Cooking is a great thing to know if you’re cooking for yourself or a large group. There are nutritional, economical, and even social benefits to having a reliable set of culinary skills. The tips below will give you a ton of knowledge on cooking.
Boost the flavor of anything from soup to mashed potatoes by replacing the water in the recipe or directions with beef or chicken stock. As a simpler remedy, you could just mix bouillon cubes with water and make the recommended water amount. This process adds another layer of flavor to your food, in addition to giving it the required amount of moisture needed to cook.
Exposure to air can turn many fresh fruits brown when they are sliced, including apples, bananas, avocados, pears and peaches. You can prevent this from happening by lightly coating the fruit with lemon juice or salt water. However, the most flavorful way to stop fruit from browning is to dip it in pineapple juice. Just briefly dipping it will work, so you don’t need to let the fruit soak.
Try mixing some flavors into your butter for a bit more complexity with familiar food items like corn and dinner rolls. Make sure that your butter is room temperature by either leaving it on the counter for a while or softening it in the microwave. Then, give it some zing by adding spices, herbs or sauces. Use a flavoring that complements other components of your meal; lemon, honey and barbecue are all popular summer flavors.
A useful tip when making chicken stock is to think big! If you make a large pot of stock, you can freeze it and store it for future use. This stock is a popular base that can be used in a variety of dishes, from soups to casseroles and much more. Once your stock is finished, cool it and put it in heavy freezer bags.
Fix the crust of your pie! When your dough is overworked, it often develops cracks in the crust. After putting a little cold water on the crack, repair it by gently rubbing the dough together using your index finger. If the cracks appear in the top part of the crust, brush on a bit of milk along with a sprinkle of sugar. After it gets baked, the crust will be beautifully glazed and the cracks will be hidden.
Always try to purchase the freshest garlic available. The sooner you use fresh garlic, the better and sweeter the flavor of it will be. You can see fresh garlic when it is not shriveled, soft, bruised and the skin is firm.
A lot of preparatory work can be done ahead of time in order to speed up time spent cooking. Peruse your recipes and look for things you can do ahead of time. Choose items that will not spoil. You can simplify the cooking process by doing your prep work well in advance. This can turn even the most complex recipes into quick, fun and fast cooking jobs.
Depending on the recipe, pick the correct potatoes. There are three categories: mealy, waxy and all-purpose. Mealy potatoes are flavorful, crumble well and are ideal for mashing. A common mealy potato is the russet. For a general use potato, you can’t do better than the Yukon gold variety. Potatoes that are considered waxy are good for steaming and boiling because their shape is held. Falling within the waxy category are standard white and red varieties.
When you can cook for yourself and your family, you will benefit. Regardless of your favorite type of food, knowing how to cook it can make your life easier and more enjoyable. It might be easy to get fast food, but nothing can compare to a meal cooked at home.