Do you enjoy foods of all varieties? Do you mind yourself craving sweets? Would you wrestle a tiger for a curry? Or swim a river for some Thai? Perhaps you have been wondering if you can cook exotic foods yourself. If this is the case, you can stop wishing and start learning how to cook like a pro. The tips below will teach you how to produce mouth-watering meals for years to come.
If your meals include fresh herbs like dill or parsley, clump them together and use kitchen shears to cut them. This will keep the herbs drier and lighter than chopped with a knife.
There are few things as delicious as cooking a fish that you caught yourself. A fresh fish that is caught and cooked on the same day is a rare treat. The feeling of providing your own meal is not one to be dismissed.
To be sure you don’t overcook something, set both your watch and the oven timers. If you have a watch timer on you, you will hear it anywhere in the house.
It is important to prepare a barbecue before you are actually ready to use it. Begin preparations around a half hour before you intend to start grilling. The coals should be at medium heat and they should be ash covered. This is the best temperature for grilling.
If you are going to be making chicken stock, it is best to go big or not at all. Plan on preparing a large batch so that the excess can be frozen and used later. That tasty chicken stock is very versatile and can be perfect for your next stew, casserole or soup. Let your stock cool off and pour it inside Ziploc bags.
Always soak skewers in water for 30 minutes before loading them with food and cooking. Being soaked in the water prevents them from getting burned when exposed to the cooking heat. You can keep your food on the skewers if you use two sticks parallel instead of just one.
Certain fruits, including avocados, bananas, apples, and pears will turn brown if sliced and left exposed to the air for too long. The process can be stopped with salt water and lemon. For a better flavor, pineapple juice can do the same job. The fruit doesn’t need to be soaked in it, because all you need to do is dip it in quickly.
For best results with nonstick cooking ware, get utensils made of silicone, nylon or rubber. Wood and metal utensils can scratch the coating, which reduces the pan’s effectiveness and allowing bits of the coating, a known carcinogen, to enter your food. This is dangerous as well as unappetizing.
To ensure that your shells stay firm when making twice baked potatoes or loaded potato skins, use thick-skinned potatoes, such as russets. A red potato’s skin is too thin to hold together if you are using a dense filling.
If you are making a salad ahead of time, put some thought into how you layer its ingredients. If you don’t want to send up with a wilted and soggy mess, put juicy ingredients in the bowl first, and then layer upwards to produce like lettuce on the top.
With the above information in hand, you can easily start to prepare delicious fare for any occasion. Don’t be scared to take risks with your cooking, and try experimenting with different spices and flavors. You might even find new foods you love. Use these hints and tips – and your discriminating palate – to become a proficient chef and whip up delectable and nutritious meals.