Want To Become A Better Cook?  Here’s What To Do. 

Anyone can learn how to cook.  Do you have the capability to purchase ingredients, and can you stick to a recipe?  Do you have a stove, a pan, and some utensils?  If you can do these things, cooking is easy.  If you’re aiming to improve your culinary skills, read the advice provided below to help you easily create yummy dishes you and your entire family will enjoy. 

Add oil to the pan on the side so when it reaches the food it is hot.  Doing this will give you maximum flavor when your meal is finished cooking. 

If you want to use skewers when cooking, remember these helpful hints.  If you are using metal skewers, stick to twisted or square designs, as this can grasp food more effectively. 

Sharp knives will make cooking so much more efficient.  Dull knives don’t get the job done, but in addition, are actually dangerous.  You will be more apt to cut yourself with a dull knife than a sharp knife, as you’ll spend a lot more time trying to force that dull knife through the food you are cutting. 

Even if you have screwed up in this way, there is a fix that will still let you use it right away.  Start with 1 tablespoon and add more cornstarch until you reach the desired consistency.  Stir this mixture into the sauce while it’s simmering and this will make it more thick.  Make sure you add the solution slowly while stirring constantly or you risk thickening the sauce too much. 

Store your apples correctly so you can use them to cook during the winter months.  Warm, dry air can cause apples to rot, so keep your excess stock for cooking and eating in plastic bags, and place them where they will stay cool and moist, such as the basement or refrigerator.  You’ll want to monitor them, though, because if one goes bad, it can cause the all the others to spoil also. 

When you are seasoning meats, try cooking a small piece first and testing it out, before making all of it.  Burgers, meatloaf and meatballs require proper seasoning to taste their best.  You should not cook the dish entirely after seasoning it.  Cook a small amount in a pan and taste it first.  Doing this allows you to test the seasonings and make appropriate adjustments. 

It is possible to lower the fat and calorie content of mashed potatoes without impacting the taste or texture by replacing some of the potato content with cauliflower.  You will not even taste the cauliflower in with the potatoes, because it is so bland.  Cauliflower has the same texture and color as potatoes, offering you a perfect way to add another vegetable to your dish while cutting calories. 

Raw potatoes should rest in chilly water for approximately 30 minutes.  This will help them to be crispy and delicious.  The fibers of raw cut potatoes that have been soaked in cold water prior to hitting the deep fryer, are stronger and can handle the heat better without breakage. 

When you cook vegetables quickly over high heat, their quality is best.  Vegetables that have been slow-cooked are not as nutritional or tasty as vegetables that are cooked in other ways.  These cooking techniques will yield vegetables that are healthier and taste great as well.  Learning to cook them for the minimum necessary time is the key to better vegetables. 

You can prepare a lot prior to cooking to streamline your cooking process.  Check the recipe you’re using to see if some preparation can be done without the partially prepared dish spoiling.  The day before the cooking happens, there can be a lot of prep work done.  This can make harder recipes easy, and complicated ones a fun, fast experience. 

Cook your veggies in chicken broth!  It will keep veggies from getting stuck to the bottom of the pan and add a little flavor.  There is not a lot of expense when buying chicken broth, and most grocers carry it. 

Garlic is a delight to cook with, but its odor transfers very easily onto the hands.  Try rubbing your hands on stainless steel when they smell from an odoriferous cooking ingredient This will clean your hands of the smell that can get onto to the food that you have to handle next. 

Before cooking pumpkins, cut them up and place them on a baking sheet flesh side up.  Lay the cut halves on individual baking pans.  Add a bit of water to the pans.  Cooking time is roughly an hour, and the oven temp should stay 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 

If you’ve made sauce, you should place any that is leftover in an ice tray and freeze it.  When you do this, making a quick meal can be accomplished by simply reheating by using a saute pan.  Don’t worry, your sauce will taste great even after having been frozen. 

This way, you’ll have fresh fruit to use for cooking all year long.  This will help you to have fruit whenever you want it, even when it is out of season. 

Chicken Stock

For better seasoning results, use smaller applications of seasoning at frequent intervals throughout the cooking process instead of dumping it all in at once.  Doing this gives your food more flavor and you can get the most from your ingredients. 

Optimize your efforts when making your own chicken stock.  Plan to make a big pot of stock so you can freeze and store it.  There’s nothing better than homemade chicken stock as a flavorful base for casseroles, stews and soups.  Once your stock is finished, cool it and put it in heavy freezer bags. 

Only cook with wine that you have tasted before and that you enjoy.  You risk the final flavor of any dish if you make it with an unfamiliar wine or one with an off taste.  You could try wine that is specifically formulated for cooking purposes. 

Leaving the bone in a roast can help shorten the cooking time.  The bone transfers the heat from your oven to the center of the roast, helping it cook far more quickly.  Once the meat has finished cooking, remove the bone prior to serving. 

When boiling water to cook pasta, be sure to add a generous sprinkling of salt.  Adding salt at this stage will ensure that the pasta absorbs it completely.  Salting pasta after cooking it results in a less flavorful pasta dish. 

Fresh herbs in a meal are delicious.  Bunch them together and then use a pair of scissors to snip them.  Chopping herbs often makes herbs wet and wilted.  Using scissors gives your herbs a light, fluffy appearance. 

