Cooking is one the great joys of some people’s days. For others, it’s a nightmare. Want to join the first group? Read on to find out some tips to make cooking easier and more enjoyable for you. You may just find that cooking isn’t nearly as bad as you thought.
It is important to have sharp knives when cooking. Dull knives make it harder to cut and are more dangerous to use. If you use a dull knife you will need to exert more force to get the job done and run the risk of cutting yourself, whereas with a sharpened knife you can do your prep work easier and quicker.
Save your butter and margarine wrappers to use when baking. The wax paper that butter and margarine is wrapped in just happens to be the perfect size for greasing pans or rubbing onto a potato before popping it in the oven for baking. Save wrappers butter-side to butter-side in a closed storage container, so it stays fresh for your baking needs.
You don’t need to go out and buy an expensive gravy for your dish. Instead, save the juices that your meat creates at the bottom of your pan, and use that as the base for a nice gravy. It’s a lot cheaper and can taste great. There are many different recipes available that use this juice to make gravy.
Store your cheese in the fridge, wrapped tightly in plastic, and away from air. This will help to keep mold away. While a little mold is not harmful to cheese, excessive mold is dangerous to consume. It will certainly affect the quality of your cheese as well.
Try to cook when you have a clear head so that you can maximize the quality of your food. If you are currently having emotional problems, do not put yourself in a dangerous situation where you can get hurt. Always have a clear conscience when you are planning to cook a meal.
If your recipe calls for a liquid, try using something other than water or milk. This will add a spark to that tired old dish. Use chicken broth, beef stock or vegetable broth instead. Sour cream, buttermilk and yogurt make good milk substitutes. Substituting the liquid in a dish can add nutrient content, flavor or both.
Always use fresh garlic to get the full flavor in your dish. One rule to remember is that if you want sweet garlic, choose fresh garlic. Don’t buy garlic that is soft, shriveled or bruised.
Do not just stick to iceberg lettuce when considering making a fresh salad. You can find a multitude of greens that have increased health benefits over the old stand-by lettuce. Try varieties such as butter, romaine, and red. Also try some fresh herbs and spices for a greater amount of flavor.
Whenever possible, you should buy your food from the farmers market rather than a normal grocery store or supermarket. Food from the farmers market is fresh and sometimes requires less maintenance to bring out flavors rather than normal food. Remember to keep it simple when cooking with food from the farmers market.
Here is a good cooking tip to use when making meatloaf or meatballs. Take a portion of the meat used for the meatballs or meatloaf and fry it in a pan as if it were a hamburger. Doing so will allow you to test the meat before you make the loaf or a batch of balls. You will be able to taste the seasoning in the meat and adjust it before you produce the final result.
Use a generous amount of salt in your pasta water when making pasta. Seasoning added while it cooks will “set” in the pasta. This is much more effective than trying to add salt to pasta that you have already cooked.
Use your creativity as much as you can. You do not have to follow a recipe to the “T”. By adjusting the amounts of various ingredients, you can change the taste slightly, and improve upon the original recipe. Now that’s real cooking!
If you make your own salad dressing, consider using yogurt as a substitute to half the mayo. By doing this, you drastically cut the fat and calories in the dressing. When you use Greek-style yogurt, you ensure your homemade dressing is just as delicious and creamy – just not as bad for you!
It is important to take proper care of wood cutting boards. Stressors, like heat or extremes in humidity, can warp or split a cutting board made of wood. Don’t immerse it in water. Instead, quickly wash it with soapy warm water. If you need to restore a board that is damaged, regularly apply an oil that is formulated for wooden cutting boards. Allow it to dry completely before using.
If a dish requires thinly sliced meats (like some Chinese dishes, for example), freeze the meat before slicing. This makes it hold its shape better when you are slicing, which allows the knife to cut through with a cleaner line. When meat is thawed out, you often have to use a sawing motion to cut the beef, which can make your lines uneven and jagged.
For easy low-fat cooking make sure that you measure the oil that you use in your recipes. If you just pour it from the bottle it is easy to accidentally include too much oil in the dish. By measuring it out, you are giving yourself much more control over how much oil you can use, which will help you to keep your dishes healthier.
Hopefully, this article helped you with some easy tips to make cooking a better experience in your daily life. When you know a little more about what you’re doing, it always makes it easier, not to mention less stressful! Remember, cooking is an art, not a science, so relax and just enjoy playing with your food!
