A lot of people regard cooking as an unwelcome, but necessary task. However, cooking can be rewarding and enjoyable. It can also serve as a means to a healthier style of living. In order to be a good cook, you should continue to learn. The following article will help you learn some things you may not have known about cooking.
Here’s a way to turn that thin sauce around. Try mixing two tablespoons water and a tablespoon containing corn starch in a bowl. Stir the mixture into a warm thin sauce to thicken it. Don’t add all the starch at once, and avoid stirring erratically. Either of these could over-thicken the sauce.
Sharp knives will make cooking so much more efficient. Dull knives not only make it difficult to cut foods with, but dull knives are considered dangerous to use also. If you have to work on forcing a dull knife to go through something, you’re much more likely to accidentally cut yourself in the process than with the one quick, clean cut of a sharpened knife.
Chicken Stock
When you are making chicken stock, think in terms of high volume. If you prepare a large pot of stock, it can be frozen and stored for future use. There’s nothing better than homemade chicken stock as a flavorful base for casseroles, stews and soups. Allow the stock to cool, then split it up into heavy duty Ziploc freezer bags.
If you are looking for a nutritionally beneficial way to cook your vegetables, try sauteing them in a small amount of chicken broth. The broth adds flavor to them, while reducing oil that is usually used for sauteing. This method produces healthy and tasty vegetables.
When you are cooking pumpkins, first stand the pumpkin upright and then cut it in half directly down the middle. Arrange each half face down on a baking sheet. Toss a little water on the pans, and bake for roughly an hour at 350 degrees.
When you finish a turkey meal, always make sure you save what remains. This is a meal that will freeze really well so you can enjoy it again later. You can keep it fresh for several weeks, so that you can use the turkey in sandwiches or salads.
When using fresh herbs in your meal, including dill and parsley, place the herbs together in bunches, and cut them with scissors. When cut in this way, these herbs will have a lighter, fresher appearance.
To minimize the effort involved with cooking, clean the dishes you use as you move throughout the cooking process. With a two-bowl sink, you can keep one side full of hot suds and run clear water for rinsing in the other. Utensils that have been used recently, will be easier to clean if you leave them in this water.
When cooking ground meat, blot it dry before cooking. Take a paper towel and soak up any extra moisture on ground beef before you cook it. Any moisture left on the meat will be released when it’s cooked. It will begin to sizzle. This makes it unlikely that the meat will sear properly.
As this article stated, a great cook is constantly looking for new ways to improve their culinary skills. Joy that comes from cooking comes not just from preparing a meal, but also from learning about various foods, and acquiring new cooking skills and techniques. It is also about passing on what you have learned to others. Cooking shouldn’t simply be a skill that you learn; it should be a gift that you share.