When you are cooking, don’t be afraid to be creative.  Following a recipe is not fun if you do not add a personal touch.  In some cases by making little modifications to the recipe here and there will result in a dish that is tastier than if you had used the original recipe.  Turning a simple recipe into something that is uniquely your own is the sign of a true cook. 

As a habit when cooking, make sure you wash the dishes after you are done using them.  To make it easy, just have one sink filled with soapy water and fill the other side with rinse water.  Utensils and mixing bowls are easiest to cleaned directly after their use, and can be used again during the same meal preparation. 

Prior to cooking, gather everything you need.  This will aid in avoiding cooking disasters that can arise from being unprepared, including flare-ups from overheated oil or choosing the wrong temperatures for your needs. 

Actual Cooking

Make sure that you maintain your wooden cutting board.  Wooden cutting boards can warp and split if they are exposed to heat and moisture or if they are stored in an excessively dry area.  Do not immerse the cutting board in water, instead, clean it using a sponge and warm water.  When a cutting board shows signs of wear and tear, there are special oils that can rejuvenate them.  After oiling, allow the oil to soak in and the board to dry before using it again. 

When planning to prepare complicated dishes, do the prep work the evening before the actual cooking is to take place to minimize stress.  Group ingredients, verify that you have all necessities on hand, and do all measuring and chopping tasks that can be done ahead of time.  When you are ready to get started with the meal, you will only have to deal with the actual cooking. 

A meat thermometer can let you know if your meat has been thoroughly cooked.  Different kinds of meat must be heated to a certain temperature inside to be safe to eat.  There is a lot of bacteria that lives on meat, so cooking it to a high enough temperature to kill it off is important to avoid food borne illnesses. 

Add a little salt to your cutting board whenever you are slicing up some herbs.  Salt will not only add flavor to your herbs, but it will keep the herbs on the cutting board.  Don’t add to much salt when doing this.  Applying salt to the board will allow the herbs to stick better and give the meat a bit more flavor. 

Do not bake a cake too long or to short of a time.  While the recipe or directions are a good starting point in cooking times, they may need adjustment.  Factors like what kind of oven is used and elevation play a part in what the optimal cooking time will be.  To be sure, test your cake by inserting a toothpick in the cake’s middle.  If batter sticks to the toothpick when it comes out, more baking is needed; when the toothpick stays clean after insertion, it’s time to eat! 

When you barbecue, get your grill ready before you start.  Allot at least 30 minutes for the process, prior to placing food on the grill, to get your fire started and coals ready.  They will be perfect when they are ash covered and giving off medium heat.  This is the best temperature for grilling. 

If you are cooking with an unfamiliar item of produce, it is a good idea to take time to educate yourself about it first.  You might be surprised how much you can do with that new food.  If you educate yourself on the potentials of a new food, you’ll have a lot more fun using it. 

Fresh Herbs

Do not fall victim to believing that all potatoes are the same.  For boiling and for use in potato salad, the waxy varieties will work best.  This kind of potato does not work as well for mashing, baked potatoes or french fries.  For something like that, you’re best off using a fluffy type of potato, like a Russet. 

When cooking dishes with a simple flavor, use fresh herbs or seasonings.  Dried herbs and spices can be used for complex recipes that have a plethora of flavors.  However, stronger, better overall taste is produced by using fresh herbs.  Growing your own herbs in an herb garden, is an easy way to add fresh herbs to a meal anytime. 

Fresh and exciting ways you can prepare oysters.  Oysters can be prepared in many ways, although the most common way is to be eaten raw with some lemon juice on top.  Put opened oysters on the shell in your broiler pan and cover with some cream.  Add some parmesan cheese and some pepper, then broil until the contents of the pan start bubbling.  Oysters can also be sauteed.  The oysters can be dredged in a seasoned flour, then fried in butter for two minutes until they become golden brown.  Bake oysters with shells still in tact.  Put them in a deep baking dish, season them with breadcrumbs and a little butter over each, then put them in a 425 degree oven for about five minutes.  When the butter and juices are bubbling, serve piping hot with a toasted baguette. 

If you’re dealing with a vegetable or fruit that you aren’t familiar with, you should take the time to learn more information about it.  You might be surprised how much you can do with that new food.  Teaching yourself prior to beginning any kitchen task will get you more fun out of your experience. 

Use both the timer on your oven and a timer that can be carried with you, such as the type found on a watch.  By setting a watch, you will know when your food is done. 

An excellent way to cook is to use brine.  Soak chicken, turkey and game poultry in salt water for an hour to create a more flavorful dish. 

Always use soft, not melted butter when you are making cookies.  If your butter has melted put it in the freezer for some time to make it a bit harder or put your dough in the refrigerator for a little while.  Your dough will spread the right amount if the dough is cooler. 

You can make cooking a pastime, a skill or a profession.  The only limit to what you can make is your imagination, but you need to learn some of the principles of good cooking from the masters in order to make your perfect dish a reality.  Therefore, experiment with some of these suggestions whenever you are responsible for preparing a meal. 

If you have extra meat and vegetables in your refrigerator, make up a delicious stir fried rice.  Dryer rice that has been cooked previously is preferred, but freshly cooked rice can be used if you simply reduce the amount of water to make it a good consistency for frying.  Fry your vegetables and chopped meat in vegetable oil, then throw in your rice an season with some soy sauce, ginger, garlic and other spices of your choice.