Tips To Help You Become A Great Cook

It may be surprising, but anyone can cook. Can you grab a recipe, buy the ingredients at the store, then mix them up? Are you able to get your hands on basic cooking equipment? If you said yes to the two previous questions, than you are well on your way to learning how to cook! If you'd like to expand your skills in the kitchen, read the helpful tips below that will show you how you can make easy, delicious dishes for your loved ones.

Spices should be kept somewhere cool and dark. If you leave them out somewhere, you will expose them to light, wetness, and heat, and it could ruin them. Your spices will have a longer shelf life and retain their good taste if stored in a dark, cool spot. This will help every meal that you prepare taste better.

Here is a way to save your sauce and use it in your recipes. Mix together a solution of one tablespoon corn starch and two tablespoons water. Stir the mixture into simmering sauce to make the sauce thicker. When adding, do so gradually and continue to stir so as to avoid making your sauce too thick.

Crispier fries come from potatoes that have been left to soak in ice cold water for about 30 minutes. Cold water will allow the sliced potato to retain its internal fibers, meaning that they are less likely to completely break down when cooked at a high heat.

Cook your vegetables in chicken broth. Try cooking your veggies in chicken broth. It adds a nice flavor, and the veggies will not stick to the pan. Chicken broth costs very little, and can be bought at most any grocery store.

Are you using fresh basil to cook with? You can cut basil by the stems, bunch it together, and put it in a glass. Make sure the basil's stems are covered in water. Put it on top of your kitchen counter and it will be fresh for weeks! Your basil will even send out new roots if you change its water regularly. Occasional pruning of the basil might instigate even more growth, which means you can have a steady supply of fresh basil even longer.

One way to make mashed potatoes retain their taste but contain a little less fat and calories is to replace some of them with equal amounts of cauliflower. Cauliflower's subtle flavors blend in with the potatoes and other ingredients easily. Cauliflower has the same texture and color as mashed potatoes, so the dish will be transformed into one that has more vegetables and fewer calories.

Do you have a difficult time figuring out how long you should grill your meats? Try using a digital meat thermometer to judge when your meat is cooked thoroughly. A good rule of thumb to reduce the total cooking time is to always close the grill lid whenever the thickness of the meat exceeds 1.5 inches.

Tofu and beans can serve as great sources of protein that can be easily added to any diet. Most grocery stores stock these items. Make a yummy meat alternative by pan frying the tofu with some seasonings. For a tasty bean dish, simply boil them with your favorite herbs.

When buying a recipe's ingredients, read the labels. Quite often, certain cooking supplies are filled with unhealthy ingredients that you may not be aware of. It is a good idea to verify that ingredients not contain high levels of sugar or sodium. Over-consumption of these can create health issues.

You only need to be able to read and follow instructions to become an effective cook. Contrary to what you may think, cooking is not overly difficult with the right knowledge. Follow the advice from this article, and there will be nothing that can stop you.

Continue reading