Many people think cooking is a difficult task that only properly trained chefs with years of experience can do. The reality is, anyone can cook no matter what their skill level is. Even a beginning cook can create a fancy nine course meal. The key to good cooking is good knowledge. The advice found in this article will help anyone of any level excel at cooking.
When heating oil on the stove top to use for frying, use a low setting and slowly turn the burner up to reach the desired temperature. Most foods do not require much more than 350 degrees, for the oil to fry it to a nice golden brown and not end up burnt to a crisp on the outside, while raw on the inside. If you crank the temperature setting knob to its highest point, you not only run the risk of spattering and burning yourself, as well as the food you are trying to fry, but you are also wasting time while you wait for the oil to cool down enough to use. Oil heats up quickly, but it is very slow to cool down, once it has gotten too hot.
Do not treat the recipe as the bible of your dishes. You need to feel free to experiment and let yourself come out in your cooking. You should try adding things, you think may taste good together, to recipes you are trying out. Do not hold back because the item wasn't on the list.
Write out a list for all of the ingredients that you will need for a recipe before you go to the grocery store. This way, you will not forget anything. Many people forget one or two important ingredients for the recipe, which causes them to not be able to make the meal.
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 want to spice up your meal, add peppers. Peppers will not only give the meal that you are making flavor, but will increase the spice intensity to appeal to your taste buds. Try different types and variations of peppers so that you can hone in on the peppers that you prefer.
Get perfectly beaten egg whites. For perfectly beaten egg whites, use a copper bowl. Copper makes the egg whites more stable and they can be whipped to a greater volume. There is an ion in copper that binds with the protein in egg whites, causing them to become more stable. If you don't have a copper bowl, a stainless bowl will achieve the same results by adding a little cream of tartar to the eggs whites prior to beating.
Pan roast your chicken pieces. Chicken breasts benefit from pan roasting. Heat oil in an oven-safe saute pan until it is very hot. Place the chicken in, skin side down, and immediately shake the pan when you hear the chicken start to crackle. When it is golden brown on one side, brown the other. Place the entire pan in a 375 degree oven, and cook uncovered for 15 minutes or until the internal temperature is 165 degrees. Remove the chicken from the pan, and place it back on the stove top. Add chopped shallots to the pan juices, and fry until golden. Deglaze the pan with red wine. Stir in 1 tablespoon of butter, and cook for a minute or two. Pour over the chicken and enjoy!
Buy your meat in bulk for maximum savings on your grocery bill. Larger packages are often cheaper per pound and are only marginally more inconvenient than single-pound packages. Buying in bulk allows you to divide portions for individual meals and then freeze them, pulling out only what is needed for dinner.
For the moistest banana bread ever, peel and then freeze the bananas slated for the next loaf. Bananas placed in a covered container in the freezer will absorb moisture from the freezing process and that little extra "juice", goes a long way. Not only will your bread be more moist, it will also have a more intense banana flavor.
The difference between a good chef and a bad cook boils down to effective education. By adding these tips to your existing cooking routine, you are sure to gain an edge over other chefs, impress your family and delight your own taste-buds with a medley of delicious meals. This information can take your dishes from dull to dazzling.
When heating oil on the stove top to use for frying, use a low setting and slowly turn the burner up to reach the desired temperature. Most foods do not require much more than 350 degrees, for the oil to fry it to a nice golden brown and not end up burnt to a crisp on the outside, while raw on the inside. If you crank the temperature setting knob to its highest point, you not only run the risk of spattering and burning yourself, as well as the food you are trying to fry, but you are also wasting time while you wait for the oil to cool down enough to use. Oil heats up quickly, but it is very slow to cool down, once it has gotten too hot.
Do not treat the recipe as the bible of your dishes. You need to feel free to experiment and let yourself come out in your cooking. You should try adding things, you think may taste good together, to recipes you are trying out. Do not hold back because the item wasn't on the list.
Write out a list for all of the ingredients that you will need for a recipe before you go to the grocery store. This way, you will not forget anything. Many people forget one or two important ingredients for the recipe, which causes them to not be able to make the meal.
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 want to spice up your meal, add peppers. Peppers will not only give the meal that you are making flavor, but will increase the spice intensity to appeal to your taste buds. Try different types and variations of peppers so that you can hone in on the peppers that you prefer.
Get perfectly beaten egg whites. For perfectly beaten egg whites, use a copper bowl. Copper makes the egg whites more stable and they can be whipped to a greater volume. There is an ion in copper that binds with the protein in egg whites, causing them to become more stable. If you don't have a copper bowl, a stainless bowl will achieve the same results by adding a little cream of tartar to the eggs whites prior to beating.
Pan roast your chicken pieces. Chicken breasts benefit from pan roasting. Heat oil in an oven-safe saute pan until it is very hot. Place the chicken in, skin side down, and immediately shake the pan when you hear the chicken start to crackle. When it is golden brown on one side, brown the other. Place the entire pan in a 375 degree oven, and cook uncovered for 15 minutes or until the internal temperature is 165 degrees. Remove the chicken from the pan, and place it back on the stove top. Add chopped shallots to the pan juices, and fry until golden. Deglaze the pan with red wine. Stir in 1 tablespoon of butter, and cook for a minute or two. Pour over the chicken and enjoy!
Buy your meat in bulk for maximum savings on your grocery bill. Larger packages are often cheaper per pound and are only marginally more inconvenient than single-pound packages. Buying in bulk allows you to divide portions for individual meals and then freeze them, pulling out only what is needed for dinner.
For the moistest banana bread ever, peel and then freeze the bananas slated for the next loaf. Bananas placed in a covered container in the freezer will absorb moisture from the freezing process and that little extra "juice", goes a long way. Not only will your bread be more moist, it will also have a more intense banana flavor.
The difference between a good chef and a bad cook boils down to effective education. By adding these tips to your existing cooking routine, you are sure to gain an edge over other chefs, impress your family and delight your own taste-buds with a medley of delicious meals. This information can take your dishes from dull to dazzling.
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