"I Couldn't Believe I Didn't Think Of This Myself": 18 Sort Of Life-Changing Cooking Tricks Straight From TV Shows And Movies

You never know where you might pick up an unexpected cooking trick. In fact, one source of inspiration that might come as a surprise to home cooks is TV shows and movies. So Redditor u/boujeenen asked, "What is a cooking tip you picked up from a show or movie?" Here's what people said.

1."I learned to add sour cream while scrambling eggs from Ralphie Cifaretto’s character on a very special episode of The Sopranos. My eggs come out light and fluffy every time."

2."I started using baked potatoes to make mashed potatoes (instead of boiling the potatoes first) from The Bear."

3."I started sprinkling dill in my ham and cheese sandwiches after Al Borland said he does it on an episode of Home Improvement."

4."Josh Brolin's character in Labor Day uses coffee in his chili. I don't do it all the time, but adding a bit of it definitely gives chili a different flavor profile."

5."I started putting mustard on my hard-boiled eggs after I saw Nancy Botwin do it on Weeds. It's a game changer."

6."Tina Fey in 30 Rock taught me to never forget to put chips on a sandwich! Life changing."

7."I learned to use a 'choke grip' for better knife control by watching Food Wars. I watched this after being a professional baker for years, but this still changed my technique."

8."Thanks to Reba, I make my grilled cheese by using mayo on the outside instead of butter. It makes all the difference."

9."I learned to use water instead of milk tip to make omelets from LL Cool J in Deep Blue Sea and have been making them this way ever since."

10."I started grilling sliced bread separately while making grilled cheese because of the scene in Chef. It definitely results in a more pleasingly gooey sandwich."

11.In War Games with Matthew Broderick, there is a scene where the family sits down to dinner. They butter their bread and then roll ears of corn on the bread to butter it. My brain sort of slipped a cog, and I was like, why didn’t I think of that?!?!"

12."I started making pizza eggs after watching a character make this in Weeds. Just slice up leftover pizza and toss it in a pan with eggs."

13."Manny, the boy from Modern Family, tells Gloria that he adds the tiniest pinch of salt to his hot cocoa, and damn if it isn't delicious."

14."I learned to make butter rice from the Japanese series Midnight Diner. I heat rice until it's very hot, add cold butter and a few drops of soy sauce, and stir gently. It's wonderful."

15."I started putting paprika or chili pepper in my omelets after seeing this technique in the movie The Hundred Foot Journey."

16."I learned how to fry eggs from Kelis’ Milkshake video. You know that bit where the chef spoons some grease over the eggs. Whaaaaaaat? But it works!"

17."I was watching the Prime TV show Mr. and Mrs Smith. In one scene, Donald Glover’s character was talking to his mom about making soup, and she said always to make the stock with chicken feet. That weekend, I made a large pot of chicken stock using chicken feet, and boy, does it taste better with the extra collagen."

18."After watching an episode of The Bear, I now whisk my eggs through a mesh strainer. My omelets and scrambled eggs are now a perfect, uniform yellow, with no white bits to be found."

Do you have something to add? What's a cooking hack or recipe inspiration you learned from a movie, TV show, or book? Tell us in the comments or drop it into this anonymous form.