Have you ever gone out to eat and questioned how the chef made the food taste so good? Have you actually gone ahead and tried to duplicate it yourself? In this article, you will be provided you with a few great tips for making restaurant style meals at home. Cooking is an enjoyable hobby in which anyone can participate.
Give pie and tart crust a little longer baking time than you normally would for the best results. Let the crust go beyond light tan to a deeper, golden shade. When the crust is a golden color then you know the sugar has caramalized and you will have a sweet and crispy result.
If you put your meat in the freezer to make it a little hard, it will be easier to cut into thin strips. This works well for Asian dishes, like Chinese or Thai. It’s easier to slice meat that has been partially frozen because the fibers don’t tear and stretch, so you can make clean cuts. However, so they are evenly cooked, you want to make certain the meat strips are thawed before cooking.
Slice meat thinly on the bias for stir-fry dishes. This may take some patience and it can be a bit time-consuming. When the meat feels firm, pull it from the freezer and cut across the grain at a 45 degree angle.
It is important for every cook to have their cooking supplies organized. If you refuse to organize your cooking supplies, you’ll take longer to find the utensils you need. Try to keep similar things in one place. As an example, keep all of your spices stored in one cabinet for ease.
When you know that the next day will be busy, prepare some components of dinner the night before. Pre-assembling lasagna or chopping vegetables for stir-fry to keep in your fridge may save you a lot of stress and time when you make a meal for your family.
Try not to under or over cook your cake. Many factors can affect the cooking times for cakes. There are guidelines that come on many cake mixes that can be helpful but do not take into account the things that could impact the cooking time. Instead, take a toothpick and insert it into the middle of the cake. If batter sticks to the toothpick when it comes out, more baking is needed; when the toothpick stays clean after insertion, it’s time to eat!
Fresh herbs in a meal are delicious. Bunch them together and then use a pair of scissors to snip them. By using this technique you can chop many herbs in a short amount of time, and they will be much lighter and fluffier, without the wetness that you get when using a knife.
Try making your own dried tomatoes. Just slice them when ripe to about 1/2″ thickness. You should place them on cooling rack, and salt them lightly with the cut side up. Place the cooling rack on a cookie sheet and dry in a 190 degree oven for up to 10 hours. The tomatoes can then be placed in plastic bags and stored in the freezer. Another option is to place the tomatoes in a jar and cover them with fresh herbs and olive oil. The tomatoes will need to be refrigerated and should be consumed within a couple of weeks.
With the above advice you can be a better chef right at home! Don’t be afraid to indulge your adventurous side by experimenting with some exotic recipes. There are so many delicious foods from all over the world, so the ideas are endless in terms of creativity and variety in your cooking.