Home cooks are revealing the tricks they learned from a ‘kitchen wizard’  – from chewing gum while cooking onions to frying leftover pizza

Even if you like to think of yourself as a hand in the kitchen, sometimes it's the little tips and tricks you've never thought of that can really take your dishes to the next level.

On Reddit, a US-based user commenter asked people to share what they learned from a “kitchen wizard”: to post ', that question after witnessing a friend's 'genius' hack at a dinner party where there were piles of leftovers.

The hostess sat everyone down at the table and made tortillas and rolls, then put them to work with tongs, dressing and leftover salad.

“Within 15 minutes we had a stack of wrapped 'grab and go' sandwiches and wraps,” the impressed commenter wrote. 'I had never looked at a salad and only seen a pile of sandwich fillings. Lettuce, tomato, onion…I couldn't help it. I blurted out loud as I looked at the table, 'That's bloody brilliant!'.”

From keeping sliced ​​bread in the freezer so it's always on hand for toast, to using salt and cold water to clean a cutting board, individuals commented on the post and shared their innovative kitchen rituals that make life make it just a little bit easier.

To answer the question, someone wrote, “My mother taught me to keep sliced ​​bread in the freezer. When you need some, take it out and roast it. Tastes fresh.

“And because we don't eat much bread, I don't have to throw it away after a week.”

A second said: 'Salt and cold water to clean an onion cutting board. I learned it from Julia herself, when she watched an old episode of the French Chef on YouTube.”

Another explained their way to make a sandwich taste better, saying, “If you toast rustic bread on one side and the toasted side faces inward on a sandwich, you still get all the crunchiness of the sandwich that is roasted without cutting the inside. your mouth.

One shared their tip for improving soup, writing: 'If you freeze that gravy and mashed potatoes in ice cubes you have a perfect way to quickly thicken soups and sauces.'

Another Reddit user shared his hack for combating the pain that often comes with cutting onions. They explained, “Chew mint gum while cutting onions and voila! No tears!

“I've been cutting large quantities of onions in commercial kitchens most of my life and just learned this trick.”

Another shared their unusual coffee idea, saying, “I save the extra quarter cup of coffee left in the pot (if there is one) and freeze it, usually in a ziplock bag turned on its side so there is a thin layer is formed that can be broken. easy. I use coffee as water when making brownies and add it to soups/chili/roasts when I want a richer flavor.

'Doesn't add coffee flavor, but gives more depth.'

Pizza was the subject of one person's opinion. They said, “I don't remember exactly where I learned it, but the best way to reheat leftover pizza is in a skillet. I first cook the base until it gets a little crispy, then turn it over and press the slice with the topping down with a spatula until done.

It almost tastes like a grilled cheese but it's leftover pizza so the flavor is improved and it comes out nice and crunchy but still melty, oh it's just so good. I have yet to reheat the pizza this way and am disappointed.

Others recommended freezing the ginger and just grating some as you need it, emphasizing that there is no need to peel the ginger.

A fellow home cook added: 'If you need a few slices of frozen ginger, you can hold the end under warm running water for a minute, cut off what you need, wrap it up again and put it back in the freezer. I do it all the time and it has no negative effects on the ginger.'