Many people want to learn to cook like a pro, but the time and effort required to do so can seem overwhelming. Fortunately, you can learn to become a great cook step-by-step. This article is a perfect starting point for your journey!
Protect your spice and herb collection by storing your jars at room temperature in a dark place. If they are exposed to light, moisture, or heat, they will lose much of their flavor. Ground herbs and spices will retain their flavor for about a year. Whole spices can keep their flavor for up to five years. If you store them properly, they will stay fresh for a longer period of time.
A good cooking tip when you use oil is to put it on the sides of the pan so it gets real hot by the time it hits the food. Doing this will give you maximum flavor when your meal is finished cooking.
There’s an easy way to save thin sauces. In a small bowl, combine two tablespoons of water and 3 teaspoons of corn starch. Add this mix to your sauce to thicken it. Stir the sauce constantly as you slowly add the starch mixture until it reaches the desired thickness.
You should try a small portion of the meat you are cooking when seasoning meats. Meats such as meatballs, hamburgers and meatloaf need to be seasoned carefully. You should not cook the whole dish after it has been seasoned. Instead of this, you should make a small patty, and cook that first. If that piece turns out well, you can continue with the rest. If not, you can make adjustments to the spices.
During autumn, apples are an important ingredient in many recipes; however, they do turn bad if they are not carefully stored. Warm, dry air can cause apples to rot, so keep your excess stock for cooking and eating in plastic bags, and place them where they will stay cool and moist, such as the basement or refrigerator. Watch them, because it will only take one rotten apple to ruin the others.
Vegetables that are cooked more quickly will be of higher quality. Using a slow cooking method is sometimes suggested, but the results are less nutritious and don’t taste as good. These cooking techniques will yield vegetables that are healthier and taste great as well. When you know how to cook vegetables in the least amount of time possible, you will enjoy better tasting and nutritious vegetables.
Garlic is among the multitude of tasty ingredients that offers flavor with a drawback: garlic can transfer to your hands and fingers. To remove the odor, simply take your hands and rub them against the sides of a stainless-steel sink. This works for garlic and for other foods that leave behind a strong odor on your hands. This removes the scent from your hands; it also prevents the odor from being transferred to other foods.
Guessing how long food will take on the grill is nearly impossible. It is recommended that you use a reliable meat thermometer to ensure proper cooking inside the meat; a digital thermometer would give you very accurate readings. If the meat is thick, such as more than 1.5 inches, try closing the grill’s lid to cut down on grilling time.
Always use airtight canisters or containers to store your dry goods, such as flour and sugar. These containers keep your food safe from pests and help your items stay fresh by sealing out the unwanted air. They can be bought in lots of places, and it is an investment worth making.
Accurately measure the amounts of cooking oil you use! It will be easier to control how much oil you consume by measuring instead of pouring “enough” oil into a pan. By doing this, you will know exactly how much oil you use.
Don’t take the bone out of a roast if you need to cook it quickly. The bone inside of the meat acts as a conductor of sorts, helping the meat to cook faster. Once your roast is done, just cut the meat from the bone, then serve.
Make your own dried tomatoes. You can use Roma tomatoes cut lengthwise, or ripe tomatoes sliced about a half inch thick. Put the tomato on a rack and rub them with salt. Place the cooling rack on a cookie sheet and dry in a 190 degree oven for up to 10 hours. They can then be stored in plastic freezer bags in your freezer. Dried tomatoes can be placed into a jar that is filled with fresh herbs and olive oil. This jar should be used within 2 weeks and kept refrigerated.
Knowing how to cook will always come in handy when you want to prepare a meal that impresses. Every culture around the world takes time to sit down with their family and friends for a meal, sharing the joy of eating and companionship. You can become a great cook by just following the advice from this article.