[fermienrico]

Freeze herbs - most herbs will retain flavor. I've used rosemary, thyme and lemongrass as old as 6 months.

Ginger becomes really easy to grate if its frozen. So stick it in the freezer.

Add freshly crushed Cardamom, saffron and pistachios to vanilla ice-cream. Orgasmic.

Whack a garlic clove with the back of the knife. It will peel instantly.

Put a lid on to boil faster (~10-15% faster in my experience)

Add butter to Italian red sauce. Secret of an old manhattan italian restaurant, there was a NYTimes or NewYorker article on this famous italian diner in NY and their secret was - butter.

[vram22]

>Whack a garlic clove with the back of the knife. It will peel instantly.

That reminds me of a supposedly Punjabi technique I heard from someone: take a whole onion and whack it hard onto a table. Instantly becomes sweet-tasting instead of pungent (if eating it raw). Don't know the science behind it, but have tried it, it works.

[stevekemp]

Depending on where you live you might find that just growing a pot of rosemary, thyme, basil, mint, etc is an option rather than freezing previously-bought pieces.

Also when it comes to flavouring ice-cream garlic is an underappreciated flavour!

[ljsocal]

Use the side of a large knife to mash whole garlic cloves. The skin will easily separate and the clove will be ready to cook or chop.

[jillesvangurp]

This will easily break the clove. Ok if you are going for finely chopped but less nice if you need thin slices. Another way is to roll the clove between your hands for a few seconds. Trim the top and bottom off, roll, peel.

Also if you use a garlic press, there's no need to peel. Actually it's easier to clean the pres if you don't.

[vram22]

> Another way is to roll the clove between your hands for a few seconds. Trim the top and bottom off, roll, peel.

Yes, that works. You have to press the garlic hard while rolling it, though, more so if it is older and drier.

[personlurking]

> Add freshly crushed Cardamom, saffron and pistachios to vanilla ice-cream. Orgasmic.

Also, mango ice cream + blackberries. So good

[zer00eyz]

Not just butter but a bit of the pasta cooking liquid in there too - the salty/starchy water is a lovely addition.