Cooking can become boring when you do it everyday. Consider shaking things up by learning how to improve your cooking skills. Cooking allows you to provide your family with the nutrients they need but it can also turn into something that you look forward to doing. Here are some great cooking tips to get you going.
Don’t mix unfamiliar wine into your food. If you use a wine that you are not familiar with or do not enjoy, you are risking culinary disaster when it comes to the flavor of your food. Try using wines that are sold specifically for cooking.
It’s vital that you ensure that the utensils you cook with are clean prior to cooking. Any leftover food post-washing can ruin whatever you plan on cooking next. Failure to clean utensils properly could also spread food borne illness.
Texture and taste don’t have to suffer when you are trying to lighten up your mashed potatoes. Cauliflower makes for a great substitute to help drop the fat and calorie content. Their bland flavor blends effortlessly with the potatoes while taking flavor from the other ingredients. Cauliflower mixes easily with potatoes and will become hard to notice while reducing your intake of carbs.
Impress your family and friends with a simple sandwich just by carefully preparing it and presenting it in a great way. You can’t be in a rush and just squirt it on the bread! If you take the time to spread your condiments evenly, your entire sandwich will taste excellent.
Winter Greens
Make sure to include winter greens in your diet. Wait until cold weather sets in to try broccoli rabe, collards or other winter greens, as they will taste sweeter. Select crisp green vegetables with a deep green color, and pass by those that are yellowing and limp looking. When washing greens it is important to be careful. There is often dirt on them and you need to wash the dirt off thoroughly before cooking them. Put the veggies in water and shake them off. Then rinse them until the water is running clear.
If you are planning a complex meal, reduce your stress by doing the prep the night before. Make sure you have all your ingredients before you start cooking, and that you shop and measure them so they are ready to go. Now all that is left is to assemble the dish and toss it in the oven!
Substituting another liquid for milk or water can help give your meals a new flavor. For example, you might try chicken broth or beef broth instead of water in a meat dish. You might even try fruit juice when cooking certain veggies. As an alternative to milk, try using thinned sour cream, yogurt, soy milk or buttermilk. Using different liquids is an easy way to make an old dish more interesting and more nutritious.
Protect your spice and herb collection by storing your jars at room temperature in a dark place. Humidity, light and heat can cause your spices and herbs to lose their flavor. Spices and herbs that are ground usually retain their flavor for close to a year. Spices that are raw, or whole, can keep the original flavor for as long as five years, though it usually falls somewhere between three and five. Keep spices fresh for the longest time possible by storing them correctly.
Many important nutrients are removed when vegetables are cooked in lengthy processes like boiling. Allow your vegetables to keep their nutritional benefits by cooking them quickly, or eating them raw!
Leave your meal to sit for a short while before serving. Lots of people don’t take advantage of this important step for food. It has become almost habit now to serve up a meal as it comes right off the stove. Doing so actually causes you to miss out on some extra flavors. To maximize taste and satisfaction, wait a little while before you serve your meal to friends or family.
Make your cooking very colorful. Colorful additions to your meals will add both nutrition and visual appeal. Colorful garnishments can be chosen for your meals, such as parsley, carrot curls, and raw cherry tomatoes. If you use color, people will want to eat your foods.
Waxy Potatoes
Always follow the recipe, even going so far as to select the potatoes specified. Potatoes are divided into three types: mealy, waxy, and all-purpose. The type of spuds that make for ideal mashed potatoes are the mealy varieties. The russet potato is one of the most common of the mealy variety. When looking for a good potato that works in almost any dish, the Yukon Gold variety is a good choice. Waxy potatoes are good for steaming or boiling because their shape is maintained. The most popular waxy potatoes are red potatoes or white potatoes.
Set both your oven timer and the timer on your watch. An athletic stopwatch hanging from your neck or a watch timer on your wrist both offer the advantage of proximity, assuring you will hear them go off regardless of your physical location at the time.
Many tasty fruits, such as bananas, apples, pears, peaches, and avocados have an unfortunate tendency to turn brown rapidly after being sliced. Salt water and lemons can prevent this from occurring. However, in order to get the best flavor while preventing browning of your fruits, you should instead dip the fruit into pineapple juice. Just briefly dipping it will work, so you don’t need to let the fruit soak.
After purchasing fruits that are not quite ripe, store them in a plastic bag that is perforated with holes. When fruits ripen, they produce ethylene gas. The perforations in the bag allow the air to circulate while the plastic retains enough of the ethylene gas to increase the ripening process and keep the fruit tasting sweet and delicious.
Starting with these tips can have you cooking with style in no time. It may even become a full-time hobby! When you learn to cook, you will learn about food, have fun, and have lots of good things to eat. You will also learn more about yourself as in learning what you like to cook. When cooking becomes less of a chore and more of an adventure, your meals will be tastier.