Friday

Great Ideas To Help You Make Great Meals!

By Claire F Carlson


While there are some fabulous and some not so fabulous chefs out there, everyone has a thing or two to learn when it comes to cooking. One of the most beautiful things about cooking is that it is a skill you can cultivate for an entire lifetime. Before cooking your first meal, choose a simple recipe. The advice given here will help you to improve your technique and approach to cooking.

If serving salad, keep the dressing on the side, rather than pouring it on the salad. Some people prefer more dressing than others; let guests pour their own dressing. Give them a choice of salad dressings.

If you want to use up your leftover meats and veggies, put together some fried rice. Left over rice is optimum, but if you have to use fresh rice, use less water so the rice is not as moist. First saute the meat and vegetables in a little bit of oil, then add your leftover rice and season it to your liking with soy sauce, ginger and garlic.

In recipes that call for milk or water, try substituting more flavorful liquids. If the recipe has called for water, you could easily use chicken broth, beef broth, or juice when suitable. Other dairy products such as buttermilk or sour cream can be used in place of milk. Using different liquids can add nutritional value, while at the same time punching up bland, old recipes.

Select potatoes with a thick skin if you are going to make twice baked potatoes. Thin skinned potatoes such as red potatoes are unable to hold most fillings.

As you are cooking, develop a habit of washing your dishes right after you use them. When you are cooking, keep one side of the sink full of water with soap and a clean rinse in the other side. Most bowls, pots, pans and utensils are much easier to clean immediately after they're done being used, and this will ensure that they're ready go if you need them again during the preparation of your meal.

Being highly organized is necessary when you are preparing several dishes at the same time. If not, you are sure to burn or overcook something. A cooking station that is well-organized is more productive. Being disorganized means having difficulty finding things and quite possibly ruining an entire dish, wasting valuable time and money!

When recipes call for wooden skewers, make sure to soak them for half an hour at least before you use them. By soaking, you can prevent the skewers from burning while cooking your food. Prevent softer food from falling into the coals by using two parallel skewers rather than a single one.

Impress your family and friends with a simple sandwich just by carefully preparing it and presenting it in a great way. Many times, people are in a hurry and just put some mayo in the middle. If you spread it evenly, your sandwiches are complete with overall flavor.

Here is a handy trick you can use to save your sauce. Take one tablespoon corn starch, and combine with two tablespoons water in a mixing bowl. Stir it into your sauce as it simmers and it will get thicker. Add your starch slowly, then stir constantly to not over-thicken it.

Your butter should always be soft before you cream them with sugar when you bake cookies. If the butter is melted, put it in the freezer for several minutes until it hardens, or put the prepared dough in the refrigerator. Your dough will spread the right amount if the dough is cooler.

You can cut cinnamon rolls very easily. Sometimes it is difficult to cut the roll into small slices before baking. Instead of using a knife, cut the dough with a piece of strong thread. Place the thread underneath the roll in the location where you desire to cut. Bring the threads around the side, cross the threads on the top and pull both ends in the reverse direction. This will give you perfect individual cinnamon rolls!

Cooking can be a helpful skill, a fun hobby, or even a profession. With food, the possibilities are limitless. Learn something new by studying the habits and recipes of the people who know cooking best and are willing to share that knowledge. Make use of this advice next time you need to cook something!




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