It is common for people consider cooking a duty. Yet, cooking can be an enjoyable activity. Good cooking can also improve health. A good cook continues to learn, and this article has a wealth of information for anyone who is interested in cooking.
There are a few things you need to know if you are considering cooking with skewers. If you are choosing to use a metal skewer you can choose from round or flattened skewers. Skewers that are not round will better hold food in place on the skewer.
Make sure that you cut your meat extremely thin as well as on the bias for stir-fry. This technique is somewhat tricky and can take a little time. When you remove the meat from the freezer, it should be firm, not frozen. Slice across the meat’s grain while holding the knife at a 45-degree angle.
Your spices should be stored in a place that is cool and dark. When they are stored in the sun, they lose shelf life because of exposure. 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. This will help every meal that you prepare taste better.
When you are having an important person over for dinner, prepare a meal that you are experienced with. Don’t experiment with recipes or ingredients that you’ve never used before. Making a meal you are confident will taste good can make the night more enjoyable.
Have you felt guilty for throwing out some moldy fruits? Can you save the rest of the fruit if you cut away the moldy, rotten part? Never try to salvage fruit that is past its prime. Mold grows inward to places that you can’t even see and can make you sick so throw moldy fruit in the garbage.
Raw potatoes should rest in chilly water for approximately 30 minutes. This will help them to be crispy and delicious. When your potatoes soak up cold fluids, their fibers are reinforced. This means that they will hold up better to the heat necessary for the frying process.
Quickly cooking vegetables allows them to retain much of their nutritional value. When you cook veggies slowly, they lose many nutrients. These methods usually create healthier vegetables. Learning to give them just a quick steam is the best way to cook them.
Fresh Basil
Do you enjoy flavoring your food with fresh basil? Place some basil in a clean glass. Add water to cover the stems. Just set it on the counter top, and it will be good for several weeks. If you occasionally change its water, it will sprout roots. Trim or cut the basil periodically to provide for added growth so you can partake in some fresh basil for a while!
When buying ingredients to cook with, always read the label. There are a variety of ingredients that, while common, are not the healthiest. You want to make sure that the product is not too high in sugars or in sodium as both can cause extreme health problems if over consumed.
Always measure your oil when you are cooking. To lessen the amount of unhealthy fat in your meals, make sure you carefully measure out how much oil you are using. Never pour the oil from a bottle straight into the pan. This lets you keep an eye on just how much oil you use.
If you are about to serve salad to multiple guests, serve the dressing separately instead of putting it directly on the salad. People vary in the amount of dressing they like on their salad, so it is helpful to let them do this on their own. For an even more considerate touch, provide different kinds of dressings.
Olive Oil
You can dry out your own tomatoes. Start by slicing a ripe tomato one-half inch thick, or you can cut Roma tomatoes in half lengthwise. Place the resulting tomato pieces on a rack, then salt their exposed flesh lightly. Then place that on a baking sheet and dry them in an oven that is 190 degrees for 10 hours. Once done, you can store them in your freezer in plastic bags. For flavored olive oil add some dried tomatoes and fresh herbs in a good quality extra virgin olive oil and store out of direct sunlight. This will be good for up to two weeks, and should be refrigerated during that time.
Organization is key to cooking efficiently and not letting anything burn. An organized cooking station is a productive cooking station. If you are unorganized, it is easy to lose track of things and waste your money and delicious food that you could have been eating!
As was previously noted, a good cook is always learning. Joy that comes from cooking comes not just from preparing a meal, but also from learning about various foods, and acquiring new cooking skills and techniques. When you love to cook, and share the joy of cooking with others, it can be very rewarding. The ability to cook well is a skill, but it is also a treasure that is meant for sharing.