Learning to cook seems like an impossible task to some but with diligence and practice anyone can learn to cook! There are many recipes in books, magazines and even online for every type of person from a beginner to a professional. There are many classes you can take as well at culinary schools. Read the following tips to improve your experience in the kitchen.
In order to make the process of cooking easier, you should take to time to make large amounts of meat or vegetable stock and store it in the freezer. Not only is making your own stock less expensive than buying it from a retailer, but it makes it easy to keep a large supply on hand. Simply freeze the stock in small and clearly labeled portions and then take out what you need when you need it!
Preparation is a very important part of cooking. You want to make sure you have every item you might need. You also want to make sure you have all the supplies you might need. You don’t want to be in the middle of a dish and find out you are missing something important.
If you are wanting to make a good sandwich, make sure you put the mayonnaise on from corner to corner. You don’t want to rush this step. Doing it this way will ensure that every bit is full of flavor. This will make the whole sandwich that much more tasty.
Save sauces in ice cube trays. If you make several meals during a week, consider saving sauces from them in ice cube trays. This will allow you to add some interesting variety to any dishes you might be making later in the week. It will also make the process simple.
Purchase a quality loaf of bread that you can use as a side piece to a variety of meals. Bread goes great with any dish that has sauce or cheese, as you can dip it in a variety of different toppings. Include a loaf of Italian or French bread with your next meal.
Learn some proper knife-work techniques to make your time in the kitchen safer, more productive, and more enjoyable. Proper cutting techniques not only help to ensure safety in the kitchen, but food cut properly and uniformly looks better (which of course makes it tastes better!) and cooks more evenly. Stop cutting off your fingertips and burning half of the French fries with proper cutting skills!
Salt and pepper are two of the most important ingredients that you can add to your meal when you are cooking. If something does not taste salty enough, make sure to add extra salt in order to avoid a dull taste to your food. Sometimes, it is better to have too much salt than none at all.
If you are following a recipe take extra caution to make sure that you don’t skip a step, or that you are reading the measurements correctly. Especially in baking, a small mistake can completely ruin a dish. To avoid this just check the recipe a couple of times before adding in the ingredient to the mixture.
If you cooked with a sauce, save the leftover sauce in an ice cube tray that you can freeze. This way, the next time you want some sauce, all you need to do is saute it in a pan. Freezing the sauce into cubes in the trays is safe and convenient!
When you are cooking with cheese, be sure to bring the cheese to room temperature before you melt it. Also, always melt cheese using a very low level of heat. This will prevent the cheese from getting tough or separating into oil and liquid. Overheating cheese will denature its proteins.
Marinate meat in a bag. A lot of recipes call for meat to be marinated in a dish for a few hours, turning occasionally. This can be frustrating, as the meat is never completely coated by the marinade. A better way is to throw the meat and marinade in a ziploc bag, remove as much air as possible, and shake well to coat the meat. Place it in the fridge and simply flip the bag occasionally.
Tomatoes can be easily dried. Try slicing a Roma in half lengthwise, or cut larger tomatoes into 1/2 inch slices. Put the tomatoes, cut-side up, onto a cooling rack and give them a light salting. Place the cooling rack on a cookie sheet and dry in a 190 degree oven for up to 10 hours. The dried tomatoes can be put in plastic bags and frozen. Another option is to place the tomatoes in a jar and cover them with fresh herbs and olive oil. The jars can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Anyone can learn to cook. Starting from the ground and building up your skills using your researching skills is very beneficial. With a little patience and a flair for giving your loved ones and yourself a great meal, you can learn and become a pro at cooking at any age!
