Be A Better Chef With These Simple Cooking Tips

By Roxane J. Talisen

It can become extremely boring to prepare the same meals every single day. It's time for you to learn more about cooking to spice up your life! After all, cooking not only creates a nourishing meal, but it can be a pleasurable activity with something new to uncover at every turn. The cooking advice in this article will help you start cooking.

Tying a turkey with a string is called trussing the turkey. Trussing will cook your bird more evenly when you tie the legs and wings to the bird closely. If the legs and wings aren't tied together, the tips could burn, cooking much more quickly than the main part of the turkey.

Include a variety of colors when you cook. Eating meals that have multiple colors is very healthy for you, and it looks more appetizing as well. Pick nice looking garnishes as well; try tomatoes, cilantro, carrots, or parsley. Put your creativity and imagination to work when choosing colorful foods for your meals, and watch how quickly those meals disappear.

Fix your cracked pie crust! You might have cracks in your crust because you've overworked the dough. Simple sprinkle a little cold water on the cracks and rub and press the dough using your fingertip. Cracks on the top crust can be masked by brushing the crust with milk and sprinkling it with sugar. Baking will cause the sugar to form a beautiful glaze over the top of the pie and make any crust issues disappear.

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 helps to enhance and maximize the taste of your cooking.

Your spices and herbs should always be stored in a cool and dark place. If they are exposed to light, heat or humidity, they will lose much of their flavor. Another little known fact is that ground spices tend to lose their flavor quicker than whole spices. Whole spices are hardier, and will retain their robust flavoring for several years. Spices that are stored correctly remain fresher for longer.

Replace the standby liquids of milk and water in recipes to mix things up. For instance, you can use broth, stock, juice or a bit of wine to replace the water in a recipe. Some great replacements for milk are sour cream, yogurt and buttermilk. A good method for increasing your nutritional intake is by increasing the amount of liquids you drink throughout the day.

Cooking vegetables for a long time robs them of the critical nutrients that make them a healthy choice. To keep them nutritious, try quickly cooking them, like sauteing or steaming. You can also enjoy them raw.

You should save some water from the pan in which you cooked the pasta so that you can add it to the pasta sauce later. Remove approximately a quarter of a cup and set it aside. When you are going to mix your pasta and sauce together, add some of the saved water. The combination of water and the starch from the pasta will give your sauce body and creaminess.

Always drain excess fat off soups and stews before eating. If your soup has too much fat cool it down and the fat will rise to the top. Balance an ice cube in a teaspoon and slowly skim it over the surface. The ice in the spoon will collect the excess fat. Take a paper towel and blot away the fat that collects.

Apply the tips from this article and put together great meals. Use your creativity to try out new and unique spices and flavors. You may even discover a new food that will become your favorite. Find the chef within you by following these tips, as well as your taste buds, as you cook in the kitchen.

About the Author:

Tea makes a great addition to any meal, hot or cold. If you are looking for an easy way to make and serve tea, you should take a look at the Breville One Touch Tea Maker. Other possible options can be found at this blog.

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Better Food, Faster, Cheaper: Quick Ways To Improve Your Cooking

By Roxane J. Talisen

There are lots of methods and techniques to learn when cooking. Some are a snap and only take a few minutes, while some are really involved and can take hours. Regardless of you current cooking aptitude, you may find the following tips helpful for improving your cooking skills.

You must stay organized so that you don't burn any food. An organized kitchen is a much more productive kitchen. Also, organize your refrigerator and pantry to avoid buying unnecessary items that will eventually be thrown out.

When not in use, put your spices in an area that receives the lowest amount of light and heat. Shelf life can be significantly decreased for those spices which have been exposed to too much light, dampness and heat. To keep your spices spicy and fresh, store them in an area that is cool and dark. Fresh spices can greatly enhance your meals, making this effort well worth your time.

You should instead set the watch timer and the oven timer. If you engage in another activity away from your oven, you will hear your watch timer beep.

Always slice your meat thinly and on the bias when you are cooking stir-fry. This is not easy to do and could take some time. Take the meat out as soon its gets firm (not frozen), then cut it across the grain at a forty-five degree angle.

Brine is a method that is great when cooking. Marinate any sort of poultry in brine for about an hour before you cook it, so that it becomes very flavorful.

Use a few spices to flavor your cooked meals. Salt and pepper are everyday seasonings, but a little garlic, ginger, or cayenne can add an interesting zest to a prepared meal. Many people have different tastes when it comes to spice. Make these available for customization after you cook the meal, instead of adding them during cooking. This will make it so everyone can have it their way.

If you are just beginning to cook more of your meals, go straight to the nearest bookstore or library to find a cookbook that has simple, fun recipes. Cooking might take a while to master, as it requires perfecting certain techniques.

If you have extra meat and vegetables in your refrigerator, make up a delicious stir fried rice. Day-old rice is prime for making fried rice, but if you have none lying around, try this tip. You can reduce the water to make a slightly drier rice. To prepare fried rice, saute your meat and vegetables together until tender, then add in your rice along with soy sauce, ginger, garlic and other spices.

You can use this on a variety of foods, not just meat. A little on seeds or eggs can liven it up. All your guests will be left wondering where the delightful flavor came from.

If you buy unripened fruits, keep them in a plastic bag fitted with holes. Fruits produce ethylene gas when they become riper. When you keep these fruits in aerated bags, the gas that might normally build up and be trapped is released and allows the fruit to maintain freshness longer.

Store all spices and herbs in dry, dark and cool conditions to get the maximum amount of flavor from them. Spices will rapidly lose flavor if exposed to heat, light or humidity. This just exposes them to the elements and degrades their flavors.

Thousands of great dishes have been destroyed as a result of a chef over-complicating the cooking method or the combination of ingredients. When you stick to simple, you can usually create quick and healthy meals that taste divine. This article can help you to make your next meal your best meal.

About the Author:

Tea makes a great addition to any meal, hot or cold. If you are looking for a simple way to prepare and serve tea, you should take a look at the Breville tea maker. Other good options can be seen at this blog.

Read Full Article, Click Here Now ....