The art of cooking proves useful in many situations. It’s true that people love to eat, especially dishes cooked by friends or family members. Learning to cook starts with a good recipe and the ability to follow instructions. The following article offers you many great tips on how you can go about improving your cooking skills.
If you purchase fruit that is still green and want it to ripen quickly, put it in a plastic bag with perforations. As some fruits become more ripe, they can produce ethylene gas. When you store the fruit in a perforated bag, the ethylene gas can escape so that the natural decay process slows down. This allows your produce and fruits to stay fresh longer.
Spices need to be stored in a dark, cool area. Common kitchen conditions, such as heat, light, and humidity, will destroy the flavor of herbs and spices. Usually herbs and ground spices tend to stay fresh for about a year. Spices that are whole will retain flavor longer, closer to 3-5 years. Proper storage will enhance the flavoring for a longer time.
To give your pasta sauce some additional flavor, use some of the water that the pasta was cooked in. Set aside about one-fourth cup of the pasta water. While mixing the sauce and pasta, add the pasta water into the mix. The water from the pasta contains starch, which can thicken your sauce.
When you cook dry beans, avoid adding garlic or salt until they’ve softened. Salt and garlic in particular can hinder softening while cooking, particularly if the beans had been sitting on the shelf for a long while. Wait until the beans are half way done before you add the seasonings.
If you’re feeling stressed at the idea of making dinner for the family, consider doing much of the prep work the evening before cooking. You can marinate the meat, make sauces, grate cheese and cut up veggies before retiring for the evening. This alleviates stress at suppertime since you have already done part of the work.
To enjoy the freshest fish, go out on the lake and catch it yourself. When you catch your own meal you can always know that it is fresh and nutritious, offering a wonderful benefit to your family.
Finding the correct amount of time to grill certain meats is a science that not many of us know how to do. Use a good meat thermometer (a digital one is more accurate) so that you can ensure the inside is cooked correctly. Try using a grilling lid to reduce the cooking time on thicker cuts of meat.
Many times your burgers can stick to your grill and it could be nearly impossible to free them without destroying them. Consider brushing the grill with vegetable oil before cooking to prevent food from sticking to the grill.
Much like a sponge, the mushrooms will absorb the water. To avoid this problem, use a damp cloth to wipe the mushroom clean.
Make big portions when preparing stock. Plan on preparing a large batch so that the excess can be frozen and used later. Excellent chicken stock that is homemade is a great base for use in stews, soups, casseroles, and more. Let your stock cool off and pour it inside Ziploc bags.
The act of tying a turkey with a string is called trussing. Trussing helps to keep the legs and wings next to the body so that cooking is done evenly. If you don’t tie down the limbs, the tips of them will likely burn before the body of the turkey is done.
As you can see, cooking can be easy. With the right techniques, creating delicious dishes for family and friends can suddenly become a breeze! Now that you have been introduced to these great tips and tricks, you just need to make the time to go and give them a try!