Cooking 101 - Simple Tips And Tricks To Make You A Better Chef

Posted: Feb 05, 2012 |Comments: 0 |

Lots of people enjoy cooking as a fun, creative, relaxing hobby. Maintaining an atmospheric kitchen with well-stocked shelves, fresh ingredients and delightful smells can put anyone into a positive frame of mind. It can be tough to find the proper recipes and make that "perfect" meal. This article describes various methods that you can use to cook a wonderful meal.

Add plenty of salt to the water when you are cooking pasta. This will allow the pasta to take on the seasoning more efficiently. Once it's been cooked, the pasta will be harder to season properly.

Use a fat-free broth if you want to make a fat-free soup or stew. You should next add ample vegetables and substitute your meats for leaner cuts to trim the fat from your pot of soup. When it is finished, chill the soup before serving it. Excess fat will rise to the top and congeal. You can then easily pluck the fat from your soup and discard it prior to eating. For each tablespoon of fat that you remove, you will save about 100 calories.

Stay organized when you are preparing a meal to avoid kitchen catastrophes. Organizing your kitchen cooking area creates a more productive kitchen. Being unorganized when you are cooking can lead to you wasting a lot of money and food.

You need to properly care for a wooden cutting board. Keep a wood cutting board away from heat and too much or too little moisture, as this can cause warping and splitting. It is never smart to immerse your board in water. Instead, sponge clean it with soapy, warm water. When a cutting board shows signs of wear and tear, there are special oils that can rejuvenate them. Before using it again, make sure the oil is completely dry.


Keep your spices and herbs stored in a dark, dry, and cool area. Light and humidity can diminish the flavor of spices, as can heat. This makes it more likely that your spices will not retain their distinct flavors and properties.

When cutting herbs, sprinkle a little salt onto your chopping board first. This adds flavor to the herbs and helps to keep them from sliding off the cutting board. Do not over-salt by making sure you don't directly add any extra salt to the foods you're preparing. The salt that has been sprinkled onto the board, will also have the extra benefit of adding a little bit of extra flavor when it adheres to the herbs.

Store your spices in a cool, dark place. When they are stored in the sun, they lose shelf life because of exposure. Storing your spices in a cool location far from direct sunlight will help them last longer and taste better. Your culinary preparations will taste better if your spices are fresh.

You can salvage the work you've done and quickly rectify the situation with this little trick. Mix 2 tablespoons water and 1 tablespoon cornstarch into a bowl. Simmer the sauce, and slowly stir the corn starch mixture in. When adding, do so gradually and continue to stir so as to avoid making your sauce too thick.

When cooking a meal for someone important, don't attempt a new recipe--even if you want to impress and cook a fancy meal. Whether you are preparing a meal for your boss, a new date or your in-laws, your cooking is most impressive when you prepare great dishes you feel very confident with. Please them by cooking a recipe you are familiar with, and can cook very well.

Rubbing stainless steel on your hands before you wash them can get rid of odors such as onions, fish and other strong ingredients. You can purchase a small bar made for this purpose, but you can also use a spoon or rub the basin of your stainless steel sink. Doing this will kill the strong odor on your hands.

As this article has discussed, cooking is revered by many as an excellent and enjoyable hobby. However, some people don't know where to start, in terms of picking the right recipes or using the proper techniques. Follow this article's advice and you will be on your way to cooking great food.

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