Even if you’re simply cooking for the family, new methods always exist for cooking. Learning a few interesting methods can help you to turn even the blandest meal into a masterpiece that everyone will remember. Get together a repertoire of your favorite tips and you’ll be a huge success in the kitchen.
One highly effective and simple way to prepare interesting and new foods is to change up the sauces and spices you use on a regular basis. When you use a new spice or a new sauce to cook with you may find that dishes taste different. Shop at ethnic stores to find sauces or spices you have never tried before.
For a fat-free stew or soup, start your recipe by using fat-free soup stock or broth. Add many different types of vegetables and choose a cut of lean meat to add to the soup to make sure that you are keeping the it low-fat. When your soup finishes cooking, chill it in the refrigerator for a bit. This will cause the fat to congeal and rise to the top. Then just take a spoon and scoop off any hardened fat to throw away. For each tablespoon you remove, you can save about 100 calories.
Enjoy the hardy greens that are typically only available during the winter months. Some greens, such as broccoli, collards and kale, take on a sweeter flavor after the first cold snap. Make sure they are deep green and don’t buy any that are yellow or limp. Wash greens thoroughly before eating to remove all dirt. To properly clean them, simply place them in cold water. Shake the water off, and rinse repeatedly until the water running off the greens is clear.
Add oil to the pan’s sides when cooking. Adding oil in this way allows the oil to heat before it reaches the food in the center of the pan. This ensures your food’s flavor is maximized when finished.
When preparing pasta, it is important to add salt to the pot of water. This is the most effective time to season pasta. Adding salt after the pasta is cooked will cause the flavor to not be absorbed as well.
Test a small sample of your seasoned meats prior to cooking the full dish. A lot of dishes require you to season the meat with care. Don’t cook it all at once after you have seasoned it. Cut a little piece of meat into a patty before cooking it thoroughly. This will give you the ability to adjust the seasoning in the rest of the meat if needed.
To add a nice twist to any poultry dish, cook it in brine. Try soaking poultry, such as chicken, turkey, goose or duck, for 60 minutes in a brine solution prior to cooking. This makes the flavor of the poultry exponentially more flavorful.
Cut cinnamon rolls without the hassle. After you have made the cinnamon rolls, it might be hard to cut them. To ease the process, simply put heavy thread beneath the prepared rolls in the position where the cut should be. Draw the thread up on each side, and then make an “X” with the threads on top, and yank the ends toward the other sides. This is an easy way to ensure perfectly sliced cinnamon rolls.
This will allow your fruits to stay fresh and delicious for long periods of time. In addition, you’ll get to enjoy out-of-season fruits when no one else can!
If you are looking to improve your cooking abilities, try to find some good books on cooking and cooking tips. These cooking tips can help you learn to cook better for either yourself, a crowd, family, or friends.