There are lots of methods and techniques to learn when cooking. These range from simple to complicated. This article is jam-packed with information that will be helpful to even the most experienced of cooks.
Keep all dried spices in a dark space that stays room temperature. Heat, humidity, and light will all weaken your spices’ flavor. Ground herbs and spices retain their flavor for 12 months under normal circumstances. Whole spices last longer, possibly as long as five years. If stored the right way, they keep fresh for a lot longer.
Spices should be stored in an area with little light and low temperatures, like a pantry. Exposing spices to heat, humidity, and light will shorten their lifespan. You can preserve the flavor and freshness of your spices by storing them in a dark, cool spot. Make sure that your spices are fresh to add taste and flavor to any meal.
If you messed it up, you can use this trick to fix it and no one will be the wiser. Put some corn starch into water and mix it in your sauce. Add the mixture into sauce and set to simmer in order to thicken it. The mixture should be added slowly and constantly stirred so that it doesn’t get too thick.
Freeze meat partially to facilitate slicing meat into thin strips. For Asian meals, such as Thai and Chinese dishes, this technique creates strips that are particularly ideal. When the meat is partially frozen, it is much easier to slice and doesn’t tear or stretch. Then don’t forget to let the meat strips completely thaw, so it will cook evenly.
If you are seasoning some meats, you should try a small piece of it before you cook all of it. Take care when seasoning foods like hamburgers, meatloaf or meatballs. Do not cook everything right after adding the seasoning. Instead of this, you should make a small patty, and cook that first. Once you have tried your sample you can correct the seasoning or proceed with the cooking.
Cooking processes like boiling can remove most of the nutrients from food. Pick methods that cook the vegetables quickly so they keep their goodness, or eat them raw.
Texture and taste don’t have to suffer when you are trying to lighten up your mashed potatoes. Cauliflower makes for a great substitute to help drop the fat and calorie content. The bland cauliflower taste will make it so that you do not notice much difference in the taste, while accentuating the taste of some of the other ingredients. It also mimics the texture and color of the potatoes almost perfectly letting you up your vegetable intake, and drop the calories, all the while giving the same delicious potato experience we all know and love.
Countless meals have been tainted by making recipes harder than they need to be. Keeping things simple is always a winner taste wise. Heed the advice given here to create better meals with a finer understanding of the principles involved.