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17 July 2012

Think You Can't Cook? Try These Simple Tips Before Giving Up!

By Roxane J. Talisen


Learning how to cook is not an easy skill to learn. Follow the tips in this article and you'll be cooking quality dishes in no time.

If you wish to have crispy French fries, then you should soak the potatoes in cool water for 30 minutes and then fry them. When potatoes are allowed to absorb cold water, the texture is able to withstand the extreme heat of cooking without breaking down and becoming mushy.

Try baking rather than using the microwave when you want to reheat a dish that contains oil. Microwave radiation heats oil faster than the rest of the leftovers, which means the oil starts separating from all other ingredients involved. Baking will heat the dish evenly, causing it to keep all of its flavor.

Dark, leafy greens are extremely nutritious, but it can be time-consuming to prepare them. Separating the stems can try anyone's patience. The easy way to do this is to laterally fold up the leaf at the midpoint, then use the leverage to break the stem off in the middle. Or, you can use a knife and cut out the stem from the folded leaf. Once your unfold each leaf, you have perfectly stem-free greens.

if fresh basil what you're cooking with? Place some basil in a clean glass. Then cover the stems of the basil with water. Now, just sit this glass on your window sill or counter and the basil should stay fresh for a few days to a few weeks. Switching out the water from time to time will cause the basil to grow, as well. Occasionally trim the basil, which will encourage more growth, and you will be able to have the benefits of fresh basil for quite some time.

Measure the amount of cooking oil you are using! Measuring amounts into a cup when cooking instead of pouring guess amounts straight from the bottle lowers the fat you put into your dish. This lets you keep an eye on just how much oil you use.

It's important to be creative while cooking. Feel free to adapt a recipe to suit your particular needs. Experimenting fearlessly with cooking, adding a new ingredient, cutting one out, and changing amounts is how great new recipes are born. That is how a real cook gets it cooking!

It is always better to choose fresh ingredients for your recipes instead of dried or frozen ones. When you use fresh ingredients you can bring out the true flavor of your food, and they can sometimes be cheaper in the end.

Be sure that the butter you use when creaming it for cookies and sugar is softened, not melted. If your butter has been melted, simply put your sugar-butter mixture into your freezer for a couple of minutes so that it become more firm. Afterwards, place the bowl of your finished dough into the refrigerator. Cooler dough will prevent your cookies from spreading too much.

When using fresh herbs like parsley or dill, gather them into bunches and cut them with scissors. This will keep them drier and less heavy than if they are chopped.

Try partially frozen meat to make thin meat slicing easier. This method is especially useful when preparing Chinese or Thai entrees. If the meat is partially frozen, a sharp knife will create perfect thin strips, as it will be less likely to tear or stretch the meat fibers. However, so they are evenly cooked, you want to make certain the meat strips are thawed before cooking.

Cooking your own meals allows you to control the ingredients you and your family consume. As we have shown, a few great cooking skills can make your life better in so many ways. You will rarely be tempted by fast food again if you use this advice to cook well at home.




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