Martha Stewart's best tips and hacks will make you a better cook

Advice from the expert

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Martha Stewart's first cookery book, Entertaining, was published in 1982. It revolutionised the way people cooked and is still relevant today. From there, Stewart built up her media empire with more books on cooking, gardening, design and lifestyle. Then there were TV shows, a website and a magazine, Martha Stewart Living. With her years of experience, she sure knows her way around a kitchen. So turn your cooking from mediocre to magnificent with her tips and hacks to make you a more confident cook.

Get more juice from your citrus

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Juicing a lime can be hard work, especially if it's hard and slightly underripe. Martha says to roll limes and lemons back and forth, with the flat of your hand on your work surface, for a few minutes to soften them up. With this nifty trick, you'll get the maximum amount of juice out of them.

Perfect shortcrust pastry

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We think this hack from Stewart is pure genius. When you're making pastry, freeze the butter beforehand until it's solid. Then grate it into the flour using a coarse grater. This ensures even distribution of the butter and is much faster than rubbing it with your fingers.

The best way to roast a chicken

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Martha's roast chicken requires no turning or basting, and achieves a wonderfully crisp skin. Thickly slice two onions and sit your chicken on top in a roasting tin. Tie the legs together – this ensures uniform cooking. Rub two tablespoons of soft butter all over the skin to give you that gorgeous crisp texture. Season well (Stewart is very strict on telling you to season everything well) with salt and pepper. Roast in a hot oven until thoroughly cooked through and after cooking, let it sit in the tin for 10 minutes so the juices settle.

No more tough meatloaf

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Nearly every American home has their own meatloaf recipe but far too often they turn out tough and chewy. Martha's got a top tip for that: don't over-knead the mixture and handle it as a little as possible. You should just bring it all gently together with damp hands to prevent it sticking. Give the technique a go and make this succulent meatloaf recipe.

Superb seared steak

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Stewart's top tips for the perfect seared steak ensure great results every time. Bring the meat out of the fridge an hour before cooking and dry it thoroughly with kitchen towel. Use a cast iron griddle pan for even heat and ensure it's super hot. Season only with salt as the pepper will burn – add the pepper once the meat is cooked. Finally, always rest the meat for 10 minutes before serving.

Best-ever French fries

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It's straightforward to get restaurant-quality, crisp fries which are fluffy in the middle. Peel potatoes and leave them in iced water in the fridge overnight. This draws out the starch and will give a crisp finish. Next, put them into clean, cold water before drying them throughly and cutting into chips. Use a neutral oil such as sunflower for best results. Deep-fry for 3 minutes at 150°C (300°F) in batches, removing them to a baking sheet in a single layer, then fry again at 180°C (350°F) until golden brown.

The chocolate chip cookie hack

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Martha's foolproof chocolate chip cookie recipe produces crisp outsides and an irresistible chewy centre. What's not to love? To achieve the perfect result every time, Stewart uses a 6cm (2.4 inch) ice cream scoop to pop the dough onto the baking sheet, keeping the dough 5cm (2 inches) apart. This ensures each cookie is the same size and shape, and is far less messy than trying to use a spoon. Find more cookie hacks here.

Make a better pot roast

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A great pot roast is a wonderful dish; the worst are bland and chewy. Stewart advises seasoning your meat before browning in a very hot ovenproof dish. Don't try to turn it until it comes off the pan easily. She uses a piece of chuck roast and cooks it in the oven (at 180°C/350°F), covered, for about three hours. Vegetables are then added and everything is cooked for a further hour. A few spoons of tomato paste add flavour to the gravy. Allow the meat to rest for 15 minutes before slicing.

Fluffy rice every time

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Stewart says to ignore cooking information on packets of long-grain white rice and to always follow her foolproof method. Firstly, don't wash the rice and always measure 240ml (8floz) rice to 360ml (12floz) water. Put the rice in salted, already boiling water, bring back to the boil then simmer, covered, for 16 minutes. Take it off the heat and leave it covered for 10 minutes. The result? Perfect fluffy rice.

How to boil an egg

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Stewart's tip for the perfect hard-boiled egg, every time, is just genius. Place eggs into a pan and cover them with cold water by 2.5cm (1 inch). Bring the water to the boil, cover and take off the heat. Leave them covered for 16 minutes before draining and running under cold water until completely cold. This avoids the unsightly dark sulphurous ring around the yolk. Find more tips for cooking eggs here.

