Saturday, December 3, 2011

Cooking Like A Pro With A Few Simple Ideas

By Sakara Letchmi


If you're thinking about picking up cooking but aren't sure what to do and where to start then you've come to the right place. When it comes to cooking the more knowledge you learn the more you have to apply towards making a great meal, knowledge like that here in this article can help you become a better cook.

To get extra moist chocolate chip cookies, add a packet of dried vanilla pudding mix to any recipe. You do not have to add the other ingredients for the pudding recipe or even add extra moisture to your existing recipe. Simply adding the powdered mix helps the cookies to attain a smoother, softer texture.

Freeze overripe bananas. You do not have to throw out brown bananas. If they are overripe before you can eat them, just freeze them for later. Overripe bananas are still perfect for smoothies. You can even use them as an ingredient in baked goods like banana bread or muffins.

It's important to taste meatloaf or meatballs each time that you make them, so that you know you've got the seasonings right. Make a tiny patty and fry it up before you make your main meal, so that you are able to taste your end product and make adjustments as necessary.

To remove the hard core from a head of iceberg lettuce, whack the bottom of the lettuce head on the counter to loosen the core from the rest of the leaves. You should be able to pull it out easily, leaving you with lettuce that's ready for sandwiches, shredding, or chopping.

Go easy on the herbs and spices. Do not over-season your foods. Spices and herbs are meant to compliment your food, not overpower it. Try with the least amount, and add more only after you have tasted the effect of a small amount. Too much seasoning can easily be worse than not enough.

When you are making batches of waffles or pancakes for breakfast, and you need to keep them warm until served. Heat your oven to 300 degrees. As you are cooking the pancakes, and waffles place the goods on a plate and put them in the oven to keep them warm.

Cook up the whole bag of potatoes at once! Slice them in half and put them in the freezer! Whether you boil or bake them, you'll always be ready to thaw out potatoes to use for a hastily put together potato bar dinner, to use as ingredients for potato salad or any other dishes that use cooked potatoes.

To easily measure sticky foods, use cooking oil! Before measuring, lightly coat the spoon with a cooking oil which has little flavor, such as canola, and the substance being measured will slide off the spoon easily, preventing waste and making clean up much easier. This works for honey and peanut butter, too.

If you are going to be making candy make sure you do not do it on a hot day. Making any candy on a hot and humid day is not good for the texture. If you cannot wait until the next day to make it cook it at least 1-2 degrees higher on the candy thermometer.

As you can see, cooking isn't so difficult as you might have made it out to be. As long as you stick with simple recipes and follow the simple tips laid out in this article, you'll be cooking like a pro and saving yourself money on food in no time. Having the right set of cookware is an advantage.



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