Knowing how to really cook is a skill that will serve you well. There are a variety of bonuses in eating a meal cooked at home. It is healthier than takeout, generally more tasty, and you’re saving money by remaining at home.
If you struggle to find time to make dinner every night, do some of your prep work the morning before. You can cut up ingredients, measure spices, marinate meat and prepare sauces 24 hours in advance to avoid the stress of preparing a more complex meal. You will feel less stressed and a bit more eager to cook when you wake up.
When recipes call for wooden skewers, make sure to soak them for half an hour at least before you use them. That way, you won’t be able to burn them as easily. To prevent food from falling from the skewers, use two parallel skewers rather than just one.
If you saute a food, don’t overload the pan. The moisture from the extra food will cause it to steam. This way the food will be too moist, not crisp like sauteed food should be. Make sure you do this at a low temperature as well.
In order to ensure your meats are being cooked properly, you should make use of a meat thermometer. Meat must reach a minimum temperature to be safe. This temperature varies for each kind of meat. If the meat is not properly cooked, bacteria that exists on meat will not be eliminated, and you can get very sick as a result.
Fix your cracked pie crust! By handling your pie dough too much, you might get some cracks. If you find cracks in your dough, sprinkle a bit of cold water on the dough and rub the cracks gently with your finger. If the cracked part is on top of the crust, then put some milk on a brush and brush the crust, then add a bit of sugar. Baking will cause the sugar to form a beautiful glaze over the top of the pie and make any crust issues disappear.
Some green vegetables are much more flavorful and enjoyable in the winter time. After a first frost, these veggies have a very sweet yummy taste. Select greens with bright colors, and stay away from the ones that look dull. Greens tend to accumulate dirt, so wash them thoroughly. To clean your greens, simply submerge them in cold water, shake them around a bit, and then give them a quick rinse.
Many vegetable and herbs give off a smell that tends to remain in your chopping board, even though you scrub it over and over again. Make a mark with permanent ink on the end of the cutting board, so you always know which side to use for the item that you’re cutting.
Oven Timer
Set a watch timer in parallel with the oven timer. You are assured of knowing when the oven timer goes off wherever you may be if you also set the timer on a watch you are wearing on your wrist or a stopwatch you are wearing around your neck.
To stay on top of the mess that comes with cooking, wash your dishes as soon as you are done using them. You should have one sink filled with water that is hot and soapy. The other sink needs to be filled with clear water for rinsing. Cookware is easier to clean right after it has been used, and it will be ready for another use immediately.
Chicken Stock
If you want to make chicken stock, you might as well make a lot of it. 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. There’s nothing better than homemade chicken stock as a flavorful base for casseroles, stews and soups. Once your stock is cooked, let the leftovers reach room temperature, then portion them into freezer bags.
Apples don’t have to be just for fall or winter cooking. With proper storage they can last for months. Keep your apples in a cool and humid place and avoid dry hot areas. Watch out if you are storing a large number of apples, one bad apple ruins the bunch.
Twice a year, you should buy all new spices. If the spices are too old, they are going to lose a good bit of their flavor. Share your spices with friends or relatives if you will not use as much as you buy.
Sometimes you make big batches of pancakes or waffles and you’d like them to stay warm. Warm the oven so that it reaches 300 degrees. Once the waffles or pancakes are finished, place them into the oven on a plate so they remain heated.
A tip to keeping your salsa tasting fresh is to rinse the onions in cold water after dicing, then use a paper towel to blot them dry before adding them to the other ingredients. Fresh onions contain gas that has sulfur in it. This can end up ruining your batch of salsa. You can remove this gas by rinsing and drying the onions when they are raw.
To truss a turkey means to tie it up with string. The advantage of trussing is that the legs and wings are held closer to the body, resulting in even cooking throughout the bird. Otherwise, the meat found in the legs and wings tends to become dry and tough during cooking.
Fresh Ingredients
To give your food vitality, prepare meals using fresh ingredients instead of frozen or dried ingredients whenever possible. Fresh ingredients can really enhance the flavor of your meal, as well as be more economical to prepare.
If you follow these tips, learning how to cook homemade foods is simple and easy. You will find that home cooked meals will save you a lot of money and usually take less time then going to a restaurant. Cooking for your family is the best way to ensure that they are eating right. So take advantage of the information provided here and start creating great tasting meals in your own kitchen.