Human beings need to eat to live! But plain “survival” foods can lead to boredom in the kitchen. As fulfilling as eating can be, cooking a great meal is equally as fulfilling. Here some advice to help you elevate your cooking prowess.
Preparing dark leafy greens can be such a pain, even though they are very healthy for you. The tough stems just don’t want to come off. To make it easy, fold the leaf lengthwise and remove the stem through the middle. For particularly tough stems, use a knife and cut the stems out while the leaf is folded. Open the leaf back up and you have no more stems!
It is not unusual to slip up and accidentally add excess salt to a dish you are preparing. Fortunately, there are solutions! If you happen to make a sauce too salty, put some raw potato into the pot for a short time to absorb the excess. Doing so lets the potato pieces absorb any excess amounts of salt from your sauce. If your dish contains tomatoes, use extra tomatoes to get rid of the extra salt and make sure to cook them until they achieve the desired tenderness.
Trussing refers to the method of tying a turkey up with string for baking. This process tucks the legs and wings closer to the bird’s body, which allows everything to cook more evenly. If you don’t tie down the limbs, the tips of them will likely burn before the body of the turkey is done.
They are known to soak up water like a sponge. Wipe them off with a damp cloth to clean them.
For crispier French fries, let raw potatoes stand for 30 minutes in a cold pot of water. When your potatoes soak up cold fluids, their fibers are reinforced. This means that they will hold up better to the heat necessary for the frying process.
Do you ever find it difficult to determine how long you should grill your meat? It is recommended that you use a reliable meat thermometer to ensure proper cooking inside the meat; a digital thermometer would give you very accurate readings. If you’re working with a particularly thick slice of meat, you can cut back on grilling time by closing the lid of the grill.
Hot milk can transform your mashed potato recipe. Simply add this hot milk to your potatoes prior to mashing. This alternative to the addition of cold milk will make your potatoes much airier and fluffier. No one wants to eat mashed potatoes that are lumpy and bland.
When making your own chicken stock, prepare more than you need up front. Making more than you need in a large pot can allow you to have some left over to store in the freezer for later use. Many great recipes including soups, casseroles and stews call for a base of chicken stock. To store your homemade stock, let it cool, pour it into a freezer bag, and stick it in the freezer.
Spice up your cooking with a little creativity. You need not follow a recipe exactly. When you’re comfortable with the recipe, play within it to see what can be reduced, increased, or added for a better taste or texture. Now that is a real cook!
It’s fun to learn how to cook more complicated meals. You may even enjoy eating more when you cook the food yourself. Add your own flair to these tips and tricks to make them your own. You will become such a good cook that everyone will be requesting your meals and desserts.