There are always new things to learn about cooking, even if you are just cooking for your family. Knowing the best techniques and methods can help you change bland meals into great dishes that will be remembered. Use these tips and make some great food in your kitchen.
Make your own dried tomatoes. You can do this by slicing your tomatoes about a half an inch thick, or Romas in half. Using a cooling rack, lay the sliced tomatoes with the side that is cut facing upward, and then sprinkle them lightly with salt. Then place that on a baking sheet and dry them in an oven that is 190 degrees for 10 hours. The tomatoes can then be placed in plastic bags and stored in the freezer. You can put the dried tomatoes with fresh herbs in a jar with olive oil to preserve them. This jar should be used within 2 weeks and kept refrigerated.
If you have not yet cooked with skewers you should definitely consider this fact. For metal skewers, twisted or square types will better hold the food than round ones.
For the best cooking results, spices have to be replaced after six months. If spices are kept open for too long a time, they will eventually lose their flavor. If you don’t use a spice very often, and it will go bad before you have to replace it, give some to family and friends.
You can use it on other foods besides meat. You can use it when you roast pumpkin or sunflower seeds or in any number of egg dishes. Everyone will wonder what your secret is.
For crispier French fries, put raw potatoes into cold water and let them sit there for about half an hour before frying. The potatoes need to soak because the fibers will be reinforced through the cold fluids which in turn makes them fry better. They can handle the heat and not break apart completely.
Substituting another liquid for milk or water can help give your meals a new flavor. If the recipe has called for water, you could easily use chicken broth, beef broth, or juice when suitable. If your favorite recipes call for milk, try substituting with buttermilk, yogurt or sour cream. Varying the liquids that are in your recipes is an excellent method of adding nutrition and variety to a dish.
For a fat-free stew or soup, start your recipe by using fat-free soup stock or broth. Use plenty of vegetables as well as lean meat to keep the fat content low in the soup. When you have cooked your soup to your liking, place it in the fridge to cool off. The excess fat will float to the top and congeal. Use a spoon to carefully scoop out this layer of hardened fat and throw it away. There is approximately 100 calories per tablespoon of fat, which can make a big difference!
Fix cracks in the crust of your pie. If you have handled your dough too much it may crack. Simply put cold water on the cracks and rub it. If the top of the crust cracks, brush some milk on it and sprinkle it with sugar. Baking it will create a glaze over the cracks.
When you are cooking, don’t be afraid to be creative. Sometimes its okay to deviate from following a recipe step-by-step. In some cases by making little modifications to the recipe here and there will result in a dish that is tastier than if you had used the original recipe. That’s how real cooks do it!
Make sure to implement the given tips if you would like to see improvement in your cooking. Delight your friends, and family by utilizing the tips from this article the next time you prepare a meal.