Chef Tom Colicchio Is Sharing His Best Tips for Novice Cooks Who Are Staying Home

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With the spread of COVID-19, it is recommended for everyone to stay at home to keep the virus from spreading further. While it’s easy to become overwhelmed during this time, it’s important to look at the positives — just think, right now is a great opportunity to master your home cooking skills.

Every home cook has to start somewhere, and it’s totally normal to have countless questions if you’re a beginner. Luckily, chef Tom Colicchio is using his Twitter page to give helpful cooking tips and answer any burning questions.

Colicchio tweeted early Monday morning “Ok, if you are not used to cooking for yourself and have questions ask away. For instance, I would cook vegetables now and freeze them for future use.” He continued on to create the hashtag #CookingInACrisis so everyone can pass around helpful tips.

Here are some of his best tips and answers:

Homemade pizza dough will stay good for a year once frozen.

If you make a lots of salads: Keep fresh lettuce heads whole until you use them. They will last about 10 days. When ready to use, only tear off the outside leaves first and rinse them with water before consuming.

If you aren’t able to find frozen veggies at the grocery store, buy fresh ones then blanch them in lightly salted, boiling water for a few minutes. Run under cold water then store in sealable bags in the freezer.

To see more tips from chef Colicchio—who returns for season 17 of Top Chef All Stars LA, which premieres Thursday, March 19 at 10 p.m. on Bravo—check out the #CookingInACrisis hashtag for more tips and suggestions as they get added.