Food is an essential part of everyone’s lives. Look for ways to use these tips to improve your cooking skills.
Store herbs and spices in an area that is cool and dark. Exposure to heat, light, and humidity can cause them to lose their flavor. As a general rule, keep your ground spices no more than one year. Spices that are kept whole can keep their flavor for about three, four or five years. If the spices are stored properly, they will stay fresh for a longer period.
When you season meats, try cooking a little piece prior to the entire piece. Foods like meatloaf, meatballs, and even hamburgers can require careful seasoning. Never prepare the full amount after its initial seasoning. A better option is to season the small piece and allow it to cook. This is a good way to find out if you got the seasoning right.
The mushrooms will just absorb the water. To avoid this problem, use a damp cloth to wipe the mushroom clean.
Ice trays can be a great tool for freezing sauces. Just melt the sauce cubes in a sauce pan when you are ready to prepare dinner. Freezing the sauce into cubes in the trays is safe and convenient!
If you are on a diet, try cutting down the amount of oil you use in your food. Most oils, and butters, too, contain a very high fat content, and this fat is neither necessary or always the good kind. A great alternative to oils and butters is nonstick cooking sprays. These sprays give you a similar end result without the extra fat.
Then you can have fresh fruit anytime you wish. This process also gives you easy access to seasonal fruits at times when they would not normally be available.
If you are about to serve salad to multiple guests, serve the dressing separately instead of putting it directly on the salad. People vary in the amount of dressing they like on their salad, so it is helpful to let them do this on their own. Your guests will also enjoy having a variety of dressings from which to choose.
If you find it too much to prepare the nighttime meal, then take care of some of the work the day prior. The night before the big day, prepare a sauce, marinate meat or chopping up and measuring out vegetables and herbs. You’ll be less stressed when cooking the following day.
Food is one of life’s basic needs, as well as one of its most powerful forces. Use the information found in this article to become the cook you could always be.