Even casual cooks can learn something new every now and then. Small changes can make even the simplest of meals memorable. The following tips will aid you in your quest to get some unique, mouth-watering flavors brewing in the kitchen.
Meat can easily be sliced into thin strips if it is partially frozen. This is ideal for Asian meals like Chinese or Thai dishes. When the meat is frozen slightly, cutting it is easier because the fibers in the muscle do not tear or stretch when slicing. Make sure that you let the meat thaw before cooking, so the meat is cooked evenly.
For crispier French fries, you should chill the peeled potatoes in water for 30 minutes or more before frying them. The fibers of raw cut potatoes that have been soaked in cold water prior to hitting the deep fryer, are stronger and can handle the heat better without breakage.
When cooking vegetables, cook them as quickly as possible to keep their nutritional value. Vegetables that are cooked slowly lose a lot of their taste and nutrition. A plus is that faster cooking methods usually yield vegetables which are, generally, simply better for you health. The key to improving your vegetables is learning how you can cook them in the minimum amount of time.
No matter what you are cooking, fresh ingredients are always much better than dried or frozen ingredients. Use whatever seasonal ingredients are available to create tasty dishes, which are also less expensive.
Skewers should always be soaked in cold water for a minimum of 30 minutes before they are used in cooking. This keeps them from burning up while the food is cooking on them. If you have issues with food falling off skewers, make it a double. Food is much more stable when you use two skewers parallel from one another instead of one.
Freezing helps ensure fresh fruit throughout the year. An added bonus is that you are going to be able to eat fruit that is not in season and is therefore unavailable elsewhere during certain periods.
Always measure your oil when you are cooking. This will help you reduce how much fat is present in your cooking. This should enable you to carefully watch how much oil you are cooking with.
When serving salad to guests, you should never put salad dressing directly on it. You should have it to the side so that each person can use as much or as little as they want. There are many people who prefer little to no dressing on a salad. If you allow everyone to apply their dressings on their own it will allow them to have the amount they like. Make sure you have a selection to choose from.
If you are overwhelmed with making dinner for the family, you should try doing some of the preparing the night before. Try chopping all your onions and veggies, making up a sauce or putting the meat in a marinade before going to bed at night. This will result in less stress the next day, and you will be more than ready to begin the cooking process.
If you cook using herbs and spices, keep them stored under dark, cool conditions to preserve their freshness and flavor. If the spices are stored in cabinets by the stove or near other warmer places, this could result in their flavor loss and a money loss for you.
Spices don’t last forever; replace them every 6 months. Spices lose their flavor if kept too long. If you purchase a new spice but doubt you can use it before the flavor dries up, share some of it with a fellow cook.
Before you begin to cook, your utensils should be clean. If your utensils are not completely clean, you run the risk of introducing old food residue into whatever you are cooking. This can cost you a lot because it might cause bacteria to spread.
If you enjoy using fresh herbs, consider bunching them together and cutting them with scissors while preparing your next meal. When cut in this way, these herbs will have a lighter, fresher appearance.
To reduce the amount of stress you experience when cooking a complicated dish, you can prepare some of the ingredients the night before you need them. Get all of the ingredients that you will need, measure and chop all spices or herbs and make sure that you have what the recipe requires. When the time comes to prepare the meal, you will now only need to assemble the ingredients and cook it.
Cutting Utensils
Purchase quality cutting utensils for the kitchen. Nobody wants to use dull knives, as they can take over twice the time to chop up ingredients, and they are more dangerous than sharp ones. Most of the accidents that happen in the kitchen are due to someone using a dull cutting utensils.
When sauteing food, don’t put too much oil in the pan. This can result in additional moisture that may cause the food to become steamed and lose its crisp brown surface, one of the primary features of sauteing. Remember, sauteing is always done at low temperatures.
If you have a desire to improve your cooking, you should pay attention to advice and suggestions that come your way. These suggestions can help you with things you should know to make better meals for family, friends, or a crowd.