How many times have you dreaded going into the kitchen to make breakfast, lunch, or dinner? You might need a new perspective. Cooking can be enjoyable and relaxing if you try to see it in another way. Here are a few cooking tips that are sure to get your taste buds tingling and entice your inner chef to come out.
When you decide to cook with skewers there are a few strategies to keep in mind. Try to buy twisted or other shaped skewers when they are metal, the food will stay on.
Keep spices in a dark and cool place. The shelf life of spices is greatly reduced if they are exposed to heat, humidity, or light. Keeping your spices in darkened, cool areas will lend extra longevity and flavor. Make sure that your spices are fresh to add taste and flavor to any meal.
There is a remedy which will quickly fix this problem. Use a bowl to combine 1 Tbsp of corn starch with 2 Tbsp of water. Slowly add to the sauce while on simmer and your sauce will gradually thicken. Try to incorporate it slowly so that you do not make it too thick.
Slicing hot meat is often challenging, so consider partially freezing joints before you attempt to cut them up. Asian inspired dishes such as Chinese and Thai will particularly benefit from this technique. The knife can cut the partly frozen meat with less damage than if it were thawed. This is because the partially frozen meat fibers are not as easily stretched or torn. To ensure that the meat strips cook evenly, make sure they thaw out before use.
When adding seasonings to meat, test a small amount before seasoning the whole batch. Take care when seasoning foods like hamburgers, meatloaf or meatballs. Season it mildly before you make the entire meal. Cook a tiny portion of it in the shape of a patty first. This is a good way to find out if you got the seasoning right.
Does it upset you to discard fruit that is moldy? Have you ever thought to just remove the moldy section by cutting it out? Sadly half rotten fruit is something you can never really save. Throw the fruit away as mold can grow beyond just what the eye can see, which could end up making you sick.
Are you partial to using fresh basil in your cooking? Store the basil within a glass. Make sure the stems are covered by an adequate amount of water. Keep it on your counter and it will stay fresh for weeks. Many times the basil will root if the water is changed regularly. Cut it on occasion and your plant will continue to provide you with fresh basil for a long time to come.
Always use airtight canisters or containers to store your dry goods, such as flour and sugar. These containers do two things to keep your food fresher: they keep bugs from entering them, and they keep air exposure to a minimum. Thankfully, you can grab some affordable, quality airtight containers practically anywhere.
To prepare pumpkins for baking, cut the standing pumpkin in half through the center. Put the halves down on the baking sheets. Place a tiny bit of water on each sheet, then bake the pumpkin for about an hour at 350 degrees.
Then you can have fresh fruit anytime you wish. You will also be able to enjoy fruits that are out of season.
Make your own sun-dried tomatoes. Simply cut them into 1/2 half inch slices, or cut lengthwise for Romas. Place the resulting tomato pieces on a rack, then salt their exposed flesh lightly. Set the rack on a cookie sheet in an oven at 190 degrees for a 10 hours. You can then freeze your tomatoes in Ziplock bags. You can put the dried tomatoes with fresh herbs in a jar with olive oil to preserve them. The tomatoes will need to be refrigerated and should be consumed within a couple of weeks.
It’s important to be creative while cooking. You need not follow a recipe exactly. There are times when adding or subtracting things from a recipe can take the taste to new heights when compared to the original. That is how a real cook gets it cooking!
To give your pasta some added zip, save the water you use to boil the pasta. Set aside around a quarter of a cup of water. When your sauce is also ready, add in the water before tossing or topping the pasta. The water from the pasta contains starch that, when mixed with your sauce, will create a creamy texture.
When cutting herbs, sprinkle a little salt onto your chopping board first. Doing this not only adds some flavor, but it also ensures that the herbs are right where they need to be, which is on the board. Make sure to avoid over-salting by not adding additional salt directly to what you are preparing. The salt will stick to the herbs and make their flavor stronger.
Prior to barbecuing food, be sure that the grill is properly prepared. Allot at least 30 minutes for the process, prior to placing food on the grill, to get your fire started and coals ready. The coals need to be around medium heat and covered in ash. Grilling at this temperature is ideal.
Use this advice to improve every meal. After your first taste, you will realize that cooking is not such a bad thing after all! In fact, you might start looking forward to it; ultimately, you might find yourself trying all kinds of recipes and dishes. Try having fun with cooking today!
