Everyone has to eat in order to survive. But really, do you just want to survive? Believe it or not, cooking a meal is even more satisfying than eating it. Here are a couple tips to help take your cooking expertise to a whole new level.
If you are going to make a stir-fry dish, slice the meat on the bias, as thinly as possible. However, this can take a lot of time while also being very tricky. When the meat is partially frozen, slice it diagonally across the grain at a 45 degree angle.
Do you know that guilty feeling you get when you throw away fruit that has mold? Have you ever tried to salvage a fruit by slicing away the bad-looking part? Unfortunately, you cannot save half rotten fruit and expect it to be healthy. Discard them, as mold goes deeper than the eye can see and can make you quite ill.
A great tip for using cooking oil is to ensure you pour it onto the sides of the pan, rather than directly in the pan’s center, so that it will be sufficiently heated upon reaching the food. This will enhance the flavors of the food.
An efficient stackable cooling rack can be a real asset in the kitchen. When you bake a big cookie batch, you might have no room from all of the cooling racks. Cooking racks that stack provide you the tools to use your space more efficiently. Using vertical spaces lets cookies cool down while still giving you other space to use for other activities.
If you have every considered cooking with skewers, you should keep a few things in mind. To get a better hold on the food, use a square or twisted type metal skewer.
Good cutting utensils are imperative to own for maximizing functionality in the kitchen. Not only will you save time by not having to mess with dull knives, but it is also much safer to use a sharp utensil than a dull one! Dull knives have caused many more accidents than nice, sharp ones.
Do you enjoy the flavor of fresh basil? Place a fresh bunch of basil in a jar or glass. Cover its stems completely with water. This way it will stay fresh for days, even weeks, right on your countertop! If you continue to refresh the water, the basil will begin to grow roots for planting. To encourage growth, you can trim some of the leaves to use in your cooking.
Cooking vegetables for a long time robs them of the critical nutrients that make them a healthy choice. For the most nutritious veggies, cook them quickly by steaming or sauteing, or just eat them raw.
When using fresh herbs in your cooking like parsley or basil, bundle them together and cut them with scissors instead of chopping. The herbs can be fluffier, lighter, and drier than if you just chopped them.
Herbs and seasonings should be used when they are fresh whenever possible. Dried herbs, such as oregano and basil, can work if your dish has many complex flavors. Fresh herbs are still preferred, and they will provide a much better taste to your dish. Cultivating an herb garden on your patio or deck, or even in your kitchen, will make it easy to snip fresh herbs whenever you need them.
When you approach cooking in the right way and with the right knowledge, it can prove to be as much fun as consuming the great dishes you create. Try out a few of the tips provided here and you’ll be on your way to enjoying your cooking experience even more. By doing this, your cooking skills will greatly improve and you will be the one people ask to bring food to different events.