Cooking is a necessary skill whether you live alone or need to feed a large family. Knowing how to cook provides you with many benefits, from nutritional to social to financial. The following article is going to provide you with the ABCs of cooking.
If you cook using herbs and spices, keep them stored under dark, cool conditions to preserve their freshness and flavor. Keeping your spices and herbs stored above your stove or in high cabinets where warm air collects will dry them out and destroy their flavor.
Airtight Containers
Flour, baking mixes and sugar should be stored in airtight containers. Airtight containers are advantageous for several reasons. They prevent air exposure from lessening the freshness of your foods, and they also keep the bugs out. These containers are easily purchased online or at your local department or even grocery stores. Wherever you get them from, the freshness of any food you intend to store in them is well worth the investment.
Make washing dishes part of your cooking routine. Have one side of the sink full of soapy water and the other filled with rinse water. Since the easiest time to clean bowls and other implements is right after you have finished with them, you will save yourself a lot of time and effort since you won’t have to scrub them so much.
Try cooking with saffron if you are all about trying new spices. Saffron has a uniquely uplifting flavor that is hard to duplicate. Many people enjoy this ancient herb with their food. Saffron, and its exceptional flavor, is demanded by cultures across the globe, and because of that, it can also be one of the most expensive.
Extra Flavor
Use beef or chicken stock in place of water to give almost everything from soup to mashed potatoes some extra flavor. Alternately, you can use bouillon in the water called for in the recipe. In this way, you can be sure your food has enough moisture and extra flavor!
The night before you cook, try to prepare as much as possible. This way, you can prevent distractions like hot oil in pans or other distractions. You can also save on gas and heat by not turning on appliances before you are ready.
Creativity in the kitchen can be exciting. Following a recipe is not fun if you do not add a personal touch. In some cases by making little modifications to the recipe here and there will result in a dish that is tastier than if you had used the original recipe. Turning a simple recipe into something that is uniquely your own is the sign of a true cook.
Fresh Fish
If you have the time, you should try fishing to get fresh fish. They will enjoy the benefits of having tasty fresh fish and of taking pride in having provided for their own needs.
Make tastier mashed potatoes for dinner by using hot, but not boiling, milk when mashing them. Bypass the cold milk if you want mashed potatoes to be fluffy with a light texture. This will turn your mashed potatoes from dull to delightful with virtually no effort.
Winter Greens
Eat hearty winter greens. Right after the first winter frost, broccoli rabe, collards and kale will taste much sweeter than normal. You should cook with winter greens that have a bright, deep color. Limp and yellowing greens should be avoided. Wash the greens well as they tend to absorb dirt easily during growth. First, fully submerge each bunch in cold water. After removing the greens, shake them off and rinse thoroughly.
You will have fresh fruits all year long. Additionally, you may be able to keep some fruits frozen and enjoy them during months when they are not available in stores.
If using oil in your cooking, pour it in the pan in an area away from the food. By the time the oil reaches the food it has been heated up and is ready to roll. This will enhance the flavor of the dish when it is finished cooking.
Fresh Basil
Are you using fresh basil to cook with? Take a large bunch of this fresh herb and place it in a glass. Pour water in the glass until the stems of the fresh basil are completely covered. Keep it on the kitchen counter and it will stay fresh for weeks. Change the water from time to time so that the basil grows roots. By picking leaves you will encourage the basil to put out new growth. This will ensure that you have fresh basil on an ongoing basis!
If a particular wine’s flavor is unknown to you, then you shouldn’t use it as an ingredient in your food. If you mix random wines into your food, you may find that the wine you have chosen spoils the dish. If you want a safe bet, most liquor stores carry cooking wines.
Brine is a wonderful cooking method. Bring out great poultry flavor by soaking the poultry in brine for one hour before you finish the preparation.
Dry ground meat with a towel before you put it in the pan to remove excess moisture. If your meal includes ground meat, then blotting the moisture is especially important. If you leave it there, the meat will not cook properly. This meaning, the moisture will sizzle and evaporate away. This leads to the meat getting steamed, instead of what you want, which is to sear it.
Trussing refers to the method of tying a turkey up with string for baking. This pulls the legs and wings close to its body so that it can cook evenly. If the legs and wings aren’t tied together, the tips could burn, cooking much more quickly than the main part of the turkey.
The ability to prepare meals for both yourself and your family is a highly-prized skill. No matter your taste bud’s preferences, learning to cook can enrich your life. Picking up food at the 7-11 or McDonald’s can certainly save you time, but there’s nothing quite like a meal you’ve cooked yourself.