The ability to cook is a useful skill to have. If there’s one thing everyone likes to do, it’s eat. That goes double when the dish is home-cooked. That said, some people’s cooking skills are not up to snuff. The following article provides some great tips on how you can become a better cook.
There’s something you can do to save your effort and your sauce. In a small bowl, combine two tablespoons of water and 3 teaspoons of corn starch. You can then add the solution to the sauce and it will become thicker. Add the starch solution slowly, and stir constantly so that the sauce does not become too thick.
Partially Frozen
Slicing meat into thin even strips is easier when the meat is partially frozen. Certain dishes require thin strips of beef, chicken or pork. When the meat is partially frozen, cutting becomes cleaner as the meat fibers are less likely to tear or stretch. Then allow the slices to thaw so they’ll cook evenly.
When you cook vegetables for a long time, like boiling them, a lot of essential nutrients will be cooked away. If you are not serving the vegetables in their raw state, consider steaming, sautéing or even roasting your vegetables to protect their vitamin and nutrient content.
Mashed Potato
If you want to reduce the amount of calories and fat in a mashed potato dish, substitute cauliflower for some of the potatoes. The somewhat bland taste of cauliflower helps it to blend seamlessly with your potatoes while picking up the other ingredients. When they’re mashed, cauliflowers have the same appearance and consistency as potatoes, too. Adding a little cauliflower can take calories out of your favorite mashed potato recipes and add in a little vegetable goodness, too.
Quickly cooking veggies is preferable to slow-cooking methods. When you cook veggies slowly, they lose many nutrients. If you do this, it will provide you a vegetable that is higher in nutritious value. Cook your vegetables for the minimum amount of time for better results.
By doing so, the mushrooms will absorb the water like a sponge. Get a soft, clean and wet cloth to wipe the dirt off each individual mushroom for better results.
Chicken Stock
When you are making chicken stock, think in terms of high volume. Instead of making just what you need, make a huge pot so you have some to freeze and use later. Homemade chicken stock makes a great base for casseroles, soups, stews, and many other wonderful dishes. To store your homemade stock, let it cool, pour it into a freezer bag, and stick it in the freezer.
As you can see, cooking can be easy. With the right techniques, creating delicious dishes for family and friends can suddenly become a breeze! Now that you have been introduced to these great tips and tricks, you just need to make the time to go and give them a try!