No-waste squash soup

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Don't chuck away the seeds when you are making a butternut squash soup. Martha advises boiling them for 10 minutes in water, then drying on kitchen towel before baking in a hot oven until crisp. Use seeds to garnish your soup and any leftovers are great for adding to salads or as a snack. A sprinkling of sea salt adds a final boost of flavour.

The secret's in the marinating

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You'll never achieve the best flavour when making butter chicken, says Stewart, without being organised and ensuring you marinate the chicken in spiced yogurt for 24 hours, covered in the fridge. When you're ready to cook, shake off any excess yogurt marinade over a colander, or the chicken will be watery in the final dish.

Light-as-air crepes

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You don't need to use the old-fashioned method of gradually whisking milk into pancake batter by hand. Martha whizzes everything up in a blender for about 30 seconds, until smooth and bubbles start to form. Then you should rest the batter for at least 15 minutes at room temperature or refrigerate it in an airtight container for up to a day and whisk before using. Resting the mixture causes the starch grains to burst and results in a lighter batter.

Clean spices from a coffee grinder

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A coffee grinder is perfect for whizzing up spices for a curry but how do you properly clean out the spice residue? Martha says to put a few cubes of bread through the grinder and hey presto, it's ready for coffee again.

Grilling fish

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If you're grilling a whole fish on the barbecue, don't have the scales and skin removed as they prevent sticking and you can always discard it later, says Stewart. She also recommends that if you are grilling (broiling) fish fillets, place them on sliced lemons to add flavour and prevent the fish from sticking to the pan.

Easy tip for chopping bacon

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It's notoriously tricky to chop even slices of streaky bacon because of the fat and the thinness of the rashers. Martha recommends putting pieces of bacon into small stacks, say four at a time, then flash-freezing for about 20 minutes to make the bacon easier to handle and cut.

Steakhouse baked potatoes

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We love fluffy baked potatoes, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Here's a top Martha tip to get them right every time. Once the potatoes have come out of the oven, hit them with your hands before cutting them open. You can also bash them on your chopping board to split them rather than cutting them open with a knife. Once you've nailed the technique, here are some terrific topping ideas.

Become a batch cook

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Stewart is a big advocate of batch-cooking. She says, "For maximum payoff, double your recipe. Before freezing, divide foods according to how many portions you typically serve. That way, you can remove just what you need for dinner." It'll save time, reduce waste and cut down on the washing up. Martha loves making double the amount of mac 'n' cheese and popping one in the freezer. Find more batch-cook ideas here.

Be an organised cook

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To be a successful cook, you need to be an organised cook. It's Stewart's mantra: "Our favourite approach to cooking comes from the kitchens of France and can be adapted to any recipe. The term 'mise en place' refers to the advance preparation of a dish's ingredients. All should be measured, chopped, diced or sliced according to recipe instructions before you begin."

Hot tips for potato salad

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Stop buying ready-made potato salad and start making your own. Firstly, Martha recommends using waxy potatoes which keep their shape more than starchy baking potatoes, and make sure they're cut in uniform sizes. For the dressing, add a pinch of sugar to the vinegar mixture and for extra tang, sub in sour cream for some of the mayonnaise. Take it easy on salty and acidic ingredients – don't mix pickles, capers and olives.

Wow-factor creamed spinach

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Take crowd-pleasing creamed spinach to another level with Stewart's recipe. She adds sautéed onion and garlic to the cooked spinach, but the game-changer is adding cream cheese with a little milk instead of the usual double cream. The addition of grated nutmeg is the final flourish.

Skin those hazelnuts

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It's time-consuming to skin a toasted hazelnut but Stewart has the perfect solution. Toast the hazelnuts for 10-12 minutes in a hot oven (put your kitchen timer on as they can burn easily). While they are still hot, put them in the centre of a clean tea towel and keep rubbing and rolling so the friction takes the skins off – so much easier than trying to do it by hand.

The right tool for the job

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Stewart is a staunch advocate of the right tool for the job. She says, "Most meal preparation can be accomplished with just three knives: a serrated knife, a chef’s knife and a paring knife. The chef’s knife is most essential – it can handle a large range of cutting jobs. If your culinary endeavours become more advanced, consider purchasing specialty tools, such as a cleaver or a boning knife."

Removing pomegranate seeds

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Having a hard time getting the seeds out of pomegranates? Stewart says to take off the 'bud' then score around the pomegranate, without cutting through. This ensures you don't lose any of the juice. Pull it apart over a bowl and bash the outer skin on the bowl to remove the seeds or tap it hard with a wooden spoon.

