The time to eat is a favorite time for many people. The more skilled the person or chef is in the kitchen, the more enjoyable of an experience eating the food will be. You will find tips perfect for anyone from beginners to seasoned cooking veterans.
When you’re trying to cook with an ingredient that’s new to you, learn a little about it first. You may be pleasantly surprised about the versatility of new food once you do a bit of research on it. You can have much more fun when cooking if you do some prep work and research ahead of time.
Make your own dried tomatoes. Just slice them when ripe to about 1/2″ thickness. Put them on a rack with the cut side up and add sufficient salt. Then place that on a baking sheet and dry them in an oven that is 190 degrees for 10 hours. You can then freeze your tomatoes in Ziplock bags. You can also store them in jars packed with herbs and olive oil. Refrigerate and use within 2 weeks.
If you are going to use oil, make sure you add it at the edge of the pan so it can warm up before getting to the food. This will help to maximize the flavor of your food when you are done.
To minimize the effort involved with cooking, clean the dishes you use as you move throughout the cooking process. If you have a two-bucket sink, put soapy water on one side and keep the other side for rinsing your dishes. It will be much more effective to wash bowls as soon as you are finished with them, leaving them available for the next task.
Pancakes and waffles need to be kept warm until they are ready to be served. You can do this by heating your oven up to 300 degrees. As the pancakes and waffles finish cooking, transfer them to a heat-resistant plate, and place the plate inside the oven, so the food stays warm.
Try putting a little ketchup in the batter when you are frying foods. Ketchup isn’t only a condiment to dunk your food in, it is also great to use as part of a pre-battering dip. The ketchup adds an unexpected zip to fried food, leaving everyone asking for the recipe.
Airtight Containers
Dry ingredients and mixes should be stored in airtight containers. Foods stored in airtight containers remain fresh longer due to lack of exposure to air. In addition, the foods will be protected from insect infestations. They can be purchased just about anywhere and are a worthwhile investment.
An easy and effective method of cooking interesting, new foods is just changing your sauces and spices you’re using. You can really make drastic changes to the taste of your food by just changing up the spices and sauces used for marinating. The best place to find exotic spices and new flavors to add to your dishes is your local foreign food store.
Eat a piece of meat when experimenting with seasoning before cooking all of it. A lot of dishes require you to season the meat with care. After seasoning the meat, do not cook all of it. Cut a little piece of meat into a patty before cooking it thoroughly. After you have tested this piece, you can adjust the level of seasoning as necessary or cook the rest as is.
Bake pie and tart crusts for a longer time than you think is really necessary. They should not be a pale blond color, they need to be golden brown. The golden color indicates that the sugar in the pie crust has caramelized and this will give a sweet and crisp flavor.
Give your pie crust a new lease on life! If you have overworked your pie dough, it may develop cracks. Spread cold water on the cracks before rubbing the dough. If you have a cracked crust on top, put some milk and sugar there. This will give a nice glaze to the crust once it is baked.
Leave raw potatoes in cold water for at least 30 minutes before frying them to make crispier French fries. Soaking the sliced potatoes in cold water strengthens the potato fibers so they will not break down so much when you fry them in the hot oil.
Always check to see if your utensils are clean if you are about to cook. If there is any food left on the dish after you wash it, it could contaminate the next dish you use it in. Beyond that, dirty utensils allow bacteria to grow which could make you ill.
The enjoyment that you get from eating a delicious meal that you cooked is quite unique. Do not convince yourself that developing good cooking skills is a laborious and time-consuming process; it’s easier than you think. This is something that anyone can master if they put their mind to it. This article should have given you the tools you need to start cooking.