All people love a good meal, but not all people can make one. These tips can help you to increase your cooking skills. Don’t let the thought of cooking intimidate you. Knowing how to cook is an invaluable trait, and has the potential to provide great enjoyment. Try these tips and jump right in and make a mess!
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. The night before the big day, prepare a sauce, marinate meat or chopping up and measuring out vegetables and herbs. You won’t be as stressed when you prepare the meal the next day.
Did you ever feel bad for throwing old, moldy fruit away? Do you think it’s a good policy to cut off any moldy, rotten parts and save the rest of the fruit? Sadly half rotten fruit is something you can never really save. The fruit needs to be thrown as away as some of the mold may not be visible and can cause you to become ill.
When cooking with fruits and vegetables that you have never used before, gather as much knowledge about them beforehand as you can. Do some research, and you might be surprised at how versatile the new food is. By educating yourself prior to beginning anything in the kitchen, it will make your experience in the kitchen more fun and exciting.
It is desirable to store dry goods like flour and sugar in tightly sealed containers. Airtight containers offer the advantages of keeping bugs out of your food products and keeping your food fresh for a longer period of time. They are a must-have for the kitchen and can be purchased everywhere kitchen products are sold.
Use your own stock for more flavorful food. You can cook it in large batches, pour the extra batches into plastic freezer bags, and then simply store them in the freezer. When you do this, you will have delicious, healthy stock ready-to-use whenever you make soups and stews. An enormous benefit of cooking your own soup stock or broth is that you know and control the ingredients in the stock.
Your family may seem to be less than amused by the repetitiveness of corn as a side dish. Adding some coconut flakes to your corn is a way to give your corn an enjoyable Thai inspired flavor.
When it’s time to mash the potatoes for that good ole home-cooked taste, try using hot milk. This creates fluffier and lighter potatoes, than if you used cold milk. Boring, lumpy mashed potatoes are for the birds.
Not all potatoes are the same, and if you substitute one type of potato for another, your dish may not come out like you expected. Some potatoes are waxy and are great for making things like boiled potatoes or potato salad but are not so good for french fries, mashed potatoes, or baked potatoes. For those applications, you want to use fluffy potatoes like Russets.
Get a cookbook with easy recipes or a specific theme you find interesting to get you started. Try looking online or to your local library or bookstore. Work your way through a few different recipes, but do not allow yourself to become discouraged during the learning process.
Cooking need not feel difficult. Preparing food for yourself is not only fun, but it will help you save money and it is more healthy than eating out. Use what you’ve learned from this article so you can make better meals for you and your family. So here’s to having a great home meal!