There is always room for improvement when it comes to cooking. Even an experienced chef needs to continually learn new tricks and strategies to keep their dishes innovative and enjoyable. Novice cooks especially need tips to help develop their blossoming cooking skills. Check out the following paragraphs to increase your cooking knowledge.
Did you ever feel guilty for tossing moldy fruits in the garbage? You may wonder if it’s okay to salvage them by trimming away the moldy parts. Unfortunately, you cannot save half rotten fruit and expect it to be healthy. The mold and spoilage that you can see is only part of the problem with marginal-looking fruit; even the parts that appear pristine can be unsafe to eat.
Freeze sauces by pouring leftovers into ice cube trays. Take them out to use on another night when you’d like a no hassle home cooked meal. Simply reheat the sauce cubes slowly in a medium pan on your stove top. Nothing to worry about as the sauce will be fine even after it’s been sitting in ice cube trays.
Make big portions when preparing stock. Make a giant pot and store what you don’t use in your freezer. Many great recipes including soups, casseroles and stews call for a base of chicken stock. Once your stock is cooked, let the leftovers reach room temperature, then portion them into freezer bags.
Salad Dressing
When serving a salad for guests that accompanies a meal, avoid pouring dressing on it. Leave the dressing on the side instead. Some people like to put more salad dressing on their salads than other people do; let your guests put their own salad dressing on. It is also a good idea to offer several dressing choices.
If you are making a roast and you need to cook it quickly, do not take out the bone. The meat will cook a lot faster as the bone will heat it up internally. When the roast is done, just cut it off the bone before serving.
Consider drying your very own tomatoes. You can do this by cutting ripe tomatoes into 1/2 inch thick slices, or by cutting Roma tomatoes in half lengthwise. Put the sliced tomatoes onto a cooling rack, and lightly salt the cut-side. Set your oven to 190 degrees, place the rack on a baking sheet and let the tomatoes dry in the oven for approximately 10 hours. Put them in plastic bags for freezer storage. You can pack dried tomatoes in a jar stuffed with organic olive oil and your favorite freshly cut herbs. Place in the refrigerator and consume within two weeks.
Even seasoned cooks are always trying to learn new tricks and techniques that will make their job simpler and more fun. It is important that you have access to detailed information when you wish to try something new. Try out the tips you have read in the article in order to see how much your cooking skills will improve, and how enjoyable a kitchen experience can be.