Great Cooking Tips That Everyone Should Know
Whether you're a brand new cook or an experienced one, there are plenty of sources of frustration in the kitchen. No matter what your cooking skills are like, little annoyances can make preparing a meal much more stressful. Here are some cooking tips that will help preparing your meals go a little more smoothly.
When you have a recipe that calls for wine, you may be tempted to use a cheap wine or cooking wine. Avoid this mindset when you approach your cooking. A good rule of thumb is to consider whether or not you would drink the wine. If you wouldn't drink it, do not use it to cook.
If you're cooking with cast-iron pots and pans - never clean with soap, unless you want to lose its non-stick properties! Instead, use a paste of salt and water to scour the pan, if needed, or boil some water in the pot or pan to loosen stuck-on foods. Remove the remaining residue with a paper towel, and rub on a thin layer of oil before storing.
Do not feel as though you must follow every recipe to the letter. While cook times and techniques are less flexible, you can often leave out ingredients that you don't like, especially spices or other non-essential ingredients. You can also add ingredients that you think will be more pleasing to your or your family's palates.
Herbs and spices are your cooking friends. You can do almost anything in the kitchen with the use of the right combination of spices. You should educate yourself, and learn which spices, or herbs, taste best with which meats, or vegetables. The possibilities for your best meals will be limitless.
If you accidentally add too much salt to a soup or sauce, you can reduce the saltiness by placing a whole peeled potato in the pot for a while. The potato will absorb some of the salt and make the soup more palatable. Just remember to remove the potato before serving the dish.
Don't use ready made dressing. Homemade dressings have far fewer ingredients and are much better tasting that the bottled ones that you find at the supermarket. You do not need to use a whisk when you make them, but you do need to shake all the ingredients together in a sealed container.
While it may seem somewhat counter-intuitive, you should actually increase the baking temperature of very small quantities of food. The smaller the dish, the higher the temperature should be. This is also true for the allotted time to bake. Generally, the time needed to fully cook the food is much shorter.
When you are making guacamole you need to make sure that you have a lime on hand to squeeze over it after it is prepared. If you do not sprinkle lime juice on the top of guacamole the avocado will start to turn brown and it will give the guacamole a very unappetizing appearance.
When you are cooking vegetables and you want to season them wait until they are almost done cooking. If you season the vegetables too early in the process they will wilt and be soggy. They can use their flavor if they are soggy and have wilt to them. You want to have tasty veggies.
As stated at the beginning of the article, toddler aged children, naturally want to help their parents cooking in the kitchen. Your kids will have fun helping to stir, measure and pour all the ingredients. Apply the ideas from this article the next time you and your little ones are cooking in the kitchen together and you are both sure to have a great time.
When you have a recipe that calls for wine, you may be tempted to use a cheap wine or cooking wine. Avoid this mindset when you approach your cooking. A good rule of thumb is to consider whether or not you would drink the wine. If you wouldn't drink it, do not use it to cook.
If you're cooking with cast-iron pots and pans - never clean with soap, unless you want to lose its non-stick properties! Instead, use a paste of salt and water to scour the pan, if needed, or boil some water in the pot or pan to loosen stuck-on foods. Remove the remaining residue with a paper towel, and rub on a thin layer of oil before storing.
Do not feel as though you must follow every recipe to the letter. While cook times and techniques are less flexible, you can often leave out ingredients that you don't like, especially spices or other non-essential ingredients. You can also add ingredients that you think will be more pleasing to your or your family's palates.
Herbs and spices are your cooking friends. You can do almost anything in the kitchen with the use of the right combination of spices. You should educate yourself, and learn which spices, or herbs, taste best with which meats, or vegetables. The possibilities for your best meals will be limitless.
If you accidentally add too much salt to a soup or sauce, you can reduce the saltiness by placing a whole peeled potato in the pot for a while. The potato will absorb some of the salt and make the soup more palatable. Just remember to remove the potato before serving the dish.
Don't use ready made dressing. Homemade dressings have far fewer ingredients and are much better tasting that the bottled ones that you find at the supermarket. You do not need to use a whisk when you make them, but you do need to shake all the ingredients together in a sealed container.
While it may seem somewhat counter-intuitive, you should actually increase the baking temperature of very small quantities of food. The smaller the dish, the higher the temperature should be. This is also true for the allotted time to bake. Generally, the time needed to fully cook the food is much shorter.
When you are making guacamole you need to make sure that you have a lime on hand to squeeze over it after it is prepared. If you do not sprinkle lime juice on the top of guacamole the avocado will start to turn brown and it will give the guacamole a very unappetizing appearance.
When you are cooking vegetables and you want to season them wait until they are almost done cooking. If you season the vegetables too early in the process they will wilt and be soggy. They can use their flavor if they are soggy and have wilt to them. You want to have tasty veggies.
As stated at the beginning of the article, toddler aged children, naturally want to help their parents cooking in the kitchen. Your kids will have fun helping to stir, measure and pour all the ingredients. Apply the ideas from this article the next time you and your little ones are cooking in the kitchen together and you are both sure to have a great time.
About the Author:
Iced tea makes a great addition to any family menu. The challenge is that it takes a long time to make. In order to make iced tea quickly, take a look at the top-rated iced tea maker. For another option, go to this site.
Previous Article