#ThankYouMiami Talks 5 Miami Chef Cooking Hacks

Growing up, my mom cooked everything from scratch. Even the tomato sauce in our soups and pastas was homemade, Italian grandma style. For some reason, I never valued learning how to cook from her. I was probably too busy being a Boca brat and throwing tantrums about not being able to go to the Town Center mall with my friends. Alas, the first time I tried to cook tomato sauce from scratch to impress a guy it came out a watery, bland mess. Luckily, he was a gentleman about it and pretended like it was edible. (It was not.)

Do you like to cook? More importantly, are you good at it? Whether you're a liability in the kitchen like me or a culinary superstar like mamá, these five hacks from Miami's renowned chefs will bring your cooking game to the next level:

1. How to prevent fish from sticking to the pan:

"When searing fish with skin on, it is best to have your pan smoking hot with a small amount of oil. Once the pan starts to smoke, add the fish and lower the temperature to the middle. This will prevent the fish from sticking when turning it over." —Carlos Estarita, Executive Chef at DÔA

2. How to stop your eyes from watering when cutting onions:

"Put onions in ice water for 10 minutes before cutting them; this prevents them from causing your eyes to water." —Angel Leon, Executive Chef at Seaspice Miami

3. How to keep guacamole from turning brown:

"Add ascorbic acid to your guacamole and it will not blacken. Use half of a coffee spoon for four avocados." —Erwin Mallet, Executive Chef at Villa Azur

4. How to keep chopped lettuce looking fresh:

"Avoid lettuce becoming dark by breaking the leaves with your hands instead of using a knife because the blade of the knife warms up the leaf and oxidizes it." —Wendy Cacciatory, Executive Chef at Via Emilia 9. (P.S. I love Via Emilia 9!)

5. How to keep vegetables green:

"To enhance the color of green vegetables attributed to chlorophyll, dip the vegetables uncooked into ice water, then in boiling salted water and again in ice water." —Erwin Mallet, Executive Chef at Villa Azur

Had you previously heard of these hacks? Which one(s) did you find surprising? Which one(s) did you find most useful? Leave your comments and share your cooking hacks with us in the comments below! You can also send me a tweet @ThankYouMiami!