How many times have you dreaded going into the kitchen to make breakfast, lunch, or dinner? You might need a new perspective. Cooking can be enjoyable and relaxing if you try to see it in another way. Here are a few cooking tips that are sure to get your taste buds tingling and entice your inner chef to come out.
To use all of your leftover vegetables before you go out shopping, try putting them in a wok with some fried rice. The best type of rice is one day old, but when using fresh, decrease the water slightly. First saute the meat and vegetables in a little bit of oil, then add your leftover rice and season it to your liking with soy sauce, ginger and garlic.
When preparing a meal for someone who is important such as a new date or your boss, you should cook something that you are really good at making. This is not the time for testing new recipes or new ingredients. Avert a stressful experience and enjoy the occasion.
Garlic can easily stay on your hands. To get rid of the odors that garlic and other pungent ingredients leave on your hands, rub them around the inside of your stainless steel sink. This will take care of the odors clinging to your hands and enable you to handle other ingredients without contaminating them with strong aromas.
If you are going to make a stir-fry dish, slice the meat on the bias, as thinly as possible. It takes a little practice and time to get it right. Once the meat is firm, not frozen, cut across the grain at a 45-degree angle.
Use a cooling rack that is stackable. It is possible for cooling cookies to take up a lot of space when you are making a big batch of these tasty treats. To make the most efficient use of space, use stackable cooling racks. Using vertical space will allow you to have open space in your kitchen while the cookies are cooling.
Give pre-cut, raw potatoes a cold water bath for a half-hour prior to frying for crispier French fries. Cold water will allow the sliced potato to retain its internal fibers, meaning that they are less likely to completely break down when cooked at a high heat.
You can reduce your stress level by doing your prep work for an important meal the day or night before the event. Make sure you have every ingredient you need, and measure out spices or herbs. Cut veggies as necessary. Then all you have to do is put everything together when you get ready to cook the meal.
As with many other things in life, one of the keys to making great meals for your family is preparation. Save yourself time and trouble by having all your ingredients ready. Check the day before you start to cook to make sure that you have everything that you need to cook the dish you have planned. This will allay some of your fears and anxiety when it is time to cook the meal.
When you have an upcoming dish that has garlic as an ingredient, go out and get the freshest available garlic that you can find. A rule of thumb for garlic: Fresher means sweeter. You can identify fresh garlic by its lack of bruising and firm skin.
Once in awhile, burgers stick to the cooking surface making it nearly impossible to get them off in one piece. To avoid this possibility, you can apply a light coat of vegetable oil to the grill before cooking.
Always use fresh seasonings and herbs in simple dishes. Dried herbs like oregano and basil are generally more appropriate for highly complicated dishes with varied flavors. Fresh herbs tend to be better if you want to have a fresher and stronger overall taste. To ensure you have fresh herbs for cooking, you should have an herb garden.
You should remove any excess fat from your soup or stew. If you're making a stew or a soup that contains too much fat, let the dish cool down all the way so that the fat rises to the top. Place an ice cube in a spoon and slowly skim the spoon across the surface of the soup or stew. The fat will cling to the ice. Rather blot the fat with a paper towel.
Make your cooking a colorful work of art. Colorful meals are much healthier and more eye appealing, too. Work color into your garnishes by choosing parsley, carrot curls, cilantro, and raw cherry tomatoes. Put some creativity into your color combinations, and your dishes are sure to get eaten every time.
Don't fall into the trap of thinking that every potato is like the others. Waxy potatoes are good for boiling or using in potato salads, but they make poor french fries or mashed potatoes. When making those foods, potatoes which are fluffy, like Russets, are best.
Keep your spices and herbs fresh by not exposing them to humidity and light. Exposing them to light or heat could make them lose their flavors fast. This will only expose your spices to elements that will make them less flavorful and aromatic.
Do you cook with fresh basil? Try placing clumps of fresh basil into a clear, glass container. Cover its stems completely with water. Just set it on the counter top, and it will be good for several weeks. If you occasionally change its water, it will sprout roots. Occasional pruning of the basil might instigate even more growth, which means you can have a steady supply of fresh basil even longer.
You should always look at the product labels before purchasing ingredients for a meal. There are many common supplies in cooking that contain unhealthy ingredients that are hidden. Avoid ingredients that have high sugar and sodium content, because they can cause health problems.
To circumvent a greasy mess when reheating a leftover meal that contains oil, place the meal in your oven it and bake it instead of reheating in the microwave. Microwaves use very high heat to cook food, which causes the faster-heating oil to detach from the rest of the dish. Baking will allow the entire dish to heat at the same time and keep all of the ingredients cohesive.
This way, your fruit will last for a longer period time. You'll also be able to enjoy fruits out of season when the mood strikes you.
Applying these tips and developing new skills could be an opportunity to find a new hobby for you. Cooking is an enjoyable way to educate yourself about food. You can be even more self aware, as you discover what things you enjoy making. Your meals will gradually start to improve in quality and taste as your skills improve.
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