No matter the size of your family, cooking is something important to master, for both yourself and others. Learning how to cook allows you host dinner parties, control the ingredients in the food you eat and save money compared to eating out. The information provided in this article will vastly broaden your cooking knowledge.
Have you had trouble trying to figure out exactly how long to grill your meats? It is always a good idea to use a quality meat thermometer (preferably a digital one for precise reading) to make sure the inside is also cooked properly. If the meat is thick, such as more than 1.5 inches, try closing the grill’s lid to cut down on grilling time.
Try this quick trick to salvage your efforts. In a separate bowl, blend 1 Tbs of corn starch with 2 Tbs of water. Then, stir the resulting solution with the sauce to thicken it. Try to incorporate it slowly so that you do not make it too thick.
To make the cooking process easier and faster, many preparatory steps can be completed ahead of time. Look over your recipe and determine which items can be prepared in advance and not spoil. There are a lot of things you can prep the day before you need to cook. This takes a lot of the stress out of even the most complicated recipes and dishes.
When planning to prepare complicated dishes, do the prep work the evening before the actual cooking is to take place to minimize stress. Make sure you have every ingredient you need, and measure out spices or herbs. Cut veggies as necessary. When it comes time to cook, all you will have to worry about is assembly and cook time.
If you need to prepare food for large gatherings of your family, you are probably feeling stressed about it. To relief the pressure and lessen the chances of extreme anxiety on cooking day, try preparing some ingredients of dishes on the day prior. Organize and measure your ingredients, condiments, and seasonings, so you can get started right away when it comes time to cook.
Try winter greens. Right after the first winter frost, broccoli rabe, collards and kale will taste much sweeter than normal. The brighter green these vegetables are, the better. When they start to go bad, they will turn yellow or become limp. These types of greens often need a thorough washing to remove dirt from the ground. Put the greens in water, shake clean and rinse until water is clear as it runs through.
By doing so, the mushrooms will absorb the water like a sponge. Instead, get a wet, clean cloth and wipe off the mushroom by hand.
When cooking pumpkins, first set the pumpkin upright; then slice it down the center, cutting it in half. Next, you want to use two cookie-sheet type pans. On each pan, place one half of the pumpkin with the side that is cut facing down. Sprinkle or spray a bit of water on your baking sheets, then preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. The pumpkin takes about an hour to bake.
If you have leftovers that need reheating, but they have oil in them and you don’t want to deal with a mess, use an oven instead of a microwave and bake them. In a microwave the oil will heat up rather quickly, causing it pool together while the rest of the dish is still relatively cold. Try to avoid microwaving oily dishes. Baking, however, distributes the heat evenly over the entire dish and heats it slowly, which prevents this separation.
As you gain confidence in your cooking abilities, attempt more complex recipes with ingredients you don’t normally use. The tips above are useful for cooking many kinds of dishes, including gourmet dishes, comfort foods, and traditional home cooking. Though drive-thrus offer convenience and speed, the taste offered by a meal prepared at home triumphs over any drive-thru any day.