Is preparing and cooking family meals beginning to fray your nerves? The idea of cooking a meal for yourself should not be enough to send you in a tailspin! This article provides several fantastic tips that will make cooking more enjoyable, and stress-free. Once you follow the strategies in this guide, you will be wishing that you could have known about these things sooner.
Ketchup can be used to batter foods before they are fried. Ketchup isn’t only a condiment to dunk your food in, it is also great to use as part of a pre-battering dip. The ketchup adds a surprising zest to any fried food, and most people would never think of ketchup in that way.
When you have a big meal to prepare, get a head start by doing the prep work the night before. For example, you can chop any vegetables and herbs you will need and store them in the refrigerator, as well as marinating whatever meat you will be preparing the next evening. You will save a lot of time, and feel much less stressed when you have to cook.
Always begin your cooking with utensils that are spotlessly clean. Bits of food on your utensils could contaminate the dish you are cooking. Bacteria will develop and spread on unclean utensils.
The downside of tasty ingredients like garlic and onions is that their flavors and smells transfer to your hands. A trick for getting rid of the garlic odor on your hands is to rub them on a metal kitchen sink. It both cleans your hands and helps to avoid transfer the odor to other foods.
When not in use, put your spices in an area that receives the lowest amount of light and heat. Your spices will not last as long if they are exposed to light, heat or humidity. When spices are stored in an adequately dark and cool area, they tend to retain their taste and shelf life for greater periods of time. Your food will be even more delicious if your spices are fresher.
Color plays an important part in cooking. Colorful meals are usually healthier meals and are also more aesthetically appealing. Some colorful garnishes you can add to your meals include cherry tomatoes, cilantro, parsley and carrot curls. Let the inner artist show itself onto the dinner plates, and you’ll have the family lined up begging for more.
Fresh Ingredients
No matter what you are cooking, fresh ingredients are always much better than dried or frozen ingredients. Use fresh ingredients as much as you can, because they add better flavor to your dish and tend to be a lot cheaper.
If you’re experimenting with using different spices, give saffron a try. Saffron can lend your cooking a bright, sunny flavor that you cannot get in other ways. Saffron is a rare seasoning that has been around for hundreds of years, and yet is still incredibly popular today. It’s highly sought after for its unique flavor, but its expensive.
When preparing to barbecue, make sure you light the charcoal in your grill ahead of time. You should start preparing your grill around 30 minutes before you put the food on. The coals should have an ash covering, and this means they are at medium heat. That is the ideal grilling temperature.
To eliminate the stress of cooking, prepare and assemble all the ingredients you need before you start. By doing this, you will avoid the issue of being partially through the recipe and then realizing that you need something. It won’t take you any extra time to get the ingredients ready beforehand, but will save you time and ruined food in the end.
Cutting Board
It is important to properly care for your wooden cutting board. A wood cutting board can warp or split by too much exposure to moisture, heat or dryness. You should never put the board fully underwater, instead just use a sponge with some soap for spot cleaning. You can find oil designed for cutting boards to maintain yours. Make sure you let your board dry before using it again.
Use only a very small amount of fat when sauteing a food. Too much food adds extra moisture and will lead to a steaming effect that will defeat the purpose of sauteing, which is to create a little crispness in the food. Make sure you do this at a low temperature as well.
It is extremely important to prepare your ingredients before you begin cooking your meal for a group. Be certain that you have every ingredient you will need on hand. Organize everything so you can start cooking, including the spices and utensils. This will aid you in keeping calm and doing your best.
Cooking for your family can become overwhelming and tedious over time, that’s a fact. Fortunately, many different things can be done for making meals easy. You no longer have to dread meal time.