For many people, the act of cooking is nothing more than another chore. You really can learn to enjoy it, though. It is a great way to lead a healthier lifestyle, by improving your diet. As a first-rate cook always seeks to expand their skills, read on to gain some useful tips which can help you increase your knowledge and your enjoyment of cooking.
Be sure to not attempt a recipe that you have never made before when you are cooking for somebody important to you. Whether you are cooking for your boss, that special someone or your in-laws, you would like them to enjoy your cooking. Cooking a dish you have already mastered will be sure to impress them most.
Wait a few minutes before you serve a meal to allow the food to sit for a bit. A lot of people may be unaware that it is important to allow the meal to rest. We are inclined to serve meat and other foods as soon as they are cooked. If you serve immediately off the grill, you will lose most of the juices in meat when you cut into it. The flavors intensify if you let the meal “rest” for a few minutes.
Make certain all your utensils are cleaned prior to cooking. If your utensils are not completely clean, you run the risk of introducing old food residue into whatever you are cooking. It could promote the spread of bacteria.
When you store things like flour, baking mixes and sugar, you should use containers that are airtight. Avoid exposure to moisture and insects by sealing food in airtight containers. You can find decorative airtight canisters for staples, like flour and sugar.
Stir-frying your rice is a great way to make use of surplus vegetables and meat in the fridge that you can’t use in other recipes. Day old rice works best, but fresh will be fine too if you reduce the water a bit to make it drier. You start by stir-frying meat. Once is is almost all the way cooked, remove it to fry the veggies. Once the veggies are nicely crisp, return the meat to wok, and add in the cold rice. Apply spices, such as ginger or garlic, and soy sauce to complete the meal.
Cooking vegetables quickly improves their overall quality. Slow cooking, and overcooking, vegetables will destroy their nutritional content and flavor. You have an added bonus, because these certain techniques make vegetables healthier in general. The key to improving your vegetables is learning how you can cook them in the minimum amount of time.
A cool and dark location is best for storing spices and herbs. Their flavors are weakened by heat, light and humidity. Most spices will retain their flavor for about a year. Whole spices, on the other hand, can still be bursting with flavor five years down the line. Proper storage can extend their shelf life even longer.
To cook with less stress, prepare your ingredients before starting. Then you won’t ever be midway through preparing a meal when you realize that you’re missing an essential ingredient. It is actually quicker to prepare everything in advance than to try to locate items while you are in the midst of preparing a dish.
In summary, a top-notch cook is always adding to their knowledge. The real fun in cooking isn’t just rote memorization of recipes, but learning entirely new ways of looking at food. A lot of the joy of cooking comes from sharing. Cooking is not only a skill to be learned, but a gift to be shared.