Cooking is one of those activities that anyone can do. Can you buy the ingredients and follow directions? Do you have any cooking utensils and equipment? If you said yes to the two previous questions, then you are able to cook. If you want your cooking skills to advance a little bit, read the advice provided below to help you easily create yummy dishes you and your entire family will enjoy.
If you can, do all the preparing of the meal’s ingredients in advance. It is essential that the prep work is completed before cooking commences. Trying to prepare a meal without handling the preparation beforehand can get stressful, especially if you need to finish your cooking in a set amount of time. Prep work helps take the stress out of meal planning and preparing.
Try putting some cauliflower to your mashed potatoes to cut some calories and fat. The somewhat bland taste of cauliflower helps it to blend seamlessly with the potatoes. Cauliflower is also the same texture and color of potatoes when mashed so it’s a great way to add more veggies, so the dish will be transformed into one that has more vegetables and fewer calories.
Do you cook with fresh basil in your dishes? Take a few twigs of the basil and set it in a small container or glass. Make sure the basil’s stems are covered by an adequate amount of water. Keep it on the kitchen counter and it will stay fresh. The basil can actually grow roots if you occasionally change the water. You should also trim the basil so that it keeps growing.
Getting thin strips of meat is a lot easier if you partially freeze the meat first. The thin sliced meat is great in many dishes including many Chinese and Thai meals. If you freeze meat partially, you get a cleaner slice, without the stretching or tearing of fibers. For the most even cooking, you should let the strips thaw before you cook them.
Use fresh ingredients, as they bring out the best flavor of the dish, and can be real money-savers too.
Ice trays can be a great tool for freezing and storing leftover sauce. This makes it easier for you to make a quick meal which you can reheat at a saute pan. The frozen sauce will remain edible even after being in an ice tray.
They are known to soak up water like a sponge. Instead, get a wet, clean cloth and wipe off the mushroom by hand.
Plan to make a big pot of stock so that the excess can freeze and store it. Good homemade chicken stock is a wonderful base in soups, stews, stews and other dishes.
If you want to cook a pumpkin, cut it exactly in half from top to bottom. Place them upside down on a baking sheet.
When making your own chicken stock, prepare more than you need up front. Making more than you need in a large pot can allow you to have some left over to store in the freezer for later use. That tasty chicken stock is very versatile and can be perfect for your next stew, casserole or soup. Allow your stock to cool, then put portions in heavy-duty Ziploc bags made for freezing.
If serving salad, and you are including a salad with the meal, rather than pouring it on the salad. Let people add what they want to their own dressing. Make sure you have a selection to choose from as well.
Cooking can be a hobby, a skill, and a profession. There are thousands of different ways to cook and prepare food, and a great way to develop your culinary skills is to work with professional chefs. Next time you’re the one in charge of cooking the meal, try out a few of these tips.
Keep track of what goes into the ingredients for your recipes. There are a variety of ingredients that, while common, are not the healthiest. By reading the labels, you can check to see if the product contains sugars or sodium in high amounts. Sugars and sodium can be detrimental to your health if over consumed.