All humans must eat food in order to live. But who is honestly interested in merely surviving? It is better to cook something delicious than to eat something delicious. The tips you will read in this article will give you the skills to greatly improve your culinary prowess.
Stir-fry recipes require meat to be sliced very thin and at an angle to the grain. This can take time and be tricky. Once the meat has become more firm, you should slice against the grain at 45 degrees.
Make soup stock in large quantities. Soup stock can be used in many different recipes. If you make a large portion of it once, it is easy to store for later use. Just put it in baggies that can be sealed. Put it in the freezer and thaw it out when you need to use it.
Ice water can save the color of your vegetables. Dull washed out vegetables do not look as appealing to eat. If you want bright and vibrant vegetables, then you should plunge them into ice water after blanching them. Vibrantly colored vegetables look much more appetizing in salads and pasta dishes.
If you have ever questioned the freshness of the eggs you bought and you don’t know whether the eggs in your fridge are still useable or not, you can break them individually into a cup to see if they are good or not. If you need to test several eggs, put them in a pan of cool, salted water. Use the ones floating on top and throw away the ones that sink to the bottom of the pan.
When trying to cook healthy foods, it is important to cut back on the amount of oils and butters that you are using. A great alternative is using nonstick bakeware or a nonstick cooking spray. Many of the sprays have little to no calories and make foods healthy and cleanup a breeze.
Take a look at the nutrition facts when you buy ingredients to cook with. Cooking staples can be full of not-so-nice things that can spoil your health. You need to make sure what you are purchasing is not high in sugar or sodium, as they are known to cause terrible health problems when consuming too much.
If you are stuck trying to figure out what to cook for dinner during the week, consider building your meals around themes. “Mexican Monday” could mean burritos or a nice taco salad. How about “Tuscan Tuesday” featuring spaghetti and meatballs or maybe meatball subs? And “Fish Friday” offers lots of options for shrimp, salmon or even tuna. Bring the whole family into the fun by letting the kids pick a theme and help plan the meal that day.
Learning to enjoy cooking is almost as good as eating what you make. Build up your fund of cooking knowledge by incorporating the preceding tips into your kitchen skill set, and keep your eyes peeled for more great ideas. Your friends and family will enjoy your new hobby as much as you do.