Better Food, Faster, Cheaper: Quick Ways To Improve Your Cooking

By Roxane J. Talisen


There are lots of methods and techniques to learn when cooking. Some are a snap and only take a few minutes, while some are really involved and can take hours. Regardless of you current cooking aptitude, you may find the following tips helpful for improving your cooking skills.

You must stay organized so that you don't burn any food. An organized kitchen is a much more productive kitchen. Also, organize your refrigerator and pantry to avoid buying unnecessary items that will eventually be thrown out.

Be sure to spread the application of seasoning throughout your cooking time instead of only applying when you start to cook. Your food will taste as flavorful as ever if you season it this way.

Saute vegetables with chicken broth to cook them in a healthy way. The vegetables get flavor from the broth, and there is no need to use as much oil as it normally takes to saute them. This is a healthy and tasty, vegetable cooking technique.

A quick way to make your food more flavorful is to use beef stock or chicken stock in place of water. The addition of bouillon cubes in the water is another easy way to flavor a meal. This will give your food the required amount of moisture and it will also add flavor as well.

Brine is a method that is great when cooking. Marinate any sort of poultry in brine for about an hour before you cook it, so that it becomes very flavorful.

Use a few spices to flavor your cooked meals. Salt and pepper are everyday seasonings, but a little garlic, ginger, or cayenne can add an interesting zest to a prepared meal. Many people have different tastes when it comes to spice. Make these available for customization after you cook the meal, instead of adding them during cooking. This will make it so everyone can have it their way.

If you plan to prepare food outside for a cookout, make sure the grill itself is prepped beforehand. Prepare the grill approximately half an hour prior to putting the food on. The coals should have a coating of ash and be at a medium heat. This is optimum grilling temperature.

If you have extra meat and vegetables in your refrigerator, make up a delicious stir fried rice. Day-old rice is prime for making fried rice, but if you have none lying around, try this tip. You can reduce the water to make a slightly drier rice. To prepare fried rice, saute your meat and vegetables together until tender, then add in your rice along with soy sauce, ginger, garlic and other spices.

Potatoes are divided in different categories, and each category should be used differently. You can make potato salad with waxy potatoes, but you should use a different kind for fries or mashed potatoes. Russet potatoes will produce the fluffiest results.

When you are faced with cooking a difficult meal, prepping the night before will really reduce your stress. Get everything together beforehand; ensure you have all the ingredients, and chop or measure anything you can in advance. Then all you have to do is put everything together when you get ready to cook the meal.

Store all spices and herbs in dry, dark and cool conditions to get the maximum amount of flavor from them. Spices will rapidly lose flavor if exposed to heat, light or humidity. This just exposes them to the elements and degrades their flavors.

Use the helpful things that you have learned from this article. Before long, your loved ones will be in awe of your cooking ability.




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