Even the kitchen at your own house can seem rather boring from time to time. A hobby, such as cooking, will completely revolutionize this. Your kitchen turns into a fun place to be, where you can go to make a meal that everyone in your family can enjoy. The following advice will lead you on the right path.
There’s a neat trick you can use to save your sauce. Mix 2 tablespoons water and 1 tablespoon cornstarch into a bowl. Stir it into your sauce as it simmers and it will get thicker. When adding, do so gradually and continue to stir so as to avoid making your sauce too thick.
Use vegetable or chicken stock to saute vegetables. The vegetables will take on the broth flavor, and reduce the oil that is used when sauteing. This method of cooking vegetables will be tasty and rich in nutrients.
One very easy way to change up your recipes is to simply switch to new sauces or spices when preparing your favorite dishes. Adding these new spices and using different sauces for marinating can help you get different flavors. You might not think about it, but an easy and interesting way to find unusual spices and sauces would be to shop at any foreign food stores available in your town.
To truss a turkey means to tie it up with string. Trussing helps to keep the legs and wings next to the body so that cooking is done evenly. If you don’t truss the bird, the outer extremities of the legs and wings will become overcooked while the remainder of the turkey is still undercooked.
To avoid a greasy mess when reheating dishes that include oil, place them in the oven instead of using the microwave. The intense heat of a microwave tends to cause the oil, which heats fastest, to separate from the other ingredients. However, baking the dish slowly and evenly reheats the entire dish, thus keeping the ingredients and flavors together.
When certain recipes call for milk or water, try adding some other liquids that you would see fit to experiment with flavors. Juices, beef broth, or vegetable broth can all be used as a substitute for water. You can substitute buttermilk, yogurt or sour cream in place of the milk. A simple switch like changing a liquid in a recipe can improve the nutritional quality while giving the dish a whole new spin in taste.
Longer cooking times and techniques, like boiling, destroys healthful nutrients in veggies. Vegetables are healthiest when eaten raw, and by steaming and sauteing them, less nutrients are removed.
Learn to love stacking cooling racks. When baking a large batch of cookies or other baked goods, the cooling baked goods can take over your entire work area. Stackable cooling racks are very efficient ways to use your kitchen counter space. By using these vertical racks, your treats can cool while you have free space to do some work that needs done.
When cooking a meal for someone important, don’t attempt a new recipe–even if you want to impress and cook a fancy meal. You naturally want to impress certain people with your culinary skills, be it a romantic date, a business colleague or your persnickety mother-in-law. Sticking to something you know how to make will ensure things go smoothly.
Apply the advice from this article to inspire you the next time you are in the kitchen. Focus on making foods that allow you to savor them with your family over a nice relaxing dinner. Cooking can be a hobby, beneficial to your diet as well as your life in general. The kitchen should be the centerpiece of your home.