Sunday, July 22, 2012

The Basics Of Cooking In A Nutshell

By Dorsey T. Emanus


Is cooking a scary frontier for you? Are you nervous about entering your kitchen, remembering a previous disaster? If this is you, never fear! Plenty of people have trouble with cooking, and all it takes is a little practice and proper education to cook like a pro! Read on to find out how.

One important tip to remember focuses on who you cook for rather than what to cook. If you are cooking for your boss, a date, or someone really important, try to refrain from testing out new recipes and new ingredients. You should refrain because you have not had a chance to test and perfect the recipe, which may result in cooking errors and unexpected results.

Keep vegetables fresh longer by covering them with a wet paper towel and then putting them in an airtight bag. They will stay fresh for several more days if they are kept slightly damp. Refrigeration and lack of air will also keep them fresh. It is important to get the most out of your vegetables by sealing them tightly and storing them away immediately if you do not plan to use them.

When deep-frying foods, use long tongs to place the pieces in the oil, but hold them just under the oil's surface for a few seconds before releasing. This helps the outside of the food begin to cook, sealing the surface and preventing it from sticking to the bottom of the fryer or pot.

When you are cooking brownies and want to avoid a mess line your pan with foil and once they are baked lift them right out of the pan after they have cooled. This will ensure that you do not have a messy pan to scrub when you should be enjoying brownies.

When you are baking in the oven and some of the food splashes into the bottom of the oven save yourself time on using over cleaner. After removing the food from the oven coat the spot of the spill with salt. The food will lift right off of the bottom once cool.

After cooking, always let your meat rest before serving it. This is especially true when you pull meat from a hot grill. Moisture that keeps your meat tender is sealed within it. When you cut steaming hot meat, the steam that rises is actually the moisture leaving the meat. When you let meat "settle" for at least 15 minutes prior to serving, the moisture and tenderness is preserved.

If you plan to let your chicken sit in the oven for a while after it is baked, then subtract a few minutes from its baking time. Since chicken continues to bake even after it is taken away from a heat source, it can dry out quickly in an oven that is still hot.

When frying frozen foods it is sometimes best to let them defrost. When water combines with hot oil it has a tendency to spark up violently, and since frozen foods generally have frost, or frozen water on their outside the interaction of the two, ice and oil, can be extremely dangerous. Unless directions explicitly say otherwise always let things reach a medium temperature with one another.

One of the best things that you can do to save money and improve the quality of your dressings is to make your own. Homemade dressings will save you a lot of money in the long run and will also taste great, as most of the ingredients are natural and healthier.

Freezing meat slightly before cutting it will help you to get a nice, even thin slice. This works great when you are cutting steak thin for Philly's or if you need to cut cheese into thin slices or strips. Do not freeze it solid; freeze it just enough that it is slightly firm.

As was said in the beginning of this article, cooking is all about education and practice. This article has given you the building blocks to become a better cook, now all you have to do is practice, practice, practice! Soon you'll be making great food that you'll love to eat!




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