10 Genius Rachael Ray Cooking Tips You Should Have Memorized

For someone who runs a food blog and is a food writer, you might be surprised to learn I wasn't always as comfortable in the kitchen as I am today. As a newlywed, we ate a lot of convenience foods, but when our first son was born a year later, I started watching cooking shows to up my kitchen game. One of the Food Network starts I learned the most from was Rachael Ray.

I loved that she was a home-taught cook, not a chef, and her simple meals, love of food and passion for sharing what she knew made me a super fan. I loved watching 30 Minute Meals, where not only did I learn to cook some fantastic recipes, but I also picked up some tips and tricks that I still use all these years later.

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Who is Rachael Ray?

For those who don't know, Rachael Ray is an American cook, author, television personality and businesswoman.

Growing up around cooking, she eventually got a job at a gourmet market in Albany, NY. She was a buyer at the store and began teaching a 30-Minute Meal class to promote grocery sales. The local TV station heard about Rach and gave her a regular segment in the evening news. That show was wildly popular and led to her first cookbook. She eventually made an appearance on The Today Show, signed with Food Network—and the rest is television history.

She also had her talk show for seventeen seasons, has written dozens of cookbooks, created a pet food line, started her charity, Yum-O, and now runs her own production company.

Related: 20 Easy 30-Minute Low-Carb Meals

Why is Rachael Ray so popular?

While I could try to put into words my thoughts on this question, one Quora user summed it up perfectly. "She's accessible, and helps people feel more confident about cooking. Plus her recipes and techniques are simple..."

These are the exact reasons I became such a fan too. The way she cooked made me feel like I could do it too, and the simplicity of what she was making never intimidated me. Her recipes and cooking tips gave me the building blocks for what I do now.

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10 Best Rachael Ray Tips & Tricks

I've learned a ton from Rach, but these are the ten tips that I've used so many times they're committed to memory. They've become second nature to me while I cook. I hope some of them help you and inspire you to feel more confident in the kitchen.

1. Use A Garbage Bowl

The first time I heard Rachel talk about having a "garbage bowl" next to the cutting board while she prepped a meal, I knew she was a genius. Who wants to make multiple trips to the trash can while they're prepping for dinner? After a long day, cooking supper is exhausting enough. With a garbage bowl you collect all scraps in one place, so you can just make one trip.

Keep in mind that these food scraps don't have to go in the trash. You can stick them in a resealable plastic freezer bag and stash them in the freezer for stock or you can compost them.

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2. Stir Cheese In A Figure 8 Pattern

This is a perfect example of how Rachael took the intimidation out of a basic cooking skill and through her quirky tip taught me something that I swear by now. Homemade bechamel and cheese sauces always scared me, but as soon as I tried this, I had complete success! When adding cheese to any sauce, stir it in a figure-eight pattern for the best results. It melts evenly, doesn't clump and comes out perfectly smooth every time. Why? I'm not sure and I don't even know if Rachael knows, but it works and that is good enough for me!

3. Cube Potatoes the Right Way

Any time I have to chop potatoes into cubes for potato salad, potato soup, home fries, etc, I use Rachael's method to get perfect same-size pieces every time. First, cut one end off the potato to "give it feet" (Rachael's term) and make it sturdy. Slice downward to create potato planks. Cut the planks into sticks (stop here for the best fry shape) and then chop those into cubes. Making sure the cubes are the same size not only looks nice but also helps to ensure even cooking.

4. Using A Bench Scraper

Before I watched Rachael cook, I didn't even know what a bench scraper was. The tool was originally designed for bakers and pastry chefs to cut and shape dough, but she used hers to easily transfer piles of prepped ingredients from her cutting board to a pot or skillet. It saves time, makes less mess and is just one of those things I automatically do without even thinking about it. Extra Tip: While this method is fantastic for chopped veggies it will change your life the first time you use it for chopped eggs!

5. Season Meat From Above

Before there was Salt Bae, there was Rachael Ray. This is a two-for-one tip: First if you aren't keeping your cooking salt and pepper in cellars on your countertop, start! That way when you need to season anything, you can easily use your fingers to do so. Second, when it comes time to sprinkle any meat with salt and pepper, sprinkle from above so you can see exactly where the seasoning is landing. Watch it fall evenly onto the meat's surface and know without a doubt how much you've added.

6. Grate Your Garlic

My very top tip will be later, but this is my second favorite. I always loathed chopping garlic because of the mess, the smell on my hands and how long it takes. As soon as Rachael showed me how I could easily grate garlic into any dish using a zester, it was life-changing. Quickly grate one or many cloves, and then give the zester a tap to release it from the underside. Pro Tip: A Microplane grater is also what you can use to grate fresh nutmeg into all those holiday baked goods, make fluffy piles of Parmesan cheese and zest any and every citrus fruit, so the investment is well worth it.

7. Measure Oil With a Turn of the Pan

We all know Rachael Ray made the term EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) famous, but the thing I remember about her using it frequently is explaining that when you're adding oil to a skillet, you don't need to reach for the measuring spoon or cup. Instead, count the turns of the pan you make. One turn around the circumference equals one tablespoon. Easy to remember, easy to adapt and it makes for one less utensil to wash when you're done.

8. Cut Corn Off The Cob Using Two Bowls

Being a born and raised Hoosier, you know corn has always been a staple in my kitchen. I have vivid memories of my parents prepping cob after cob to be frozen, with the kernels going everywhere and making a huge mess. No more, thanks to Rachael. She showed me how to put a smaller bowl upside down inside a larger one, stand an ear of corn on its end on the small bowl and slice downward. The larger bowl collects all the kernels! I happened to have these mini ears in the freezer, but this trick works for corn of any size.

9. Measure Dried Herbs in the Palm of Your Hand

Rachael is all about saving time, in both cooking and the clean-up. Measuring dried herbs and spices in your palm makes a recipe quicker, and after a while of doing it becomes second nature. One palmful equals about one tablespoon and proves that cooking doesn't have to be an exact science. The exception? Baking! Be sure to bust out those measuring spoons when you are whipping a batch of cookies!

10. Score Ground Beef With Your Hand

Finally, we have reached my favorite Rachael Ray tip of all time! Before I learned this trick, I was infamous for having three normal-sized hamburger patties, and then the mini fourth one. No matter how hard I tried I could never get them portioned evenly. Then Rach came along with this hands-on hack! Score the meat with the back of your hand into however many portions you want. Here I am making four burgers, but it works for larger amounts too, say when you're making meatballs.

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