# :bulb: Tips Tips acquired throughout my cooking journey. These tips are used in recipes that don't necessarily call for it. For instance, chilling or aging cookie dough overnight to hydrate the dry ingredients. ## :cooking: Cooking ### :onion: Onions Onions should be sautéed first to caramelize them and bring out the sweetness, about 5 minutes. ### :garlic: Garlic Garlic should not be burned and added right before liquid is added, right when the garlic aroma is perceived. ## :cupcake: Baking All ingredients should be at the same temperature, usually room temperature. An exception is when you want the ingredient to bring down the temperature of the mixture, such as adding cold eggs to warm brown butter. ### :cookie: Cookie Dough [Aging cookie dough][1] that uses egg as the main source of liquid in the refrigerator overnight. Bake cookie dough while still cold to prevent spread and don't let the later baked cookie dough to come to room temperature while waiting to go into the oven. ### :egg: Eggs Eggs should be separated when cold. Eggs should be added to batter at room temperature. ### :butter: Butter Butter should be a room temperature when creamed with sugar. Creaming of butter and sugar should happen for an amount of time to make the butter pale, about 5 minutes. ### :cake: Cake When mixing the batter for cake, cream the sugar and butter first, add the egg and butter, combine wet together, combine dry together, then add a third of the dry ingredients, then half the wet, alternating until you end with dry. For an oil based cake, whisk the egg and sugar together. When using zest, massage the zest into the granulated sugar to release the oils. [1]: