Eating is easy; cooking is hard…at first. This article provides helpful cooking information you can use in the kitchen. Do not be afraid of your recipes, kitchen, or ingredients. Knowing how to cook is an invaluable trait, and has the potential to provide great enjoyment. Have fun with these tips and don’t be scared to do some experimenting and messing up of your kitchen. Any mess can be cleaned up!
Spice up frozen sweet corn with exotic flavors. Take a page from Thai cuisine by mixing coconut flakes with your cooked corn.
Apples are a mainstay of fall and winter cooking, but they will spoil quickly if not stored properly. Apples will spoil in warm, dry air, so put them in a loosely tied bag in a cool basement or refrigerator. Cull bad apples from the bag to avoid rotting more of them.
Do you cook often with fresh basil? Store the basil within a glass. Fill the container with enough water to cover the stems. This way it will stay fresh for days, even weeks, right on your countertop! The basil may even start growing roots if you change out the water regularly. If this happens, trim the basil once in a while. This promotes continued growth, which means you have fresh basil at your disposal well into the future.
Place salad dressing off to the side of a salad, instead of on top of it, when serving salad to guests. The amount dressing that people prefer on their salad varies so allow guests to add their own dressing. Also, give a variety of different dressings.
No matter what you are cooking, fresh ingredients are always much better than dried or frozen ingredients. Your recipe will be more flavorful if you use fresh ingredients, and the cost can be lower as well.
Make sure to take care of all of the preparation beforehand to maximize your cooking experience. Ingredients for meals can often be prepared a few days ahead of time. Some ingredients even benefit from advance preparation, developing a better flavor that will enhance the quality of your meal when you cook it. After you try this technique once, you will want to continue doing it.
Wait a few minutes before you serve a meal to allow the food to sit for a bit. A lot of people do not wait long enough before serving food. It is very tempting to serve the meal from grill to tabletop. If you do this, you will really be missing out. Let the meal be for a few minutes, and give it time it cool off.
Crispier fries come from potatoes that have been left to soak in ice cold water for about 30 minutes. Soaking potatoes accomplishes two important things for your French fries; it takes out sugar and starch during the soaking process.
To reduce the fat content of your soups or stews, try starting with low-fat or fat-free broth in the beginning. Soup is also lower in fat when it includes veggies and lean meat. When you have cooked your soup to your liking, place it in the fridge to cool off. When it’s chilled enough, you’ll see hard fat clumps floating on top. Simply discard the hardened fat and the soup is done. For each tablespoon of fat that you remove, you will save about 100 calories.
Don’t be afraid to try your hand at cooking. Preparing food for yourself is not only fun, but it will help you save money and it is more healthy than eating out. Apply these tips the next time you go grocery shopping or cook. Celebrate your accomplishment and stick with cooking at home!