Learning to cook can be one of the best things a person can learn to do. Cooking is something that one can always learn more about and share with others. The following article can add to your enjoyment of the art of cooking and give you information that can enhance your skills.
Learning to cook can be one of the best things a person can learn to do. Cooking is something that one can always learn more about and share with others. The following article can add to your enjoyment of the art of cooking and give you information that can enhance your skills.
To get perfectly browned cookies,
use parchment paper or a silicone baking mat on your regular cookie sheets. These surfaces are not only non-stick, but they lend the perfect shade of golden brown to your delicious morsels. These surfaces also keep your baking sheets clean, so you don't have extra pans to wash.
Keep a Parmesan shaker or sugar dispenser filled with flour on your counter or your prep area. You can use the shaker to dust work surfaces when baking or to easily pour out just a tablespoon or two for thickening sauces or gravies without having to drag out the full flour canister.
Make soup stock in large quantities and put them in Tupperware or plastic, the place them in the freezer for next time you need stock. This takes a lot of the work out of making home made soup and some people think broth and sauce tastes better after it is frozen.
When using a meat thermometer to check the temperature of meat or poultry, ensure that you do not insert it too close to the bone or the pan. The bones and pans are hotter than the surrounding flesh, and you may get an inaccurate reading. Insert the thermometer into the thickest part of the meat to get the most accurate temperature.
When it comes to baking, a great tip to follow is to be sure that you bake smaller items at higher temperatures and for less time than larger items. This is important because you will have your food quicker and it will be less dry than if you were to bake it slower.
Try cooking stock ahead of time and freezing it. It is always handy to have chicken, beef, or vegetable stock handy when you are boiling vegetables or want to make a quick soup. It is also easier this way because it is less mess the day you are having your meal!
When you are cooking pasta you should cook it about 60 seconds less than the cooking time that is printed on the package. You can then put the pasta in whatever sauce you have prepared with it and let it complete its cooking process while it soaks up all of the flavors of the sauce.
The grill isn't just for dinner foods, try using it to prepare dessert as well. Fruit works especially well on the grill. Try slicing peaches, nectarines, or melon and threading them on a skewer. Grill on a clean grill until grill marks appear. Serve on top of ice cream or grilled pound cake.
Keep your meal, flour, and other grain products in the refrigerator or freeze them for a few days before you put them in long term storage. Believe it or not, these products have a certain amount of bug eggs in them. Freezing them or holding them in cold temperatures for a few days kills the eggs and you save money by not having to throw out bags and boxes of ruined food when they hatch.
As was previously noted at the beginning of this article, learning to cook can be one of the best things that you will ever learn. It can be a skill, a gift, and a hobby. It can bring families together and is something that can be passed along to future generations.
