Smoked Salt & Pepper

I hate to call these kitchen 'hacks' because I've had failed tries of using internet famous internet 'hacks'.  So these are just a few handy tips and tricks I've picked up over the years that I find handy and that actually work in streamlining cooking or kitchen organizing.  Some of these tips I picked up from my mom.  Some of them I picked up from roommates or friends.  Some of them I found on the internet and found useful. sharpen your knife before each time you use it I picked this up from an old roommate of mine.  He would sharpen (re-align) his knife before he used it every time.  It only takes half a minute, but makes a world of difference.  I mean, you get that stick thing sharpener in most knife blocks and sets anyway, so use it!  I try and do 10 alternating strokes on each side of the knife. Also, contrary to what most beginners think, a sharp knife is much safer to use than a dull knife. use the back of a spoon to peel ginger ...

Tonkatsu is usually Japanese-style fried pork.  I use the same technique for chicken breasts.  This is super simple and, like all fried things, delicious.  I have made this with pork; a more traditional tonkatsu.  This usually requires frying twice to ensure the pork is cooked through.  I have also experimented with baking in an oven at 425*F on a wire rack after misting the coated chicken with oil with good success. Chicken Tonkatsu 2 servings, Estimated time ~30 minutes Ingredients 2 chicken breasts 1 c. all purpose flour 1/4 tsp. salt 1 egg, beaten 1-2 cups panko bread crumbs canola oil for frying Tonkatsu sauce*, shredded green cabbage, and sushi rice to serve Directions: If chicken breasts are thicker than 1/2", pound slightly until uniformly about 1/2" thick Set up small separate bowls for flour and salt, beaten egg and 1 tbs. water, and panko bread crumbs.  Dredge the chicken breasts in flour, shake off any excess.  Dip in eg...

You know how you throw out or give away all the food in your fridge before you go on vacation? Yea, well it's a necessary evil of making sure you don't come home to a stinky house.  The problem with that, is it leaves you with no food when you come home from vacation and you're tired. And you have to unpack. And need to do 5 loads of laundry. Going grocery shopping is one of the last things on my mind when I come home from a trip. So I usually have a few things stocked in my pantry or freezer that I would consider 'staples'.  This is also helpful for if you have a baby and don't have time or the effort to have perishables.  And hate food waste.  I usually have some oatmeal and/or grits in the pantry for breakfast.  And I usually have some kind of seafood, ground beef, and chicken thighs or breasts in my freezer.  And I usually keep some parmesan cheese in my freezer.  So I happened to have some frozen shrimp in the freezer when we came home from o...