Need Help In The Kitchen - Top Cooking Tips For Tastier Meals
Cooking is an essential, and basic skill but all too often people find it difficult for one reason or another
. Here are some of my top tips to help you improve your cooking.
If you like crispy roast potatoes with your Sunday roast, rest the raw potatoes in cold water for about 30 minutes before cooking. This helps the potatoes withstand the high cooking temperatures and keep their crispy texture rather than becoming soft.
And if you love mashed potatoes, stir in HOT milk to mix them. This will make them fluffier and creamier than using cold milk. And if you want even tastier mashed potatoes, cook them in beef or chicken stock rather than plain boiling water. This will make them truly tasty!
You can boil pasta in chicken or beef stock too if you want to add flavor. But in any case, you must always cook pasta in well salted water. This will allow the salt time to flavor the pasta. If you add salt aftwerwards, it will give the same depth of flavor because the salt will not have had time to be absorbed into the pasta. And that means you will end up using more salt (not good!).
If you hate your apples, pears, avocados, bananas and peaches going brown when they have been cut open, try dipping them in pineapple juice or brushing them lightly with lemon juice (depending on whether you prefer sweet or sour flavor). This works a treat and will mean that you can prepare cut, fresh fruit salads well ahead of your mealtime. A true timesaver!
Make the perfect sandwich by ensuring that your filling covers the entire area of the read evenly. Simple, right? But do you do it with the mayo? For the perfect flavor-full sandwich, spread the mayo evenly over the bread (on top of or instead of the butter) before you add your filling.
When preparing a salad in advance, always place the juiciest ingredients (such as cut tomatoes, cucumber etc) at the bottom and the drier ingredients (celery, radishes, lettuce) at the top. This will stop the dry ingredients from spoiling. Always wait until the last minute to toss the salad if you are serving it dressed. However, you should consider serving salads dry as not everyone likes the same amount (or even the same) dressing. Put the dressing (or selection of dressings) separately on the table. Let your guests decide how much dressing they need.
If you want to cut down on your fat intake, use lean meats and poultry, and plenty of vegetables when making soups and stews. In this way, you will add very little extra fat into the dish. Once made, chill the soup or stew. This will allow the fat to congeal and rise to the surface. You can then skim it off with a spoon and throw it away (one teaspoon of fat is equivalent to 100 calories!). This will leave you with a tasty, low fat soup or stew.
Always use airtight containers to store dry ingredients such as sugar, flour and other baking ingredients. This will stop moisture from spoiling them, extend their shelf life and stop any unwanted pests from enjoying them before you do!
Getting skewers out of cooked food can be difficult. To make it easier, always pre-soak wooden skewers in water for at least half an hour before using them. This will allow them to swell a little, so that when they contract again in the heat of the oven, the food will be easier to remove!
If you are trying to restrict the amount of fat in your diet, always remember to measure out the oil or fat you put into your frying pan when cooking food! Never pour it directly from the bottle or you will find it hard to keep track of your calories.
So there you are, some top tips to help you improve your cooking skills. Adapt them as you want to incorporate them into your own cooking style. Enjoy!
by: Susan Owen-Thursfield
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