User blog:Foodmenurecipes/Anyone Can Cook With These Basic Tips

Although cooking is an unavoidable necessity of life, it can very easily be turn

ed into a delicious and enjoyable hobby as well. With the right tools and information anyone can p

roduce wonderful meals. You will find in the following article some helpful advice on how to make you a better cook.

If you are just beginning your adventure with home cooking, look online, at a bookstore, or at the library for a cookbook that has simple, easy recipes that you'll take pleasure in both preparing and eating. Try your hand at some of the recipes, remembering that patience i

s key during the learning process.

Before cooking with skewers there are a few things that you need to know. For metal skewers, twisted or square types will better hold the food than round ones.

Keep all spices stored out of the sunlight. The shelf life of spices is greatly red

uced if they are exposed to heat, humidity, or light. To keep your spices spicy and fresh, store them in an area that is cool and dark. Using fresh spices makes meals even more delicious.

Sharp knives will make cooking so much more efficient. You are more likely t

o injure yourself using a dull knife. When your knife is dull, it can be easier for it to slip off the vegetable and end up cutting you instead. Keep your knives sharp for safety as well as convenience.

As you season meat, you should try a cooking a little piece first. Certain foods require special care when seasoning. Hamburgers, meatloaf and meatballs are examples of foods that need to be carefully seasoned. After seasoning the meat, do not cook all of it. It is a good idea to cook a small portion of the meat first. Change your seasoning, or cook the rest of the meat if you are satisfied with your sample.

Garlic is a tasty ingredient that has a flavor that can, unfortunately, transfer t

o your hands. You should rub your hands along the interior of your stainless steel sink whenever you have come into contact with garlic. This will take care of the odors clinging to your hands and enable you to handle other ingredients without contaminating them with strong aromas.

Many of the most important nutrients present in vegetables are removed or destroyed with lengthy cooking methods such as boiling. Opt for quicker cooking methods instead. You can steam or saute your vegetables or eat them raw.

Chicken Broth
One way to make mashed potatoes retain their taste but contain a little less fat and calories is to replace some of them with equal amounts of cauliflower. 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. At the same time, cauliflowers mash into the same color and texture as potatoes, giving you a fail-proof way to add vegetables and subtract calories from a classic mashed potato dish. Cook your veggies in chicken broth! By using chicken broth instead of water, you will add extra flavor to your vegetables. Chicken broth is readily available at any grocery store, and is very inexpensive.

<p style="color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:Georgia,'BitstreamCharter',serif;line-height:1.5;font-size:16px;margin-bottom:24px;">In a lot of cases, burgers will become stuck on the grill, and forcibly removing them will make them all misshapen. If, however, you brush the grill with oil, this will help prevent sticking.

<p style="color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:Georgia,'BitstreamCharter',serif;line-height:1.5;font-size:16px;margin-bottom:24px;">If you want to lose weight or adopt a healthier diet, use less oil when cooking. T

<p style="color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:Georgia,'BitstreamCharter',serif;line-height:1.5;font-size:16px;margin-bottom:24px;">here is a lot of fat that are not needed in butter and oil. Replace them with a nonstick cooking spray and you won't notice the difference.

<p style="color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:Georgia,'BitstreamCharter',serif;line-height:1.5;font-size:16px;margin-bottom:24px;">Sauteing vegetables in a little chicken broth is a healthful way to cook them. The chicken broth will add a dimension of flavor, and let you cut down on how much oil you use. Do this and you will find that your vegetables are delicious and easy to prepare. <p style="color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:Georgia,'BitstreamCharter',serif;line-height:1.5;font-size:16px;margin-bottom:24px;">Then you can have fresh fruit anytime you wish. Additionally, you'll have access to fruits that aren't currently in season.

<p style="color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:Georgia,'BitstreamCharter',serif;line-height:1.5;font-size:16px;margin-bottom:24px;">When you are purchasing ingredients to make something read your labels. A lot of ingredients could turn out to be unhealthy. Check the sugar and sodium levels in the ingredient, as over consumption of these items can cause health problems in certain people.

<p style="color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:Georgia,'BitstreamCharter',serif;line-height:1.5;font-size:16px;margin-bottom:24px;">Try to add some broths or other ingredients to recipes that call for liquid in place of what it asks for. When you cook vegetables you can use chicken broth or add beef instead o

<p style="color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:Georgia,'BitstreamCharter',serif;line-height:1.5;font-size:16px;margin-bottom:24px;">f water. Substitute sour cream, buttermilk or even yogurt in place of regular milk. Varying the liquids that are in your recipes is an excellent method of adding nutrition and variety to a dish.

