Is cooking for your family starting to drive you nuts? Do not let your lack of cooking skills get you down. The following piece includes several terrific ideas that will remove any anxiety you have about preparing meals. Make mealtime a source of enjoyment, not exasperation.
To maintain nutrients and color in your vegetables, quickly steam them until just crisp-tender. When you cook veggies slowly, they lose many nutrients. These cooking techniques tend to preserve the health benefits of vegetables in general. It is worth it to take the time to use cooking methods that preserve the most nutrients.
For easily adding intricacy and interest to dinner rolls or corn, try concocting a flavored butter. Allow the butter to be at room temperature when serving. Then mix in some herbs, sauces or spices to add some extra flavor. You can dabble in any sort of taste from hot peppers to acidic citrus, or even the sweetness of honey.
Slicing meat into thin even strips is easier when the meat is partially frozen. This is an especially strong technique for the meats called for in Asian meals. If you freeze the meat, it will make it easier to cut into strips as the meat fibers will not stretch or tear as easily. Though, before cooking the strips, they must completely thaw.
Use airtight containers for flour, sugar and baking mixes in the kitchen. When you transfer these foods to airtight containers, you are not only protecting them from bugs and bacteria, you are also helping them remain fresh longer. These containers can be purchased at almost any store and definitely make for a good investment.
Ladle out some of the extra fat in your soup. Allow your stew or soup to sit until the excess fat rises to the surface. Then, skim a spoon containing an ice cube over the surface. The ice will attract the fat and cause it to collect on the spoon. You can also try blotting the fat with a paper towel.
An excellent suggestion is to purchase solid cutting utensils for use in your kitchen. It will help you to save time if you have cutting utensils that are not dull and it also adds safety to your kitchen because dull knives can cause you to cut yourself accidentally. You are less likely to harm yourself with a sharp knife than a dull one.
There is a great trick to thicken up your sauce so it isn’t wasted. Use a bowl to combine 1 Tbsp of corn starch with 2 Tbsp of water. Stir the solution into the simmering thin sauce to make it thicker. Add the starch slowly and stir the sauce constantly to avoid making it too thick.
Frozen sweet corn is good; however, you can spice it up with just a few easy ingredients. You could mix coconut flakes in with the corn for an enjoyable flavor inspired by Thai cooking.
You should always use fresh seasoning and herbs whenever the dish you are cooking is simple. Dried herbs can work beautifully in complex dishes. If at all possible, however, go for the ones that are garden-fresh in order to enhance the flavor and impact of these things in your meals. Growing your own herbs in an herb garden, is an easy way to add fresh herbs to a meal anytime.
It can be overwhelming to cook for your whole family. There are many ways that you can make the cooking process easier. You will be able to relax and take a breather the next time you’re fixing a big meal in the kitchen.