Do you look at the wonderful meals your friends and family members make and wonder how friends and family make the meals they do? The following article can make anyone become a better cook.
Spices need to be stored in a dark, cool area. Heat, humidity, and light will all weaken your spices’ flavor. Spices and herbs that are ground usually retain their flavor for close to a year. Whole spices may retain flavor for up to five years. If spices are stored properly there is a better chance that they will stay fresher for a longer period of time
If using skewers made of steel or metal, the square or twisted kind are much better than round ones for holding food in place.
Do you experience a little mold on it? Should you cut of the rotten part to save fruits by cutting out moldy parts? There is no way to salvage fruit is unhealthful. Mold goes a lot deeper than you can’t even see and it can make you sick so throw moldy fruit in the garbage.
Prep work can be done way ahead of time. It is important to have all the prep work done before you start cooking. When you need to create a meal within a certain amount of time it can be stressful. Begin your meal preparations as soon as possible to avoid last minute stress.
Fresh Basil
Do you enjoy cooking with fresh basil? Put a bunch of fresh basil in a cup. Make sure the stems are completely covered with water. Put the basil on top of your kitchen counter and it will remain fresh for weeks! The basil may even start growing roots if you change the water regularly. You should also trim the basil so that it keeps growing.
If you are learning to cook for yourself or your family, pick up a cookbook from your bookstore or library. Look for one that has basic, easy recipes that will be fun to cook. Pick a few simple, interesting recipes and work up to more elaborate dishes as your skills increase.
You can sprinkle it on other foods besides meat. Try using it to season roasted pumpkin seeds sprinkled with the seasoning for a tasty snack or chickpeas.Everyone will start to wonder about your secret ingredient and what you used for spices.
They will act like sponges and just soak up a lot of that water. Wipe off each mushroom with a damp cloth to clean them.
Overdo it a little when you bake a pie crust. Go past the usual pale tan color and take them to a caramel gold. This deeper color is evidence that the sugar has caramelized in the crust for added sweetness.
Plan to make a big pot of stock so that the excess can freeze and store it. Good chicken stock that you make at home makes a great starter for soups, stews, casseroles and more.
Always measure the cooking oils! This will help you reduce how much fat in your foods while cooking. This helps you to closely monitor the exact amount of oil that you are using.
This trick can save you a ton of work and it can be used immediately. Mix 1 tablespoon of corn starch and 2 tablespoons of water in a bowl. Stir this solution into the thin sauce to thicken it. Don’t add all the starch at once, and avoid stirring erratically. Either of these could over-thicken the sauce.
When serving salads to guests, keep the dressing in a dish to the side.Some people enjoy lots of dressing than others; let guests pour their own dressing. Make sure you have a wide selection of dressings to choose from.
Utilize all of the suggestions you can from this article. Your guests will begin to inquire where you learned your new secrets.
It’s very important to have good, sharp knives for cooking. It might seem odd at first, but it makes perfect sense. You will struggle with a duller knife and thus may cut yourself easily if your blade or your grip slips. You’re less likely to cut yourself chopping up a vegetable with the clean, fast strokes of a sharp knife, than when you are forcing and wiggling a dull knife.