions before cutting: The cells in onions react more slowly when they are chilled. Therefore, you should peel them and put them in the refrigerator's freezer compartment for 10 to 15 minutes.
• Chew gum or any food while cutting onions: Chewing gum or any food in your mouth will encourage you to breathe through your mouth, thereby reducing the chance of onion vapors reaching your eyes.
• Use a potato to rub both sides of the knife: Use a fresh potato wedge to rub both sides of the knife, then cut onions and peppers comfortably without worrying about eye irritation.
• Apply a little vinegar on the cutting board: Apply a little vinegar to the cutting board, or mix vinegar with water in a 50/50 ratio, as vinegar can stop the sulfur reaction. If this mixture is not effective, try using only vinegar to spray on the cutting board. However, this may affect the taste of cooked onions.

Sometimes, after cracking an egg into the pan, you realize it's bad or tastes off. You end up wasting both the egg and the time spent cleaning the pan. Even worse, cracking a bad egg together with fresh ones means you have to discard them all. Therefore, before using eggs, you should check their freshness using the following methods:

• Use a toothpick: Insert a toothpick straight into the egg yolk. If the toothpick stands upright, the egg is fresh. If the toothpick tilts, it's old.
• Float test: Place an egg in a bowl or glass filled with water. If it sinks to the bottom, it's fresh. If it begins to float and doesn't touch the bottom, it's still okay to use, but you should use it as soon as possible. If it floats to the top, discard it immediately.
• Chopstick method: Use a pair of chopsticks to gently prod the egg yolk. A fresh egg will have a firm, elastic yolk that doesn't break. An old egg's yolk will break easily.

7. Checking Egg Freshness

8. Removing Fishy Odor from Fish

Fish is a common ingredient in many family meals. However, when preparing fish, homemakers often struggle to remove the fishy odor.

• Rice washing water: When cooking rice, don't discard the rice washing water as it has many uses, one of which is to eliminate the fishy odor of fish. After cleaning the fish, you can cut it into bite-sized pieces and soak them in rice washing water for about 15 - 20 minutes. Then, remove and rinse the fish with clean water.
• Salt: You can dissolve a little salt in water (making it slightly salty) and soak the fish for about 5 - 10 minutes. Alternatively, you can rub salt on the fish, scale it, and then clean it. Using salt can reduce the sliminess and effectively remove the fishy odor. Finally, just rinse the fish with water before cooking.
• Alcohol or vinegar: When washing the fish, you can add a few tablespoons of white alcohol or vinegar to the water, then soak the fish for about 5 minutes before rinsing it with water.
• Ginger: When you buy ginger, crush and slice it. Then, soak it in water along with the fish for about 5 minutes. Ginger is very effective in removing the fishy odor and enhancing the flavor of your dish.
• Fresh unsweetened milk: After cleaning the fish, you can soak it in fresh unsweetened milk for a few minutes before cooking. Fresh milk helps soften the fish meat and effectively removes the fishy odor.
• Lime: Lime is a common fruit that almost everyone has at home. Lime has many uses, but its most effective one is removing the fishy odor. Squeeze lime juice into warm water, then soak the fish for about 5 - 7 minutes, and rinse thoroughly with water to completely eliminate the fishy odor.
• Spices: A method that many homemakers use to remove the fishy odor from fish is to use aromatic spices for marinating, such as ginger, garlic, cloves, and pepper. This method not only effectively removes the fishy odor but also enhances the flavor of your fish dish.

Mangoes are a commonly cultivated fruit in many Asian, Latin American, and Indian countries. The antioxidants and vitamins present in mangoes are beneficial for the body in supporting cancer prevention, improving memory, etc. To preserve these nutrients when consuming mangoes, Mytour will share with you some of the best methods to store mangoes.

• Method 1: Preserving Whole Fresh Mangoes: For whole fresh mangoes, first, you need to rinse them clean as soon as you buy them. Wash mangoes under a small, strong stream of water to clean off any dirt on the outer skin of the fruit. Then, prepare a saltwater solution and soak the mangoes for 5 minutes. Avoid prolonged soaking to prevent altering the fruit's contents. Rinse thoroughly with a soft cloth, especially the stem end. This is the part prone to bacterial invasion, causing spoilage, rot, and mold. Dry the mangoes with a fan for a few minutes. The final step is to place the mangoes in net bags, wrap them tightly, and store them in the cool compartment with a temperature of about 15°C. Avoid storing mangoes in the freezer or at too low a temperature. Mangoes are more prone to spoilage when transferred from low to room temperature. Additionally, homemakers should pay attention when using lime powder on the fruit's nipple for preservation because it only works for a short period. The best approach is to preserve mangoes in anolyte water for safety.
• Method 2: Dicing Mangoes into Pomegranate-Like Seeds for Preservation: Wash and peel the mangoes. Then, cut the mango flesh into small pomegranate-like pieces. Arrange the diced mangoes on a tray, making sure not to stack them on top of each other. Place the mango tray in the freezer for about 3 - 5 hours, depending on the ripeness of the mangoes you purchased. After freezing, remove and place them in zip-lock bags for frozen items. With this method, you can store them for up to 10 months.
• Mangoes are typically consumed immediately after cutting. If not consumed all at once, sprinkle a little salt on them before storing them in the refrigerator. This will keep them fresh longer.

Boiled vegetables are a simple yet nutritious dish, but not everyone knows how to boil vegetables to keep them green, crisp, and ensure they retain their nutrients.

• Adding salt to the boiling water: The first step is to use salt. When the water is boiling, add salt to keep the vegetables green. The proper ratio is a small spoon of salt for every half-liter of boiling water. Wait until the water is boiling before adding the vegetables because many vitamins are lost and dissolve immediately after the vegetables are put in the water. Then simmer gently for 2 to 5 minutes depending on the type of vegetable. After 30 seconds, flip the vegetables and test for tenderness. Salt will raise the water temperature, making the vegetables greener. Pay attention to this point, the amount of salt added should be appropriate, otherwise your boiled vegetables will be as salty as soup.
• Putting boiled vegetables in ice water: A secret to keeping boiled vegetables green and fresh for many hours is to put them in a bowl of filtered water with a few small ice cubes. Then let the vegetables cool completely before removing them, draining them, and transferring them to a plate.
• Adding cooking oil to the boiling water: Adding cooking oil to the pot of water for boiling vegetables will not take much time to cool after boiling. Thanks to the thin layer of oil covering the outside, the vegetables will be greener and shinier when boiled. At the same time, the layer of cooking oil can also help the vegetables stay green longer without changing color. However, boiling vegetables in this way will have less grease foam, depending on the taste of each family whether to use it or not, and you can choose the appropriate way to boil vegetables.
• Squeezing lemon or vinegar: In addition to adding salt or cooking oil to the boiling water, another method is to squeeze a few drops of lemon or vinegar into the pot of boiling vegetables. Doing so can both maintain the color of the vegetables and not lose the original flavor of the vegetables. A few drops of lemon or vinegar are also very useful in enhancing the flavor and preserving the color of some vegetables such as broccoli, carrots, etc.
• Boiling temperature: To keep the green color of the vegetables intact, when boiling vegetables, before adding the vegetables, you need to boil the water with a high flame, so that the water boils vigorously before adding the vegetables. If you let the water boil or boil gently before adding the vegetables, then when the vegetables are cooked, the color of the vegetables will definitely turn yellow.

To prevent oil splatter when frying, sprinkle a little flour in the pan before adding the fish. For beautifully golden fried dishes, especially spring rolls, when heating the oil, squeeze a few drops of lemon juice into the pan.