How many times have you dreaded going into the kitchen to make breakfast, lunch, or dinner? You might need a new perspective. Cooking can be enjoyable and relaxing if you try to see it in another way. Here are a few cooking tips that are sure to get your taste buds tingling and entice your inner chef to come out.
When you make chicken stock make as much as you can. If you make a large amount of stock you can freeze it for future use. You can use your homemade chicken stock for soups, casseroles and stews. Freeze premeasured amounts of your stock in freezer proof containers or bags when cool.
It can be easier to blend warm milk into mashed potatoes. As opposed to cold milk, hot milk will help make your mashed potatoes lighter and fluffier. No one wants to eat lumpy mashed potatoes that taste bland!
Use softened butter instead of melted butter when you are creaming sugar and butter for cookies. If the butter is totally melted, freeze it for a short while to harden it again, or, put the dough in the refrigerator once you are done mixing everything. Your cookies will be less likely to spread if the dough has been allowed to cool.
When using fresh herbs like parsley or dill, gather them into bunches and cut them with scissors. This chopping method produces lighter, fluffier herbs that are drier than conventionally cut herbs.
Layer your salad wisely if you are going to serve it later. The ingredients with the most juice should be placed toward the bottom layers of the salad, so that they do not cause the other ingredients to wilt. The less juicy ingredients should be placed toward the top of the salad.
Dry your own tomatoes. Just slice them when ripe to about 1/2″ thickness. Put the tomatoes, cut-side up, onto a cooling rack and give them a light salting. After placing the rack atop a cookie sheet, allow the tomatoes to dry for 10 hours in an oven at 190 degrees. Finally, place your dried tomatoes in freezer safe bags and store in the freezer. You can also pack dried tomatoes in a jar with some fresh herbs and olive oil. This jar should be used within 2 weeks and kept refrigerated.
Cooking with skewers may seem easy; however, there are some tips that will make your skewer cuisine delicious every time. To get a better hold on the food, use a square or twisted type metal skewer.
Salvage a less-than-perfect pie crust instead of writing it off. If you knead pie dough too much, it tends to crack. To make them disappear, sprinkle a few drops of cold water onto the spot, then using your fingertips, smooth the dough back together. If cracks appear on the top, brush them with milk and add sugar on top. The crust will then have a wonderful glaze that will keep the cracks hidden after it’s done baking.
If you are cooking for an important occasion, you should choose something you have done successfully before. Avoid any new recipes or ones that rely on unfamiliar ingredients or techniques. Cooking will become less stressful.
Try reheating foods that contain lots of oil rather than microwaving them to avoid having a greasy mess. Oil heats more quickly than other ingredients, and the strong heat that a microwave has will cause it to separate from everything else. When you bake, however, the entire dish heats at the same rate, so no ingredient heats too quickly or separates from the rest of the dish.
Use these tips for preparing your meals. After giving them a taste, you may find you actually enjoy cooking. Consequently, you may wind up craving it and, eventually, you might enjoy experimenting with a variety of recipes and foods. Give cooking a try!