Have you ever gone out to eat and questioned how the chef made the food taste so good? Have you ever considered that you would like to recreate the same meal in your own home? Apply the following insights to educate yourself in preparing your favorite dishes in addition to new discoveries. Cooking is a wonderful hobby to have and it is also very relaxing.
When you store your spices and herbs, keep them in a place that is cool and dark. If they are exposed to light, heat or humidity, they will lose much of their flavor. Herbs and spices generally keep their taste and flavor for about one year. Spices that are raw, or whole, can keep the original flavor for as long as five years, though it usually falls somewhere between three and five. As long as they are stored properly, they will hold onto their flavor for several years.
You must prep well if you want to cook a large, festive meal. Make sure that you have all of the ingredients available. Prepare everything you need for cooking ahead of time; don’t forget the utensils! Having everything ready will take some of the stress off and increase the chances of your success.
When adding seasonings to meat, test a small amount before seasoning the whole batch. Particularly meats such as ground beef will need to be seasoned carefully. Hold off on cooking the entire dish until you have checked the seasoning. Cook a small portion first to sample. The aroma of the food as it cooks will also give you a clue to the amount of seasoning you need to add.
Do you ever hesitate to toss moldy food? Is it safe to save a portion of fruit by cutting around the mold? Unfortunately, there isn’t any way to save fruit that has begun to rot. Rid yourself of this fruit. The mold can run deep and can make you sick if eaten.
Garlic, like lots of other foods, has the unfortunate characteristics of absorbing into your hands. After cooking with garlic, rub your hands across a stainless steel table or sink to rid them of the smell. This will cleanse your hands and prevent the smells from transferring to the food you handle next.
A great source of protein for your diet can be found in beans and tofu. Both beans and tofu are readily available in most grocery stores. Fry up the tofu with seasonings to get a great meat alternative. Beans may be boiled with herbs for a delicious protein source.
When buying ingredients for recipes make sure you read the labels. This will help you avoid unhealthy ingredients. You want to ensure that anything you buy is not high in sugar or salt because both can cause major health problems if eaten too much.
You are almost an amazing at-hone chef! Think of new and innovative recipes and techniques that will make your meals fit for a gourmet. There are many different foods in different cultures, and you can do just about anything creatively with your cooking.