Cooking For Yourself Now? Here Are Some Tips For You!
Are you one of those people who can't cook to save your life? Have you burned water or spilled an entire carton of milk? Don't worry -- cooking is easy, and this article is here to show you how! Read on to find out simple tips to help you cook better!
For those dishes that have longer cooking times, you will want to add your spices and herbs about an hour or so before eating. If these spices are cooked too long, then the resulting flavors may be too strong. In addition, it's best to keep it simple by not using any more than three herbs or spices in any dish.
When making a stir-fry dish, the meat needs to be cut into very thin slices, always on the bias. This can require some time and some effort. When the meat is partially frozen, slice it diagonally across the grain at a 45 degree angle.
As you cook your meal during the course of the night, make sure that you taste it at several different points. This will allow you to pinpoint exactly when it is done, so that you do not run the risk of overcooking it. Tasting your food is important to achieve the quality you desire.
Prepare your ingredients, cookware, and cooking utensils in advance of starting to cook. Your time spent in the kitchen will be greatly reduced, and you will have less chance for error, when you do this. Make sure you remember to get the spices you will need ready as well.
Your cake can be ruined if the baking powder is too old. In most cases, you don't remember when you bought the box you have just found in the cupboard. Don't gamble with it, test it. Put one tablespoon of baking powder in one third cup of water. If it fizzes, it's good to use. If not, throw it away and buy a new box because what you have is too old.
To keep your cakes from falling flat, mix dense batters by hand with a wooden spoon. Electric mixers beat too much air into the batter, causing the cakes to fall when they are baked. Meanwhile, by using a wooden spoon to gently mix thick batters like carrot cake you protect the consistency of the batter from absorbing too much air.
Unleash the tremendous flavor power of Mediterranean cous-cous by using this cooking tip. Pour your dry cous-cous in a pot filled with boiling chicken stock instead of water. Mix for ten seconds, then turn off the heat and cover for five minutes. The cous-cous will absorb the tasty flavor of the chicken stock. This effect can also be achieved with vegetable or beef stock.
Keep a few cut up, washed, and prepared vegetables in your freezer. This will reduce your prep time when you're cooking a recipe. Onions and peppers are great to freeze. Just buy them fresh, wash and cut them when you have time, and store them in individual zip lock bags.
Having trouble with your meats sticking to your pan or grill? This is an easy thing to fix. Just spray your pan or grill with a spray oil before you begin to cook. This will put a coating on the surface of the pan or grill, and will keep your meats from sticking to a dry surface.
Make the best of your baking adventures by leaving eggs and butter out at room temperature the night before. Then you do not have to go through the frustration of softening the butter to the right consistency. Also, warm eggs whisk to a greater volume, which allows the cake to rise evenly.
Acorn squash peeling made easy. The deep grooves in acorn squash make it hard to peel. First, peel the bumps. Then, slice the squash between the grooves to make wedges. Remove the seeds from the wedges and peel the skin from the outside edge. You can then cut them to the size that you need for your recipe.
Make sure that you let cookies cool down completely - at least 15 minutes - before removing them from the cookie sheet. Otherwise, they are more likely to stick to the sheet and break apart. Also, by eating them while they are still hot, you could possibly burn your mouth.
Treat your herbs like fresh flowers. If you are tired of your fresh herbs going to waste before you can use them all, don't keep them in the refrigerator. Instead, trim the stems and place them in a vase in which you would like to keep freshly cut flowers. You will keep the herbs alive and healthy much longer.
Whenever you make stock for soups or stews, make it in large quantities, and freeze the extra. That way, the next time you want to whip up a quick soup or stew, the most time-consuming part is already done. You just have to pull a bag from the freezer for a quick and delicious meal.
Taking on cooking is a great way to make yourself feel better about your food choices. You can see what you put into a dish and then be rewarded by the tastes and flavors you've tailored to you specifications. Getting a few recipes from close family members or magazines are great places to start.
Learn to enjoy brussels sprouts. Not many people enjoy brussels sprouts if they are cooked in the traditional manner of boiling them. Sprouts can be delicious if you try different methods of cooking, such as roasting them with carrots and parsnips for a delicious side dish. They are delicious if pan-fried with bacon. These cooking methods give them a nutty flavor. Always choose small brussels sprouts, as the larger ones tend to be very bitter.
As you can see, cooking isn't so difficult as you might have made it out to be. As long as you stick with simple recipes and follow the simple tips laid out in this article, you'll be cooking like a pro and saving yourself money on food in no time.