If you want to be a master chef or just a decent cook, you must learn some cooking basics. This article is here to help you learn more about the art of cooking. Read on to find out how you can improve the quality and flavor of your meals.
TIP! Try partially frozen meat to make thin meat slicing easier. This technique is suited for meats used in many Asian dishes.
There’s something you can do to save your effort and your sauce. Mix one tablespoon of starch from corn and two tablespoons of water together in a bowl. Thicken your sauce by stirring the mixture into the simmering liquid. Keep stirring your sauce and add the corn starch little by little.
As you are seasoning your meats, you should make a little piece first before you cook the entire piece. Certain foods like meatballs, hamburgers and meatloaf could require very careful seasoning. Refrain from seasoning the whole portion before cooking. Start with a small amount of the spiced meat first. If that piece turns out well, you can continue with the rest. If not, you can make adjustments to the spices.
TIP! Test a small sample of your seasoned meats prior to cooking the full dish. Certain foods require special care when seasoning.
Make sure that the knives you are using are very sharp. Dull knives make it very difficult to cut with and also extremely dangerous to use. It’s easier to hurt yourself with a dull knife by forcing it to cut through something than by using a sharp knife to easily slice through it.
People want to use apples very often in fall and winter, but unless they are stored properly, they will spoil rapidly. Store them in your fridge or basement, in plastic bags that are loosely tied, as they tend to spoil in dry warm areas. Make sure to inspect your apples regularly, as one rotten apple means that the others are soon to follow.
Fresh Basil
Are you a fan of using fresh basil? Put a bunch of fresh basil in a glass. Fill the glass with water till the stems are covered. Place it on your kitchen counter to keep it fresh for weeks! If you provide the basil with fresh water, it will eventually root in the water and sprout a new plant. If this happens, trim the basil once in a while. This promotes continued growth, which means you have fresh basil at your disposal well into the future.
TIP! To make your French fries crispier, let the raw potatoes soak for about half an hour in cold water prior to frying. The soaking process will reinforce the vegetable fibers, and they will be better able to withstand heat when you fry them.
It is alright to use it on other foods besides meats. Sprinkle it on top of roasted sunflower or pumpkin seeds for a snack, or use the seasoning to top scrambled eggs. People will want you to tell them your secret ingredient.
Chicken Stock
TIP! To reduce the calories and fat of mashed potatoes, and to avoid sacrificing taste or texture, replace some potatoes with the same amount of cauliflower. The somewhat bland taste of cauliflower helps it to blend seamlessly with your potatoes while picking up the other ingredients.
When you make chicken stock, a good piece of advice is to make it in a big quantity. If you make a large pot of stock, you can freeze it and store it for future use. There are a variety of recipes that call for chicken stock, so having it on hand is always a good idea. First, cool the stock and then stick it in the freezer.
Use vegetable or chicken stock to saute vegetables. The chicken broth will cut down on the fat in your vegetable dishes while enhancing their flavor. This is a wonderful way to cook, and enjoy, your vegetables.
TIP! Many people love the taste of garlic, but cooks are more ambivalent about it because its scent sticks to the hands. One tip is to utilize the stainless steel feature of your sink; swipe your hand across it when you’ve been handling garlic or other ingredients with strong odors.
Always make certain to measure any cooking oil you use. Determining the exact amount of cooking oil to use rather than just dumping it on your food helps you regulate the quantity of fat in each dish. In this way, you can be in control of the quantity of oil that goes into your meals.
As we have shown, there are many tricks and secrets that will help you hone your cooking skills. For some people it comes quite naturally, for other people, however, it takes a lot of studying and hard work. Whichever camp you fall into, this article has hopefully nudged you a little closer to being a real cooking wizard.
If you want to be a master chef or just a decent cook, you must learn some cooking basics. This article is here to help you learn more about the art of cooking. Read on to find out how you can improve the quality and flavor of your meals.
There’s something you can do to save your effort and your sauce. Mix one tablespoon of starch from corn and two tablespoons of water together in a bowl. Thicken your sauce by stirring the mixture into the simmering liquid. Keep stirring your sauce and add the corn starch little by little.
As you are seasoning your meats, you should make a little piece first before you cook the entire piece. Certain foods like meatballs, hamburgers and meatloaf could require very careful seasoning. Refrain from seasoning the whole portion before cooking. Start with a small amount of the spiced meat first. If that piece turns out well, you can continue with the rest. If not, you can make adjustments to the spices.
Make sure that the knives you are using are very sharp. Dull knives make it very difficult to cut with and also extremely dangerous to use. It’s easier to hurt yourself with a dull knife by forcing it to cut through something than by using a sharp knife to easily slice through it.
People want to use apples very often in fall and winter, but unless they are stored properly, they will spoil rapidly. Store them in your fridge or basement, in plastic bags that are loosely tied, as they tend to spoil in dry warm areas. Make sure to inspect your apples regularly, as one rotten apple means that the others are soon to follow.
Fresh Basil
Are you a fan of using fresh basil? Put a bunch of fresh basil in a glass. Fill the glass with water till the stems are covered. Place it on your kitchen counter to keep it fresh for weeks! If you provide the basil with fresh water, it will eventually root in the water and sprout a new plant. If this happens, trim the basil once in a while. This promotes continued growth, which means you have fresh basil at your disposal well into the future.
It is alright to use it on other foods besides meats. Sprinkle it on top of roasted sunflower or pumpkin seeds for a snack, or use the seasoning to top scrambled eggs. People will want you to tell them your secret ingredient.
Chicken Stock
When you make chicken stock, a good piece of advice is to make it in a big quantity. If you make a large pot of stock, you can freeze it and store it for future use. There are a variety of recipes that call for chicken stock, so having it on hand is always a good idea. First, cool the stock and then stick it in the freezer.
Use vegetable or chicken stock to saute vegetables. The chicken broth will cut down on the fat in your vegetable dishes while enhancing their flavor. This is a wonderful way to cook, and enjoy, your vegetables.
Always make certain to measure any cooking oil you use. Determining the exact amount of cooking oil to use rather than just dumping it on your food helps you regulate the quantity of fat in each dish. In this way, you can be in control of the quantity of oil that goes into your meals.
As we have shown, there are many tricks and secrets that will help you hone your cooking skills. For some people it comes quite naturally, for other people, however, it takes a lot of studying and hard work. Whichever camp you fall into, this article has hopefully nudged you a little closer to being a real cooking wizard.