21 Things I Learned How to Do in the Kitchen This Year

POPSUGAR Photography
POPSUGAR Photography

This year will forever be the year I discovered the Instant Pot, June Oven, and Airfryer. I cooked cheaper and smarter than ever before. I wanted to gather everything I learned in one year and share it so that you may be inspired to take on a new cooking technique or invest in a gadget that will make cooking seem less daunting.

Blend Up Chocolate Avocado Toast
POPSUGAR Photography | Anna Monette Roberts

Blend Up Chocolate Avocado Toast

Avocado toast has been all the rage, but did you know sweet avocado toasts exist too? This one is sweetened with honey and flavored with cocoa powder.

Get the recipe: chocolate avocado toast

Bake Sheet-Pan Eggs
POPSUGAR Photography | Erin Cullum

Bake Sheet-Pan Eggs

Sheet-pan eggs took the internet by storm. The idea is baking up a sheet pan full of eggs and slicing it into squares. It's like a quiche, only thinner, so you can actually top it over toast quite easily.

Get the recipe: sheet-pan eggs

Toss Together Avocado Pasta
POPSUGAR Photography | Anna Monette Roberts

Toss Together Avocado Pasta

Warm avocado always sounds strange to me, but I surprisingly loved tossing pasta in a creamy sauce made of avocado. It's like a lightened-up version of pesto and alfredo.

Get the recipe: avocado pasta

Air-Fry French Fries
POPSUGAR Photography | Anna Monette Roberts

Air-Fry French Fries

Some of the crispiest, most flavorful french fries I've ever made come from an Airfryer. The appliance only needs about 1 teaspoon of oil to produce golden-brown results. The best part is, the fries actually taste like potatoes instead of oil.

Get the recipe: air-fried french fries

Poach 8-Minute Chicken
POPSUGAR Photography | Anna Monette Roberts

Poach 8-Minute Chicken

There's a simple way to cut the poaching time of chicken in half: use a pressure cooker like an Instant Pot!

Get the recipe: 8-minute poached chicken

Freeze Boozy Push Pops
POPSUGAR Photography | Anna Monette Roberts

Freeze Boozy Push Pops

I'm an adult now, so when I'm craving an Otter Pop from my childhood, I sort of want it be all grown up . . . in other words, spiked. These strawberry pops combine Rosé wine with Lillet and freeze up in just a few hours.

Get the recipe: elderflower Rosé pops

Grill Cheese on Grilled Cheese
POPSUGAR Photography | Erin Cullum

Grill Cheese on Grilled Cheese

Grilled cheese grilled cheese sounds redundant, but hear me out. If you sprinkle a layer of cheese on the outside of your grilled cheese sandwich, it sears onto the bread and forms a mouthwatering cheese crust.

Get the recipe: grilled cheese on grilled cheese

Roast Potatoes
POPSUGAR Photography

Roast Potatoes

I'm lazy to the bones when it comes to making potatoes. I don't have time to parboil them before roasting. This is my tried-and-true technique that barely requires lifting a finger.

Get the technique: how to roast potatoes

Grill a Steak on a Charcoal Grill
POPSUGAR Photography | Anna Monette Roberts

Grill a Steak on a Charcoal Grill

My dad finally taught me his method of grilling steaks after all these years and it's actually genius. It's just like the classic reverse sear method but on the grill. The steak is first smoked to the side of the coals and then seared directly over the coals.

Get the recipe: grilling a steak on a charcoal grill

Pressure-Cook Hard-Boiled Eggs
POPSUGAR Photography | Anna Monette Roberts

Pressure-Cook Hard-Boiled Eggs

Even the easiest way to peel hard-boiled eggs doesn't hold a candle to pressure cooking the eggs (rather than boiling over the stovetop). These cook up in four minutes or so and the shell slips off in practically one piece.

Get the recipe: pressure-cooked hard-boiled eggs

Make Butter
POPSUGAR Photography | Sara Cagle

Make Butter

If you shake up heavy whipping cream in a sealed mason jar, eventually you'll get whipped cream, followed by buttermilk and butter. The fat separates from the liquid in just a few minutes. From there, you can use the buttermilk in pancakes and season the butter to your liking.

