Does the thought of cooking your next meal make you want to run and hide? Do not allow the challenges of creating great meals lead you to frustration. This article will give you some helpful tips for hassle-free, easy to prepare meals. Once you follow the strategies in this guide, you will be wishing that you could have known about these things sooner.
Does it upset you to discard fruit that is moldy? Do you wonder if you can still use the fruit by simply cutting out the part that seems overripe? Fruit that is rotting cannot be safely eaten. Toss it in the trash; you may not be able to see all of the areas that are affected by the mold, and if you eat any of it, you can become very ill.
Brine is an easy, handy method of cooking. Soak goose, turkey, chicken or duck in brine one hour before preparation to bring out the best poultry flavors in your dish.
To add interest to to the normal dishes you prepare, add a new sauce or a new spice. An old favorite can turn into an exciting new taste adventure with some simple swaps, different marinades or unusual sauces. If you feel like you have tried everything in your grocery store to enhance your foods look around at various foreign food stores.
When creating soup and stew, try making it lower in fat content by using stocks that have the fat already removed from them. Take advantage of the vast array of colorful, tasty vegetables and lean meats to keep fat content low. After cooking, refrigerate your soup and let it cool off. Any excess fat will surface and harden in a layer on the top. Use a spoon to carefully scoop out this layer of hardened fat and throw it away. For each tablespoonful of fat that you discard, you will spare yourself as much as 100 calories.
Rub your hands on stainless steel after you handle smelly foods such as garlic, fish, or onions to get the smell out. The stainless steel will help to remove the offending odor restoring your hands’ freshness. You can find stainless steel on your kitchen sink basin, on cutlery or even in specially designed stainless-steel soap bars.
Creativity in the kitchen can be exciting. Following every recipe to the letter will give results, but it won’t make you a great cook. Sometimes adding or taking away a little extra of this or that can alter the taste so much, that it exceeds the original recipe itself. That makes a person a great cook!
Add chicken broth to vegetables when you cook them. Chicken broth adds flavor to vegetables and prevents them from getting stuck to the bottom of the pan. Chicken broth can be found at almost all local grocery stores at a very cheap price.
If you plan to prepare food outside for a cookout, make sure the grill itself is prepped beforehand. It takes approximately 30 minutes for the grill to heat to the proper temperature for cooking. You should keep the coals at a medium heat and covered with ashes. This is the best temperature for grilling.
When you want to chop herbs, sprinkle some salt on your cutting board. Not only does this add a little extra flavor, it keeps the herbs you are chopping where you want them – on the board. If you add the salt to your cutting board, reduce the salt in the recipe by the same amount, so that you don’t add too much salt to your dish. The salt sprinkled on the board adheres to the herbs, which takes the flavor up to 11.
Cooking for a family can be more than a little overwhelming. Luckily many ways exist that assist you in meal preparation. Try to relax when you enter the kitchen next time.