There is always room for improvement when it comes to cooking. There are always new methods, tips, and techniques that can improve a recipe, expand a chef’s repertoire, and increase the pleasure of time spent in the kitchen. And every beginner needs to learn all the tips and techniques that can make preparing food easier. You will make mistakes and that’s the best way to learn.
Be creative with your approach to cooking. Feel free to adapt a recipe to suit your particular needs. A recipe can be greatly improved upon if you add a little of this, or take away a little of that. That makes a person a great cook!
Before frying raw potatoes, allow them to soak for half an hour in a bowl of cold water; this will result in crispier fries. Cold water will allow the sliced potato to retain its internal fibers, meaning that they are less likely to completely break down when cooked at a high heat.
When boiling water to cook pasta, be sure to add a generous sprinkling of salt. This is so that the seasoning will set into the pasta. Salting after boiling your pasta will not give the same effect of absorption.
Waxy Potatoes
Different recipes require different types of potatoes. Waxy, mealy, and all-purpose are the three main classes of potato. If mashed potatoes are on the menu for you, try using ones with a mealy texture. Russet potatoes are a familiar mealy potato. For a popular all-purpose potato, there is Yukon gold. Waxy potatoes work best for boiling and steaming. They do a good job of holding their shape. Waxy potatoes include regular white or red potatoes.
Would you like to cut up your cinnamon rolls easily? Sometimes, it’s hard to slice the individual portions off the roll when preparing cinnamon rolls for baking. To cut the dough easily, use a string thread underneath it where you desire the cut to be made. Raise the thread around its sides, cross it at the tops, and then pull it quickly in each direction. This will help you get the perfect slices for your cinnamon rolls.
Leave at least some of the spices for the dinner table. Spices, such as garlic powder, salt, cayenne and pepper, are all wonderful seasonings. Many people like different things in terms of spices. Due to this, it is often best to leave spices out for people to add to their food as they wish, instead of forcing them to eat it how you like it. This way, each person can personalize their own meal.
Do you tend to have minor catastrophes with pie crust? Simple repairs can be made to hide flaws in the crust. Dough that has been overworked will crack when you roll it out. To smooth out any crack apply a couple of drops of cold water to the crack and smooth the dough out using your fingers. If the cracks appear on the top, use some milk to rub it with and then top with sugar. This way, your crust will get a wonderful glaze and it will also hide the cracks.
When you are cooking in cookware with a nonstick coating, only use rubber, silicone, or nylon utensils. Metal utensils, and even wooden spoons, can cause scratches in the surface. Over time, these small scratches will turn into large chips in your nonstick surface. These chips can make their way into your food as well. This could not only be dangerous, but also very unappetizing.
When you are preparing food that needs to be seasoned, add the seasoning every few minutes. Doing this helps the food get the most flavor and more out of the ingredients you used.
Anytime you know you will be short on cooking time for the following day, give yourself a head start on dinner by prepping some of the ingredients the night before. With some forethought and effort ahead of time, you can have stress-free meal preparation. Try things like cutting and paring vegetables the day before, or putting together pastas or lasagna and storing them to use as needed.
To maintain nutrients and color in your vegetables, quickly steam them until just crisp-tender. The longer you cook vegetables, the less flavor and nutrition they have. These speed-cooking techniques usually produce vegetables that are more nutritious overall. It is worth it to take the time to use cooking methods that preserve the most nutrients.
To create low-fat soups or stews, start with fat-free broth or stock. For added flavor without the fat normally associated with stew, use lean meat along with an abundance of vegetables. When your soup is done cooking, put it in the refrigerator to chill. The remainder of the fat will rise to the surface and congeal. You can remove and get rid of this hardened fat. This will equal about 100 calories that you have saved from each tablespoon of fat you removed.
Cooking with apples in autumn and winter is popular, however they must be stored correctly to prevent spoiling. Warm, dry air rots apples, so they need to be stored in loosely tied bags, and then placed in the fridge or cool area. Make sure to keep an eye out for rotting apples, because if you have one rotten apple, it will turn all the other apples rotten in no time.
You can prepare a lot prior to cooking to streamline your cooking process. Browse through your recipes and see what parts can be prepared early, without fear of spoiling. There are a lot of things you can prep the day before you need to cook. This can make even the most difficult recipes fun and easy.
When unpacking your groceries, place any unripened fruits in perforated bags. As fruits ripen, they produce a gas called ethylene. Putting them in a perforated bag will allow circulation of the air and keep the gas retained, thus allowing the fruit to keep it’s delicious taste.
Even seasoned cooks can use new tips to ease their cooking process. Inexperienced cooks need a wealth of information when they’re learning how to cook. Try out some of these tips to see how much more enjoyable and accomplished your cooking becomes.