Achieve perfectly seared salmon

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The best way to serve a restaurant-quality seared salmon, according to Stewart, is to follow a few simple rules. Always dry the fillet thoroughly before cooking then season liberally with coarse salt. Heat the pan until hot, then start the salmon skin-side down until the skin is crisp and it can be lifted from the pan easily. If the fillet is very thick, it's best to finish it in a hot oven for 5 minutes or so after searing.

Get dressed up

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A simple salad dressing with just a few ingredients is easy to get wrong. It's important to dry your salad before dressing it or the dressing won't coat the ingredients. Start with acidic ingredients such as vinegar and sugar. Martha says you must then add the oil in a slow, steady stream, whisking all the time. Otherwise, the ingredients won't emulsify and your dressing will separate.

Avoid a cracked cheesecake

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A New York baked cheesecake is a crowd-pleasing dessert but it's hard to stop it cracking when cooling. Stewart comes to the rescue with a few top tips. Ensure your cream cheese is always at room temperature and bake the cheesecake in a water bath for even cooking. Once the cheesecake is ready, take it out of the water bath and leave to cool for 20 minutes, then run a paring knife all around the edge to help prevent cracking.

Keep your oysters upright

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Here's a brilliant hack from Stewart if you love making oysters Rockefeller, the decadent dish where fresh oysters are grilled (broiled) with cheese and spinach. Because a half oyster in the shell is so wobbly, you can lose all those fabulous juices when you put them under the grill and you'll have spinach and cheese all over the place. Instead, make a bed of rock salt in a heatproof dish and nestle your oysters in it so they remain upright. Genius!

The best way to peel ginger

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Peeling ginger can create so much waste if you chop off the skin with a knife. It's also time consuming and fiddly to use a peeler with the awkward shape of the ginger. Stewart suggests you use a teaspoon to peel it. It's such a quick and simple idea, and one you'll use again and again.

The art of perfectly cooked pasta

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Stewart says, "Pasta, while it's cooking, cannot be forgotten. It must remain on your proverbial front burner from the moment it hits the water to the moment it hits the sauce. Keeping the noodles moving is key, with frequent stirring and boiling water. Fill the pot with a lot of water – at least four quarts per pound – and bring to a rolling boil. Generously salt it, at least one tablespoon for every pound of pasta, but don't add oil. This would hinder the absorption of sauce later on."

A perfect poached egg

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Martha has a foolproof method for excellent poached eggs: "In a 12-inch straight-sided skillet, heat 2 inches of water over medium heat, until bubbles cover the bottom and sides of pan. Crack each large egg into a separate small bowl. When a few bubbles have broken the surface of the water, gently pour each egg into the pan, leaving room between them. Cook the eggs, undisturbed, until the white is just set and the yolk is still runny, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove eggs with a slotted spoon."

Use a trash bowl

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Have a large bowl next to your chopping board for dumping all your vegetable peelings. You can even have another one for paper and plastic waste. It saves so much time as you aren't clearing your chopping board into the bin every 10 minutes. It keeps your workspace neat and tidy too.

Succulent, moist roast turkey

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Turkey can dry out which is not what you want for a special dinner. After brining, Stewart covers her Thanksgiving turkey in muslin which has been soaked in melted butter and white wine (Riesling is a favourite) for a brilliant, succulent result. She also roasts the giblets for gravy rather than boiling them. For the last hour of cooking, the muslin is removed and the turkey is left to roast until beautifully golden. Rest it for 30 minutes before carving too.

The perfect patty

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For Stewart's perfect burger, she insists upon ground chuck with 20% fat and no other bindings in the mixture, apart from salt and pepper. Use a light touch to form the patties into balls then flatten. This stops them becoming tough. The best hack? Make an indentation about 0.5cm (0.25 inch) deep in the centre of the burger with your thumb. This prevents the meat puffing up while grilling.

Make the most of your slow cooker

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With years of experience, Martha knows how to make the most of your slow cooker. Use cheap cuts of meat and brown beforehand to add flavour and colour. If you want to get ahead, Stewart recommends prepping and leaving your dish in the fridge, making sure to add a good hour to the cooking time. And the ultimate piece of advice: don't fill the slow cooker to the brim but don't under-fill or you'll have a dry pot roast. It should be half to two-thirds full. Find slow-cooker recipe inspiration here.