Whether you're a brand new cook or an experienced one, there are plenty of sources of frustration in the kitchen. No matter what your cooking skills are like, little annoyances can make preparing a meal much more stressful. Here are some cooking tips that will help preparing your meals go a little more smoothly.
Splurge a little on a higher quality of olive oil than you usually buy. A tiny splash of a good olive oil can really enhance the flavors of some foods like meat, fish, pasta, pizza and some cheeses. You can also use it in place of butter when you cook pasta or mushrooms, and you will have a healthier dish.
TIP! When making homemade salad dressings it is a good idea to use extra-virgin olive oil. It has a fruity flavor that really adds to a salad.
Although it is tempting, do not add oil to boiling pasta if you will be using the pasta with a sauce. The oil prevents the sauce from adhering to the pasta, and may leave you with a slick, unappealing mess. Give your pasta a stir every couple of minutes as it cooks and use plenty of water, and there should not be any sticking issues.
To get professional-looking results when dipping candy in melted chocolate, use a toothpick to dip the soft candy. Push the toothpick into the candy piece about halfway, ensuring not to go all the way through the candy. Dip the candy, drop it on waxed paper to cool, and quickly drop a tiny bit of the melted chocolate over the hole created by the toothpick. The toothpick hole is now cleverly filled with chocolate.
After you have cut the corn off of the cob, use the dull side of a knife (the one opposite the blade), and scrape the cob once more. This will extract any sweet, milky liquid that was left behind and add richness and flavor to whatever you are making.
TIP! Make sure to prepare your dishes the night before. Create marinades and allow your meat to sit in the refrigerator overnight.
When cooking stock, make it in a large quantity and store it in smaller bags in the freezer. Stock has a long freezer life and can be useful in so many recipes. Making a larger batch is no more difficult than making a small batch. You'll save yourself time later by having a freezer store to turn to.
There are plenty of things you can do to take the stress out of cooking. Now that you've read this article, you have plenty of advice you can apply the next time you head to the kitchen. Now that you have these tips, you may find you're willing to try cooking something a little more challenging.