<p style="color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:Georgia,'BitstreamCharter',serif;line-height:1.5;font-size:16px;margin-bottom:24px;">When you cook a pumpkin, the first step is to slice in in half vertically. On a baking sheet, put one of the halves face down. Use a different baking sheet for the other half. Sprinkle the baking sheet with water, and bake the pumpkin for an hour at 350 degrees.

<p style="color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:Georgia,'BitstreamCharter',serif;line-height:1.5;font-size:16px;margin-bottom:24px;">Leftover flavors and scents can remain on your cutting board, even after repea

<p style="color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:Georgia,'BitstreamCharter',serif;line-height:1.5;font-size:16px;margin-bottom:24px;">ted washing. You can mark your cutting boards with permanent marker to tell which one or which side is for each type of food.

<p style="color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:Georgia,'BitstreamCharter',serif;line-height:1.5;font-size:16px;margin-bottom:24px;">Try making your own dried tomatoes. Simply cut them into 1/2 half inch slices, or cut lengthwise for Romas. Place them cut-side up on a rack that you use for cooling, and add a little salt. Use a cookie sheet to hold the rack and set it in the oven at 190 degrees for at least 10 hours. Place the tomatoes into a freezer bag, and freeze them for later use. You can pack dried tomatoes in a jar stuffed with organic olive oil and your favorite freshly cut herbs. Put this jar in the fridge and use it up in two weeks time.

<p style="color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:Georgia,'BitstreamCharter',serif;line-height:1.5;font-size:16px;margin-bottom:24px;">Be sure to refresh your spices every few months. When spices sit around for too long, they tend to lose flavor. If you do not think you will use all of the spice within six months,

<p style="color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:Georgia,'BitstreamCharter',serif;line-height:1.5;font-size:16px;margin-bottom:24px;">split it with a friend.

<p style="color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:Georgia,'BitstreamCharter',serif;line-height:1.5;font-size:16px;margin-bottom:24px;">Make sure that you do not dispose of any leftovers after your Thanksgiving dinner. Instead, cut the turkey into smaller pieces, store it in a container that's airtight, and freeze it. With enough leftover turkey, you can enjoy turkey sandwiches and salads for several weeks after the bird was cooked.

<p style="color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:Georgia,'BitstreamCharter',serif;line-height:1.5;font-size:16px;margin-bottom:24px;">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. Keep your kitchen in or

<p style="color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:Georgia,'BitstreamCharter',serif;line-height:1.5;font-size:16px;margin-bottom:24px;">der. Unorganized cooks can easily make mistakes, lose or overlook buying important ingredients, and waste good money and food that could be used.

<p style="color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:Georgia,'BitstreamCharter',serif;line-height:1.5;font-size:16px;margin-bottom:24px;">You should always organize your cooking supplies. You will consistently find it difficult to locate necessary items in a disorganized kitchen. Put all the things that are the same in one place. As an example, you may want to keep all of your spices together.

<p style="color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:Georgia,'BitstreamCharter',serif;line-height:1.5;font-size:16px;margin-bottom:24px;">When using fresh herbs in your cooking like parsley or basil, bundle them together and cut them with scissors instead of chopping. This is preferable to chopping the herbs because they will be less moisture laden, making them lighter and fluffier.

<p style="color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:Georgia,'BitstreamCharter',serif;line-height:1.5;font-size:16px;margin-bottom:24px;">If your meals include fresh herbs like dill or parsley, clump them together and us

<p style="color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:Georgia,'BitstreamCharter',serif;line-height:1.5;font-size:16px;margin-bottom:24px;">e kitchen shears to cut them. Chopping herbs often makes herbs wet and wilted. Using scissors gives your herbs a light, fluffy appearance.

<p style="color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:Georgia,'BitstreamCharter',serif;line-height:1.5;font-size:16px;margin-bottom:24px;">When you make boxed mac and cheese, closely follow the directions. The dish turns out perfectly when you follow the recipe, and is absolutely delicious when the velvet, soft cheese sauce melts on top of the macaroni. A regular serving spoon is a perfectly good way to serve your macaroni and cheese. A little bit of pepper can add surprising dimension to this simp

<p style="color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:Georgia,'BitstreamCharter',serif;line-height:1.5;font-size:16px;margin-bottom:24px;">le dish.

