Cooking is a very useful thing to learn that will serve you well in life. A meal at home is fresher and more delicious. However, not all people are up to par on their cooking skills. This article can help you improve upon your cooking!
Spices and herbs should be stored in a dark and cool area. If your spices are exposed to moisture, heat, or light they may lose their flavor. It is normally the rule that spices that are ground lose their flavor after they keep for around a year. Spices that have not been ground have the potential to last upwards of five years. When stored properly, they will stay fresher longer.
When making a stir-fry meal, meat should always be thinly sliced, and cut on the bias. This may take some time and effort. Take the meat out of the freezer once it firms up (not frozen) then cut at an angle of 45 degrees across the grainy part of the meat.
Your spices should be stored in a place that is cool and dark. If the spices become too hot, or moist from humidity, it can shorten their shelf life. Too much light exposure also does this. Store spices in a dark, cool location to keep them flavorful and fresher for longer. Your culinary preparations will taste better if your spices are fresh.
Give pre-cut, raw potatoes a cold water bath for a half-hour prior to frying for crispier French fries. Soaking the potatoes helps to make the fibers within them stronger, which makes them better able to handle the heat during frying.
Are you preparing a dish with fresh basil? Gather a small bunch of freshly cut basil and place it in a glass. Make sure the the stems are completely covered with water. Next, place the basil and glass on the kitchen counter; the herb will remain fresh for a week or more. The basil can actually grow roots if you keep the water changed occasionally. You can cut the basil every once in a while in order to spur further growth, thereby making basil available for even longer.
Fresh ingredients are better than frozen or dried, regardless of what you cook. Use fresh ingredients, as they bring out the flavor in a dish, and they are also less expensive.
Save time and money by freezing leftover sauce in ice cube trays in the freezer. Take them out to use on another night when you’d like a no hassle home cooked meal. Simply reheat the sauce cubes slowly in a medium pan on your stove top. The frozen sauce will keep extremely well until the next time you need it!
If burgers get stuck to the grill, it will be difficult to flip them without mangling them in the process. You should brush a thin layer of vegetable oil over the grill before you begin cooking. This will keep the food from becoming stuck to the grill surface.
As you can see, cooking can be easy. With the right techniques, creating delicious dishes for family and friends can suddenly become a breeze! Now that you have been introduced to these great tips and tricks, you just need to make the time to go and give them a try!