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Everyone wants to be a great cook, but just the thought of cooking evokes fear in many would-be chefs. Whether you want to whip up quick meals for the family, fill the perfect picnic basket or throw an elegant dinner party, you are sure to learn things here that will increase your culinary skills.
Simple techniques to reduce the salt in bacon too make it healthier. Cooking with bacon is an excellent way to season your food, but if you want to watch your salt intake it can be hard using bacon as a seasoning. Blanching the bacon in boiling water for one minute will reduce the salt in the bacon.
Never wash chicken or other poultry. Washing it with water doesn’t eliminate the bacteria; washing merely spreads the bacteria around to your sink, utensils, and countertop. To kill any bacteria in the chicken and ensure that it is safe to eat, cook it to an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Selecting a good potato for baking is easy once you know the right tips! Be sure to select a potato like a russet or Idaho since they have a higher starch content and will give you a fluffier potato when baked. Choose smooth-skinned potatoes without wrinkles or soft spots. When you bring your potatoes home, don’t put them in the refrigerator. Instead, place them in a bin in a cool, dark spot in your home. They taste best when used within 2-3 weeks after purchase.
Never cook your meal with any wine in it that you do not like the taste of. When you cook with wine the flavor concentrates as the food cooks so the wine flavor becomes more pronounced. This means that if you do not like the taste of the wine, you will not enjoy your food.
When you open a can of tomato paste for just a spoonful and are wondering what to do with the rest, place dollops on a parchment-lined cookie sheet, and stick the sheet in the freezer. When the blobs of paste are frozen solid, transfer them to a freezer bag. You can then pull out just enough tomato paste for your next few recipes, without wasting partial cans.
To make the very best bread stuffing, check out your grocer’s day-old bakery section. You should be able to find a wide variety of different types of bread there, from tasty Italian and French breads to scrumptious sourdoughs and hearty rye breads. The trick for great bread stuffing is not only the seasonings used, but also the type of bread used. Different breads provide for many different flavors as well as textures in your home-made stuffing.
A good way to save leftover sauces is to store and freeze them in ice cube trays. Then you can reheat them in a sauté pan whenever you need a quick sauce, in just the portion size that you need. This is great for making easy meals during the week.
Don’t try to squeeze your Thanksgiving turkey into a roasting pan. Never try to cook your turkey in a roasting pan that is too small. If it is touching the sides of the pan, the bird will steam, not roast. Place a rack in the pan that will raise the turkey so that hot air will circulate around it. Don’t forget to line the bottom of your stove, in case of any drips.
When browning or sautéing foods, make sure that you do not overcrowd the pan. Rather than creating a luscious, browned crust on your foods, overcrowding results in steaming. Try cooking the food in smaller batches or using two pans instead of cramming too much into a single pan or skillet.
Make ‘hands-free’ meatloaf. If you don’t like to get your hands messy when mixing meatloaf ingredients together, place all the ingredients in a large resealable plastic bag. Close the bag tightly and knead everything together until well mixed. Kids really enjoying helping with this, it’s a great way to get them involved in cooking!
When you are going to be baking and the recipe calls for eggs, take them out of the refrigerator beforehand – the night before if you can. Using cold eggs may cause your batter to curdle. To quickly bring the eggs to room temperature soak them in a bowl of warm water.
To prevent the top layer of cheese from peeling off your lasagna or other casserole when you remove the foil, spray the foil with cooking spray prior to covering the dish with it. When you remove the foil so the cheese can brown, the cheesy layer will remain intact.
Buy your food at fresh markets. Food you buy from farmer markets and private gardens is going to be healthier for you. These foods are often free of the harmful chemicals that infect out mainstream grocery supply. Look out for the health of yourself and your family, and your cooking will automatically be better.
Figure out when the turkey is properly cooked. The only way to find out if your turkey is properly cooked is by using a meat thermometer. Insert the thermometer into the inner thigh muscle, but don’t touch the bone. The temperature should be between 180 and 185 degrees. The juices should run clear, not pink.
Choose fresh mozzarella cheese. Most mozzarella available at the grocery store is American part-skim, primarily intended for pizza or lasagna. A much more tasty variety is mozzarella fresca, which is a whole-milk cheese, or mozzarella di bufala (buffalo mozzarella). Use these types of mozzarella sliced in salad, or as a simple snack with roma tomatoes and basil leaves on toasted focaccia bread.
To reduce prep time as well as wear and tear on your blender, freeze your smoothie fruit instead of using ice. Not only does using ice water down the flavor of your smoothie, but if you freeze your fruit first the step is entirely unnecessary. As an added bonus, frozen fruit blends much easier than ice.
Now that you’ve read the basic tips that you need to become the talented cook that you’ve always wanted to be, practice tonight in your own kitchen by making a meal that will knock their socks off. In time, you’re going to be the best cook in the whole neighborhood!