How many times have you dreaded going into the kitchen to make breakfast, lunch, or dinner? You might need a new perspective. Cooking can be enjoyable and relaxing if you try to see it in another way. Here are a few cooking tips that are sure to get your taste buds tingling and entice your inner chef to come out.
When preparing a salad for an outing, make sure it’s layered in a smart way. The juiciest ingredients like tomatoes should go one the bottom, and anything that has a tendency to wilt, such as the leaves themselves, should go on the top.
Prepare everything you need to cook your food in advance. That way, you are able to prevent using a lot of gas or heat while cooking, and you provide safety when using hot oil or other dangerous things while distracted.
Don’t throw a huge helping of seasoning in all at once. Try to spread it out, and taste after each application. By doing it this way, you are giving your food the most flavoring you can and you are making the most out of your ingredients.
A cool, dark storage area will preserve your herbs freshness for the longest period of time. When exposed to light and heat, spices will lose their sharpness and flavor. When stored correctly, your spices can stay spicy for up to a year. If spices are kept whole, they could stay fresh for up to five years. If you keep these properly stored, they can sometimes stay fresh for an even longer period of time.
Leave the bone in your roast if you are in a hurry. The bone transfers the heat from your oven to the center of the roast, helping it cook far more quickly. When you are done cooking the roast cut it off the bone.
Beans and tofu contain a lot of proteins. The vast majority of grocery stores stock both of these products. For a meat alternative, try pan frying seasoned tofu. You can boil the beans with a bit of herbs to give the protein more flavor.
Save leftover meat and bones from poultry. Place the remains in a container and store in the freezer for preservation. The turkey will be more fresh after a couple of weeks when doing this. It is great in a sandwich or a salad.
When you are preparing cookie batter and a recipe calls for softened butter, try not to melt the butter. Place the melted butter in the freezer until it hardens, or put your preparation in the freezer once everything is mixed. Utilizing dough with a lower temperature will prevent cookies from spreading out.
Be sure not to overfill your pan when sauteing foods. Too much food adds extra moisture and will lead to a steaming effect that will defeat the purpose of sauteing, which is to create a little crispness in the food. Use a low temperature while doing this, too.
Substituting another liquid for milk or water can help give your meals a new flavor. Use chicken broth, beef stock or vegetable broth instead. As an alternative to milk, try using thinned sour cream, yogurt, soy milk or buttermilk. Try making your recipes stand out and more nutritious by interchanging your liquids.
If you have sauce left over after a meal, store the remainder in one or more ice cube trays and let it freeze. This will make reheating the sauce easy, as you can pull out as many cubes that you need for the next meal. Don’t worry, your sauce will taste great even after having been frozen.
Use these tips for your next meal. After your first taste, you will realize that cooking is not such a bad thing after all! Consequently, you may wind up craving it and, eventually, you might enjoy experimenting with a variety of recipes and foods. Try cooking!