Need Help In The Kitchen? Check Out These Tips To Cook Like A Pro!
By Colin Gauntlet-Hayes
Cooking can seem like something that only professionals can do. But if you have some good information and tips of the trade, then even those who burn toast can make a delicious meal. All it takes is the right techniques and a little bit of knowledge to turn you into a chef.
Add pasta or rice to your leftovers. Sometimes you might just have a bit of sauce or meat left over from a larger meal. Rather than just throwing this out, add some rice or pasta to it. You can get an entirely new meal out of it that is quick and easy.
A well-stocked pantry is a cook's best friend! Never is that more true than when you are faced with unexpected company and you have nothing specifically planned to serve. Maintaining a pantry stocked with the basics gives you the flexibility to create easy meals at the last minute. For help in creating a great cook's pantry, think hard about the items you go back to again and again. You can also find great tips on items for the pantry in most good cookbooks and online at cooking sites.
When heating oil on the stove top to use for frying, use a low setting and slowly turn the burner up to reach the desired temperature. Most foods do not require much more than 350 degrees, for the oil to fry it to a nice golden brown and not end up burnt to a crisp on the outside, while raw on the inside. If you crank the temperature setting knob to its highest point, you not only run the risk of spattering and burning yourself, as well as the food you are trying to fry, but you are also wasting time while you wait for the oil to cool down enough to use. Oil heats up quickly, but it is very slow to cool down, once it has gotten too hot.
To revive a milk-based sauce or side dish that has sat too long and lost moisture, simply add a little milk. Adding milk can make finished mashed potatoes fluffy and smooth again and can also make a pasta sauce lighter and less like a gravy without affecting the final flavor.
If you are making a recipe that contains pasta in a sauce, avoid it being too soggy by cooking the pasta few minutes less in water. Finish cooking it with the sauce. It will be the perfect consistency and not be the mushy starchy mess we all hate when eating pasta!
Kitchen Knives
Keep your kitchen knives very sharp for both safety and efficiency. A sharp knife is less likely to slip and cut you, and it's easier to breeze through prep work without dull blades slowing you down. If you aren't comfortable sharpening your knives, yourself, ask your favorite butcher. They may do it for free or for a small fee.
The tips previously stated are important to remember, but make sure you take more steps beyond them. If cooking is a passion, pursue it further. If it isn't a passion and you just want to cook better meals for your family, pursue it more casually and more opportunities will open up.
Add pasta or rice to your leftovers. Sometimes you might just have a bit of sauce or meat left over from a larger meal. Rather than just throwing this out, add some rice or pasta to it. You can get an entirely new meal out of it that is quick and easy.
A well-stocked pantry is a cook's best friend! Never is that more true than when you are faced with unexpected company and you have nothing specifically planned to serve. Maintaining a pantry stocked with the basics gives you the flexibility to create easy meals at the last minute. For help in creating a great cook's pantry, think hard about the items you go back to again and again. You can also find great tips on items for the pantry in most good cookbooks and online at cooking sites.
When heating oil on the stove top to use for frying, use a low setting and slowly turn the burner up to reach the desired temperature. Most foods do not require much more than 350 degrees, for the oil to fry it to a nice golden brown and not end up burnt to a crisp on the outside, while raw on the inside. If you crank the temperature setting knob to its highest point, you not only run the risk of spattering and burning yourself, as well as the food you are trying to fry, but you are also wasting time while you wait for the oil to cool down enough to use. Oil heats up quickly, but it is very slow to cool down, once it has gotten too hot.
To revive a milk-based sauce or side dish that has sat too long and lost moisture, simply add a little milk. Adding milk can make finished mashed potatoes fluffy and smooth again and can also make a pasta sauce lighter and less like a gravy without affecting the final flavor.
If you are making a recipe that contains pasta in a sauce, avoid it being too soggy by cooking the pasta few minutes less in water. Finish cooking it with the sauce. It will be the perfect consistency and not be the mushy starchy mess we all hate when eating pasta!
Kitchen Knives
Keep your kitchen knives very sharp for both safety and efficiency. A sharp knife is less likely to slip and cut you, and it's easier to breeze through prep work without dull blades slowing you down. If you aren't comfortable sharpening your knives, yourself, ask your favorite butcher. They may do it for free or for a small fee.
The tips previously stated are important to remember, but make sure you take more steps beyond them. If cooking is a passion, pursue it further. If it isn't a passion and you just want to cook better meals for your family, pursue it more casually and more opportunities will open up.
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