How often do you enjoy cooking? If you’re like most people, cooking can start to get boring after a while. Why? Because you are likely doing it multiple times a day. It’s not hard to fall into a rut where you’re eating the same things and cooking the same things. Here are a few tips to help you spice up your cooking.
Don’t be afraid to over season your meat. Most people actually under season, because the cooking process will weaken the flavor of some spices. With the exception of salt, most seasonings will better enhance the flavor if you use about twice as much as you think you should.
Make sure that the oil is hot enough, before adding food to it. By using oil that is not hot enough, you may not be cooking the food properly. You can make sure it has the perfect temperature by sticking a wooden spoon in it. If you see bubbles around the spoon, it is okay to put the food in.
For tastier meat, cook for longer periods of time under a lower heat. This allows the flavor, time to fully settle and seep into the meat. In addition, this will produce a piece of meat that is much more tender than one that has been cooked at a higher temperature for a shorter period of time.
To clean your hands after cooking a recipe that includes garlic, vigorously rub your hands on your stainless steel sink or counter. Do this for 30 seconds to one minute, and then wash your hands. This will remove garlic odor from your fingers, and it will be as if you’d never touched it.
Don’t substitute romaine lettuce when making caesar salad. Romaine has the perfect texture and flavor to stand up to the strong ingredients in a classic caesar dressing, such as garlic, anchovies and parmesan cheese. Select romaine that has dark green outer leaves that curl away from the center. To store, leave the head whole and unwashed in the refrigerator, and tear off leaves as needed.
Invest some time reading recipes before you actually attempt them. You will save time, and possibly money. Understanding all the components needed for a recipe beforehand will not only allow you to make sure that you have them, but it can also prevent you from making mistakes that can waste your time and ingredients.
Clean up made easy! Don’t make washing up a chore – if you have a dishwasher you really don’t need to hand wash the dishes first. Simply rinse off the large chunks of food with warm water. The hand-washing detergent used on dishes can leave a film inside your dishwasher. Load the machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions, turn it on and relax!
When cutting vegetables or meat it’s very important to have sharp, high quality knives. This will help you to get the look and evenly cooked meal that you desire. If you use dull, low quality knives, instead of cutting your food, they will rip it which can cause uneven cooking and a not so appetizing looking meal.
Have you been making the same berry shortcake for a while? Make the flavor pop with the following tip. Mix your berries with a pinch of salt, a little fresh mint and a small spoon of lime juice. Your guests will never guess how you enhanced the flavor of the old family recipe.
Use these tips to rekindle your love of cooking. Cooking is done every day, but that means that every day you have a new opportunity to make something great out of an everyday occurrence. Fall in love with cooking again, or for the first time, and make meals great again.
