Learning the basics of cooking can transform this task from a drag into an enjoyable activity. The tips in this article will give you new found confidence in your culinary skills, releasing your ‘inner chef’! After you have those, the real enjoyment can start!
Prepare all of your ingredient before you begin cooking. This way, you will not waste gas when you are cooking, or save yourself danger when cooking.
You should consider drying your tomatoes on your own. Drying them is easy – simply cut Roma tomatoes in half, or cut larger tomatoes into 1/2 inch slices. Place them cut-side up on a rack that you use for cooling, and add a little salt. Use a cookie sheet to hold the rack and set it in the oven at 190 degrees for at least 10 hours. You can store your dried tomatoes in a plastic bag in the freezer. Zing up your dried tomatoes and conserve them at the same time by canning them in olive oil and herbs. Refrigerate and use within 2 weeks.
When cutting herbs, sprinkle a little salt onto your chopping board first. The salt will give the herbs more flavor and prevent them from sliding of the board as you cut. Don’t add any additional salt to the food while you’re preparing it, or it may become too salty. The salt that you sprinkle on the board sticks to the herbs and gives them just the right amount of flavor.
When cooking with garlic, use the freshest bulbs you can find. The general rule is that the fresher garlic is, the sweeter it will taste. You will also find that fresh garlic has firm skin and is free of bruises.
You should not add spices like salt or garlic to dried beans until they become softened. Both of these ingredients could stop your beans from being softer as they are cooked, especially if you are cooking old beans. In order to have the beans reach your preferred texture, wait until they are at least partially cooked before adding your seasonings.
When you are cooking food on skewers, there are some basic guidelines to know. If you are choosing to use a metal skewer you can choose from round or flattened skewers. Skewers that are not round will better hold food in place on the skewer.
Using a cooking rack is good, but using a stackable cooking rack is better. If you do not have this, your cooking area will be cluttered with cooling cookies and baking pans. An easy and effective way to prevent this from happening is with the use of a stackable cooling rack. Instead of taking up horizontal space on your countertop, the cooking racks use vertical space and stay out of your way.
Good organizational skills can help you avoid cooking mishaps. A well-organized cooking area is conducive to great results. A cluttered, unorganized cooking area will leave you scrambling to find things while your food gets more and more “well done”. You will end up burning things and throwing them away when simple organization would have allowed you to cook a wonderful dish!
Store all spices and herbs in dry, dark and cool conditions to get the maximum amount of flavor from them. Flavor loss occurs when they are exposed to heat, light and humidity. Constant exposure to these elements will ruin herbs and spices.
In conclusion, it is simple to learn how to cook. All you need is a bit of time and a willingness to learn. Using these tips can help you gain some real knowledge to get around the kitchen easily. Use a positive attitude to raise your level of enjoyment in the culinary world.