<p style="color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:Georgia,'BitstreamCharter',serif;line-height:1.5;font-size:16px;margin-bottom:24px;">When planning to prepare complicated dishes, do the prep work the evening before the actual cooking is to take place to minimize stress. You can place all of your ingredients in a designated area so that you can be sure that you have all of the ingredients to prepare the dish. You can then chop fruits or vegetables and measure all dry ingredients that you need for the recipe. When cooking time arrives, you'll need only to be concerned with assembling and cooking the meal.

<p style="color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:Georgia,'BitstreamCharter',serif;line-height:1.5;font-size:16px;margin-bottom:24px;">When you are planning to make quite a detailed meal, do some of the prep work the day before to reduce some of the stress involved. Gather all your ingredients together, chop what needs to be chopped, measure out all the required herbs and spices and make sure you have everything that you need on hand. The next day when you have to cook your meal, all you need to think about is assembling and cooking the dish.

<p style="color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:Georgia,'BitstreamCharter',serif;line-height:1.5;font-size:16px;margin-bottom:24px;">To make pasta sauce even more delicious, save some of the water you boiled the

<p style="color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:Georgia,'BitstreamCharter',serif;line-height:1.5;font-size:16px;margin-bottom:24px;">pasta in. Save about one-fourth of a cup of water after draining the pasta. Then, mix a little of this water in with your pasta sauce. The water from the pasta contains starch, which can thicken your sauce.

<p style="color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:Georgia,'BitstreamCharter',serif;line-height:1.5;font-size:16px;margin-bottom:24px;">Spreading the mayo evenly and smoothly on the entire surface of the bread will make perfect sandwiches that will impress your friends and family. Often times, people simple add mayonnaise to the middle of their sandwich. If you spread condiments evenly, your sandwiches will have more flavor.

<p style="color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:Georgia,'BitstreamCharter',serif;line-height:1.5;font-size:16px;margin-bottom:24px;">If you know that your home made salsa will not be used right away, take the ti

<p style="color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:Georgia,'BitstreamCharter',serif;line-height:1.5;font-size:16px;margin-bottom:24px;">me to rinse and dry the chopped onions before adding them to the salsa. The reason for this is that there is sulfurous gas in an onion. It can affect the taste of your home made salsa. Rinsing and drying the onions takes most of the gas away.

Wood Cutting
<p style="color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:Georgia,'BitstreamCharter',serif;line-height:1.5;font-size:16px;margin-bottom:24px;">The first thing you should do when barbecuing it to prepare the grill. The cha

<p style="color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:Georgia,'BitstreamCharter',serif;line-height:1.5;font-size:16px;margin-bottom:24px;">rcoal will need to burn about 30 minutes before your coals are hot enough to start grilling. The charcoal should have a light coating of ash at medium heat when they are ready to use. This is the optimal temperature for grilling.

<p style="color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:Georgia,'BitstreamCharter',serif;line-height:1.5;font-size:16px;margin-bottom:24px;">Care for your wood cutting board properly. Excess moisture, heat and dryness may cause a wooden chopping board to split and warp. Don't submerge your board in water to clean it. Use a sponge and warm soapy water instead. If your board is damaged you, can restore it by applying oil regularly, using an oil specially formulated for use on wood cutting boards. Make sure you let your board dry before using it again.

<p style="color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:Georgia,'BitstreamCharter',serif;line-height:1.5;font-size:16px;margin-bottom:24px;">Buying quality knives is an important investment in your kitchen. This not only saves you time from having to deal with knives that are dull, but it's safer to use utensils that

<p style="color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:Georgia,'BitstreamCharter',serif;line-height:1.5;font-size:16px;margin-bottom:24px;">are new and sharp, rather than ones that are old and dull. More accidents occur when utensils are dull, because they have a tendency to slip as you cut.

<p style="color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:Georgia,'BitstreamCharter',serif;line-height:1.5;font-size:16px;margin-bottom:24px;">There is more to cooking than just laying out the food on your table. It can become extremely fun and the results could improve your daily life. You will have to spend some time learning and practicing, but you will do fine if you apply yourself. By using the tips in this article, you will become a great success in the kitchen.

<p style="color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:Georgia,'BitstreamCharter',serif;line-height:1.5;font-size:16px;margin-bottom:24px;">Try not to overcook or undercook a cake. While the recipe or directions are a good starting point in cooking times, they may need adjustment. Factors like what kind of oven is used and elevation play a part in what the optimal cooking time will be. A better way is to test the cake by inserting a toothpick into the center of the cake. If you stick a toothpick in your cake, and when you pull it out, it does not have any batter on it, the cake is ready to be taken out of the oven

<p style="color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:Georgia,'BitstreamCharter',serif;line-height:1.5;font-size:16px;margin-bottom:24px;">.