Oftentimes, cooking-related New Year's resolutions are too ambitious to actually keep. This year, instead of vowing to master a daunting baking project or difficult recipe, start small! Think of each of these small cooking challenges as mini resolutions to master that will collectively make you a much better cook — a skill that will last far beyond 2017. From finally making the perfect scrambled eggs to learning more efficient ways to store vegetables, these are the cooking resolutions you'll be glad you made.
Learn how to cut a lime the right way.
Your margaritas and guacamole will be better than ever once you stop cutting your limes in half and start cutting them the right way instead.
Get the tip: how to cut a lime [4]
Scramble eggs with ghee.
One of a few crucial secrets to scrambling the perfect eggs is using a nonstick agent that's best for high-heat cooking, like ghee (clarified butter). Butter can easily burn, and olive oil isn't best suited for high heat.
Get the recipe: the best way to scramble eggs [5]
Buy a block of parmesan cheese instead of the preshredded kind.
I hate to break it to you, but your parmesan cheese is probably sawdust [6]! Buy a block of parmesan cheese instead, and you'll taste all the difference — it's worth the few extra dollars.
Get the recipe: parmesan garlic spaghetti [7]
Cook mashed potatoes in cream.
You'll never make mashed potatoes another way once you try Tyler Florence's recipe, which calls for cooking the potatoes in the cream (plus garlic and herbs) and then folding the cream back into the potatoes after draining them. The result is much creamier and more flavorful mashed potatoes than ones cooked in water.
Get the recipe: Tyler Florence's mashed potatoes [8]
Cook chicken with a brick.
A (clean) brick seems like an unlikely cooking tool, but it actually works wonders on pan-roasted chicken.
Get the recipe: Chrissy Teigen's brick chicken [9]
Learn to salt water properly.
One of those cooking basics that's tough to nail if you're unsure is adding the correct amount of salt to boiling water for pasta. Make this the year that you finally use the right amount every time — which is probably a lot more than you're using.
Get the tip: salt to water ratio [10]
Grind your own meat for burger patties — without a meat grinder.
It takes so little effort to make your own ground-beef patties for burgers; the trick is to use sirloin steak tips and a food processor.
Get the recipe: America's Test Kitchen's burger recipe [11]
Measure spaghetti the right way.
You know how it's basically impossible to measure out a perfect portion of spaghetti? The secret to getting it spot on every time is using your spaghetti spoon to measure the dry pasta.
Get the tip: how to measure spaghetti [12]
Try making a pan sauce for pasta.
A garlic white wine sauce is one of the best things you could put on pasta, and it's one of those techniques you'll use again and again.
Get the recipe: spaghetti with garlic and white wine sauce [13]
Discover the easiest way to peel a hard-boiled egg.
A hands-free method for peeling hard-boiled eggs exists, and it will totally change your life.
Get the tip: easy way to peel hard-boiled eggs [14]
Try making breakfast for the whole week on a Sunday.
If you've never tried grab-and-go egg muffins, now's the time to get on board. You'll stop skipping breakfast once and for all if you prep these cheesy bite-size muffins at the beginning of the week.
Get the recipe: kale and caramelized onion egg muffins [15]
DIY frothy milk for your coffee without a milk frother.
Upgrade your coffee routine by making your own frothy milk to top off your coffee — no fancy machine required.
Get the tip: how to make frothy milk in the microwave [16]
Make your own pesto.
Homemade pesto is ridiculously easy to make, and it tastes good on everything from pasta to chicken and fish.
Get the recipe: basil pesto [17]
Try a one-pot pasta recipe that really works.
Some one-pot pasta recipes turn out to be failures, but once you find one that actually works, you'll want to make it over and over again. Postdinner cleanup becomes an absolute breeze.
Get the recipe: one-pot fettuccine alfredo [18]
Cook a medium-rare steak.
Stop playing guessing games and risking overcooked steak with this no-fail method for medium-rare steak.
Get the tip: how to cook a medium-rare steak [19]
Mince garlic with a microplane.
Streamline the tedious task of mincing garlic with a knife by using a microplane instead. Not only is this a much faster method, but it also allows the garlic to infuse butter and olive oil even more, creating a more flavorful dish.
Get the tip: quickest way to chop garlic [20]
Store greens the right way.
Say goodbye to wilted greens for good with this ingenious hack for keeping them fresh.
Get the tip: how to store greens [21]
Scramble eggs in bacon fat.
If you're making bacon and eggs anyway, you might as well cook the eggs in the residual bacon fat. The fatty liquid adds a lot of flavor to scrambled eggs, and it's a substitution for butter or oil.
Get the tip: how to scramble eggs in bacon fat [22]
Make your pour-over coffee taste better.
Make your pour-over coffee taste even better by making a few small adjustments, like aerating the coffee.
Get the tip: tips for pour-over coffee [23]
Make your own hummus.
Hummus is just one of the store-bought items you should make at home [24].
Get the recipe: easy hummus recipe [25]