Learn To Cook Today With These Simple Tips!
If you store your spices in dark place with relatively low temperatures like a pantry, the spices will retain their taste and take longer to spoil. These fresh spices will help add flavor to your meals, making them tastier!
Boiling and other lengthy cooking methods strip vegetables of their important nutrients. The healthier way to prepare vegetables is by cooking them quickly, such as steaming or sauteing them; the most nutritious way of all is by serving them raw.
Leave raw potatoes in cold water for at least 30 minutes before frying them to make crispier French fries. The potatoes need to soak because the fibers will be reinforced through the cold fluids which in turn makes them fry better. They can handle the heat and not break apart completely.
Try adding cauliflower to your mashed potatoes to lower the fat content. Cauliflower's bland taste makes it easier for it to blend with the potatoes, so that you can't taste it, and it picks up other ingredients. Additionally, mashed cauliflower has the same texture and color as mashed potatoes, so no one will know that you've boosted the veggie content of the dish while removing calories.
Are you using basil? Try placing clumps of fresh basil into a clear, glass container. Put enough water into the glass to cover the stems but not the leaves. It will remain fresh for weeks, just sitting on the kitchen counter! The basil may even start growing roots if you change out the water regularly. You can cut the basil every once in a while in order to spur further growth, thereby making basil available for even longer.
Try cooking your vegetables in chicken broth. It will keep veggies from getting stuck to the bottom of the pan and add a home kitchen tools little flavor. Chicken broth is easily purchased at almost every supermarket, and is quite inexpensive.
This will ensure that the fruit stays fresh for an entire year. Additionally, you'll have access to fruits that aren't currently in season.
Do not forget to replace your spices twice a year. When spices are stored for too long, their flavor degrades, resulting in a less potent spice. If you know you can't use as much as is in the package, give some to a family member or friend to keep from wasting it.
When you are preparing food that needs to be seasoned, add the seasoning every few minutes. This will allow your food to really take on the flavor of the seasonings and make the food as flavorful as it can be.
Fresh garlic is ideal when preparing dishes that call for garlic. Garlic that is fresh is sweeter than garlic that is not. You can tell that garlic is fresh when it isn't bruised, mushy or shriveled. The skin should be firm.
Don't mix unfamiliar wine into your food. By using a wine you do not like or one that you are unfamiliar with, you are jeopardizing the taste of your food. Look for wines that are specifically used for cooking.
Some ingredients can leave a rather strong odor on your cutting board. Use a permanent pen to make a mark so you know which side you are using.
