If you are fairly new to cooking, then you must start somewhere. Some people might have a knack for cooking, while most people could use some instructions. Everyone can learn to cook, though. There is some foundational knowledge that needs to be acquired in order to become the chef that you want to be. In this article, we will offer you good advice to get you started.
Using a baked potato instead of a small one can help you to have nice thick skins to use to make twice baked potatoes. Red potatoes have very thin skin and are unable to support dense fillings.
Do not forget to add salt to water for making pasta. This way, the flavor is able to fully permeate the pasta. Salting cooked pasta will not have the same effect.
If you need to prepare food for large gatherings of your family, you are probably feeling stressed about it. Rather than succumbing to the urge to completely freak out, start preparing your feast in advance. Cutting vegetables, marinating meat and mixing dips a day in advance will give you more time to enjoy your guests and decrease your stress level.
When you are cooking, wash the dishes as you use them to reduce clean-up time later. Have your sink full of soapy, hot water one side, and use the other side to rinse. It’s easy to wash bowls and utensils right after you use them, and they’ll be all set for the next ingredient that needs mixing.
Stay Warm
When making waffles and pancakes in batches for breakfast, you will want them to stay warm until it’s time to eat. You can do this by heating your oven up to 300 degrees. As you make your batches of pancakes, put the finished ones in the oven so that they stay warm.
Measuring and chopping ingredients before you begin cooking can save you time. You can often prepare ingredients for upcoming meals a day or two in advance. Sometimes you will even discover that preparing ingredients over an extended period of time will enhance the flavor of the final product. Once you become accustomed to completing advanced prep work, you may never cook any other way.
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. Some people love dressing in great huge globs, while others like a lighter taste. Some folks don’t like any dressing at all, (or are watching their weight) so leave the dressing of salads up to your guests. Your guests will also enjoy having a variety of dressings from which to choose.
Metal Skewers
Cooking with skewers may seem easy; however, there are some tips that will make your skewer cuisine delicious every time. Not all metal skewers are created equal; traditional round metal skewers are not the best option to keep food in place when grilling. Choosing skewers with a different shape can be the secret to keeping your food from the bottom of your grill.
Incorporate winter greens into your cold-weather cooking. Once the first frost passes, certain winter greens taste sweeter, including kale, rapini, and collards. Stay away from ones that appear soft or discolored and pursue rich and bright colored ones. These greens are dirt magnets, so take care when washing them. Drown them in cool water, shake them off, and then rinse them until your water runs clear.
It is best to buy all of your fish and meat while it is still on the bone. Save the bones from cooked and raw meats in storage bags, and keep frozen until needed for stock.
It is important to soften, but not melt the butter when you are creaming sugar and butter for cookies. If your butter is melted, put it in your freezer for a couple of minutes so that it starts to harden just a bit, or you can finish making the dough, and then put it in the refrigerator for a while. Dough that has cooled a bit will spread less in the oven.
Dried Tomatoes
Make your own sun-dried tomatoes. Cut tomatoes in thick slices or in half, depending on their size. Place cut side up on a clean cooling rack and salt lightly. Next, position a full rack on a baking sheet in an oven preheated to 190 degrees. Dry for approximately 10 hours. Store in plastic bags in the freezer. Another option is to store dried tomatoes in a jar that contains fresh, flavorful herbs and olive oil. Place this in the refrigerator and be sure to use it within 2 weeks.
If you are working with foods that have strong odors, such as fish, garlic or onions, remove the smell from your hands by rubbing them on something that is stainless steel, prior to washing them. A spoon or the side of the sink will do the trick, or a ready-made “soap bar” made of stainless steel. This technique will eliminate odors and keep hands fresh-smelling as well.
Be sure to take excessive fat out of your stew or soup. If your stew or soup has a lot of fat in it, allow it to cool and then scoop out the fat that rises to the top. On a spoon, place a cube of ice and lightly skim it around the surface of the soup. The fat should then gather on the ice. You can also remove excess oil by blotting it with a paper towel.
That way, fruit can stay crisp and fresh all year. In addition, you’ll get to enjoy out-of-season fruits when no one else can!
A meat thermometer can let you know if your meat has been thoroughly cooked. Each meat has minimum internal temperatures that are recommended so that it is safe to eat. There is a lot of bacteria that lives on meat, so cooking it to a high enough temperature to kill it off is important to avoid food borne illnesses.
You only need to be able to read and follow instructions to become an effective cook. This isn’t rocket science, after all. Just keep these tips in handy and you will soon be preparing delicious meals for your family and friends.