Get the recipe: homemade butter

Make Coffee Correctly
StockSnap | Matthew Henry

Make Coffee Correctly

I can't believe I've been living most of my adult life making coffee wrong. I've always measured out 1 tablespoon to 1 cup of coffee, but according to experts, it's 1-2 tablespoons of ground coffee for every 6 ounces of water.

Get the recipe: coffee-to-water ratio

Cook Pasta For the Correct Time
POPSUGAR Photography | Anna Monette Roberts

Cook Pasta For the Correct Time

Never trust the directions on the back of a package of dried pasta. Instead, boil it one minute short of what it says and then toss the pasta in the sauce for an additional 40 seconds.

Get the technique: how long to cook pasta

Make Frugal Meals
POPSUGAR Photography | Anna Monette Roberts

Make Frugal Meals

I cooked dirt-cheap meals throughout the year. One I especially love is this new salad: romaine and orange, dressed with orange zest and juice from the peels. Salt and pepper it liberally and pair it with a can of tuna, and you're set.

Get the recipes: frugal meals

Roast Broccoli and Cauliflower
POPSUGAR Photography | Anna Monette Roberts

Roast Broccoli and Cauliflower

A coworker raved about how she roasts broccoli, and this inspired me to try her technique. Wow — it blew me away. The broccoli tastes like chips and I crave it regularly. Who knew I could actually crave veggies?

Get the recipe: roasted broccoli and cauliflower

Whisk Up Cheese Sauce
POPSUGAR Photography | Anna Monette Roberts

Whisk Up Cheese Sauce

My favorite sauce to put on mac and cheese and nachos (and serve as dip to a ravenous crowd) is this Super Melty Cheese sauce recipe from Guy Fieri. It blends smoked gouda, cheddar, and parmesan.

Get the recipe: cheese sauce

Try Trader Joe's Meal Hacks
POPSUGAR Photography | Anna Monette Roberts

Try Trader Joe's Meal Hacks

I made every single hacked meal my coworkers swear by and learned some things. FYI, chicken and potato curry is one of my absolute favorite pull-together dishes.

Get the recipes: Trader Joe's meal hacks

Stop Adding Oil to Pasta Water
POPSUGAR Photography | Diggy Lloyd

Stop Adding Oil to Pasta Water

Don't do it! For years, I would, especially when making ravioli to keep the pieces from sticking together. However, our Italian experts tell us to never ever put oil in the pasta cooking water. Whoops. The oil prevents the sauce from adhering to the pasta, and instead, it will slide right off.

Get the technique: stop adding oil to pasta water

Hack the Citrus Juicer
POPSUGAR Photography | Alicia Lu

Hack the Citrus Juicer

I've only ever used this unitasker for one purpose, but it turns out there is a whole world of uses for a citrus juicer, including crushing croutons for breadcrumbs.

Get the technique: citrus juicer hacks

Season Chicken Soup With 40 Cloves of Garlic
POPSUGAR Photography | Anna Monette Roberts

Season Chicken Soup With 40 Cloves of Garlic

I transformed the iconic dish, 40 cloves of garlic chicken, into a comforting, brothy soup, appropriate for colds or keeping your immune system strong.

Get the recipe: 40 cloves of garlic chicken soup

Cook in a June Oven
POPSUGAR Photography | Anna Monette Roberts

Cook in a June Oven

I know $1,500 is a crazy-steep price for a smart oven, but I'm attached to this magnificent piece of equipment. The oven pairs with your smartphone and comes equipped with a camera to show you your food while it's baking. It features AI technology and automatically detects whatever it is you're wanting to bake like chicken, broccoli, or cookies, then proceeds to cook it. The dozens of presets mean you can perfectly roast food without having to think about temperature or time. There are plenty more reasons this oven rocks, but you can read the full review if you're intrigued!

Get the review: how to cook in a June Oven