You can get bored easily in your kitchen. You can change this by taking up a hobby, like cooking. This turns the kitchen into a place of fun and experimentation, which results in wonderful meals and time well-spent. Here are some tips to get you started.
Spices should be stored in a dark and cool place. Their flavor will suffer if they are exposed to heat, humidity, and light. In general, herbs and spices that are ground will retain their flavor for up to 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. Proper storage is essential to maintaining fresh, robust flavors.
Do you enjoy using fresh basil in your dishes? Take a few twigs of the basil and place it in a small container or glass. Fill the glass just enough with water so that the stems can absorb it. It will remain fresh for weeks, just sitting on the kitchen counter! You can even promote the growth of roots if you replace the water from time to time. Trim the basil once in a while so it grows even more and stays fresh.
It can also be used on other foods, rather than just on meat. It can spice up snack foods such as roasted pumpkin seeds, or provide a little zing to your breakfast menu when used on your morning eggs. Everyone will love the flavor and ask you for your secret ingredient!
To make the cooking process easier and faster, many preparatory steps can be completed ahead of time. Check the recipe you’re using to see if some preparation can be done without the partially prepared dish spoiling. The day before the cooking happens, there can be a lot of prep work done. This will enable you to enjoy the process of creating dishes that ordinarily would be a real task.
One good way to store extra sauce is to freeze it using ice cube trays. For a quick and easy sauce on another night, simply remove as many cubes as you need and reheat in a pan. Don’t worry, your sauce will taste great even after having been frozen.
You must read the food labels when you’re purchasing ingredients for any given recipe. You might be surprised how many common cooking implements have ingredients concealed within that are unhealthy. Pay special attention to carbohydrate and salt content, as eating too much of these can be especially dangerous.
Use these tips as-is, or spice them up and make them your own. Make meals that your family can relax, enjoy, and savor. Cooking can be a recreation that is enriching to your diet as well as your life. Your kitchen should be the center of your house.