One of the hardest things you can learn is cooking. The tips in this article will help you to cook great tasting dishes.
If you are cooking a meal for someone you want to impress, stick with something you are already familiar with. Avoid the temptation to try a new dish or ingredient. You will enjoy cooking more if you have greater peace of mind.
Many apples are purchased for cooking in winter and fall, but they will rot in a short period of time if they are not properly stored. Keep your apples in a cool and humid place and avoid dry hot areas. Keep checking on them though, otherwise one rotten apple will spoil the bunch in no time at all.
Dried and frozen ingredients should never be used over fresh ingredients if you want to get the most out of your cooking. Use fresh foods any time you can, as they bring out the best flavor of the dish, and can be real money-savers too.
Guessing how long food will take on the grill is nearly impossible. The best way to be sure that your meat has cooked fully is to test it with a digital meat thermometer near the center of the thickest part of the meat. A good rule of thumb to reduce the total cooking time is to always close the grill lid whenever the thickness of the meat exceeds 1.5 inches.
If your burgers tend to stick to your grill, it might be hard to cook them while preserving their shape. The way to prevent this is to coat the grill with some vegetable oil prior to putting any food on the grill.
You should read the labels when you are buying ingredients for a recipe. Many common cooking supplies contain hidden ingredients that can be unhealthy. Check to see if the products that you are using contain high amounts of sugar or sodium. While good for you in small amounts, both of these can lead to health problems if eaten too much.
In recipes that call for milk or water, try substituting more flavorful liquids. Juices, beef broth, or vegetable broth can all be used as a substitute for water. To replace milk, yogurt, sour cream and buttermilk can make good substitutes. You can increase the nutritional and wow factors of any dish, simply by trying different substitutions for liquids that recipes call for.
Do not forget to replace your spices twice a year. Often, spices that have sat upon the shelf for a long period of time lose their pungency. If you know you will not use the whole spice bottle, give some of it to someone you know.
If you just use a small sample of these tips, you can quickly get better at cooking. Armed with new knowledge, you now just need to get in that kitchen and cook! You’ll improve your cooking and make everyone who has to eat it a happy customer.