The Fundamentals Of Central Factors For Paring Knife
Apply These Tips To Your Food Preparation And Enjoy
Cooking can mean many things to different people. For some, cooking is a science, with the kitchen acting as a lab for different tasty experiments. Some think of cooking as a stress reliever, using time in the kitchen as a way to relax. Others think of cooking as difficult, finding it hard to even boil water. However you think of cooking, the tips in this article should help you be the best cook possible.
Make a big batch of stock and store it. You can store homemade meat or chicken stock in the fridge for one week, or in the freezer for 3 months. In the case of vegetable stock, you can refrigerate it for up to 4 days, but it tends to lose its flavor if you freeze it. If storage is an issue, boil the stock until it is reduced by half. This creates an intense flavored stock called a demiglace. Pour in a baking pan and freeze until hard, but not completely frozen. You can then cut the demiglace into cubes, place in plastic bags and freeze.
Bring back the old-time schmatlz, or chicken fat, to add richness and deep flavor chef knives to almost anything. Scmaltz has been used for years, often for all kinds of home cooking since it has a flavor that is richer than duck fat. You can even use it to poach all kinds of tasty fish.
When working with recipes that call for eggs, cream cheese or butter, leave those ingredients out overnight the day before you plan to execute your special recipe. All of these things are much easier to work with and blend into other ingredients when they are brought down to room temperature.
To prevent the top layer of cheese from peeling off your lasagna or other casserole when you remove the foil, spray the foil with cooking spray prior to covering the dish with it. When you remove the foil so the cheese can brown, the cheesy layer will remain intact.
When cooking a meal for vegetarians and non-vegetarians, make separate sauces can be the best way to make sure everyone has enough to eat and knows what they can eat. Make rice or pasta, then let guests choose from a meatless sauce and one with meat. A dish with multiple components saves you from having to make two separate meals, and it makes both meat-eaters and vegetarians happy.
When cooking steak, make sure the pan you are using is really hot so that it sears the outside of the meat and keeps all of the juices inside. This will make your steak taste great, and it won't be dried out, since all of the flavor is still sealed inside of the meat.
To remove the peel from a clove of garlic in a quick and easy way, carefully smack the heel of your hand on the side of a wide knife blade (laid flat over the clove) to crush the garlic a bit, allowing the skin to slip right off. As a bonus, the flattened clove will be easier to mince before you add it to your dish.
When preparing food in the kitchen, always remember to wash your hands with soap and warm water before touching food, or anytime you handle raw meat, fish or eggs. In addition, you never want to put cooked food on plates, counters or any other surface where these raw meats have been unless they have been washed with hot, soapy water.
To save money and improve your health, cook the recommended portion sizes and plan your meals ahead of time. Meat is one of the most expensive ingredients on your plate. By eating the appropriate portion sizes you can be sure that your family is getting plenty of vegetables and whole grains.
If you would like to know more about cooking, do not be ashamed to go to cooking classes. These classes can give you some really good ideas to increase your cooking skills. Many locations offer cooking classes at reasonable prices and some even give you supplies that you can bring home with you.
Cooking doesn't have to be humdrum and boring. It's a chance to shape your family's nutrition, as well as to relax and create. Cooking can be much more than mixing ingredients together. Since you have to cook anyway, why not learn to enjoy it? Follow these tips and start having fun in the kitchen.
