Cooking Good Food Made Easy With These Basic Tips

Being an excellent chef can be simpler than you probably realize. It is perfectly acceptable to

experiment when you cook. The tips here will show you how to experiment with new things

and cook better. Use this advice to further your cooking skills.

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 puts

the spices in a position to quickly degrade.

You should remove any excess fat from your soup or stew. You can remove excess fat from

soups and stews by skimming it off the top of cooled dishes. Place an ice cube atop a spoon

and skim it over the surface of the soup or stew. Fat that collects on an ice cube or a chilled

spoon that runs across the surface of your soup or stew broth will not remove as much

excess fat as allowing the dish to completely cool. Alternately, use a paper towel to blot the

fat.

Consider warming citrus fruits in the microwave for a bit before juicing. Heat your fruit for just

a short time -- usually about ten seconds. After you remove it from the microwave, roll it

across your counter before cutting it open and beginning the juicing process.

If you choose the wooden versions of cooking skewers, it is a good idea to immerse them in

water, and leave them there for about half an hour before using them. This is going to help

ensure that they do not burn during the cooking process. If you have issues with food falling

off skewers, make it a double. Food is much more stable when you use two skewers parallel

from one another instead of one.

You should let your cooking wait until all the necessary preparations are complete. This

allows you to economize on the amount of gas or electricity used when cooking, and keeps

you from becoming distracted and accidentally getting injured by something like hot oil

splashing out of a pan.

When simmering or boiling vegetables, try adding chicken broth. The chicken broth will help

to keep the vegetables from sticking to the pan and will also add some delicious flavor to

them. Chicken broth is cheap, and can be bought anywhere.

Prepare to cook before you actually start cooking. It is essential that the prep work is

completed before cooking commences. Trying to prepare a meal without handling the

preparation beforehand can get stressful, especially if you need to finish your cooking in a set

amount of time. Do the prep work as early as you can to avoid stress later.

Cook your vegetables quickly to retain quality and nutrients. Taste and nutritional value suffer

when vegetables are slow-cooked. You have an added bonus, because these certain

techniques make vegetables healthier in general. It is worth it to take the time to use cooking

methods that preserve the most nutrients.

Make big portions when preparing stock. Make enough stock so that you can freeze the

excess and use it later. Homemade chicken stock makes a great base for casseroles, soups,

stews, and many other wonderful dishes. To store your homemade stock, let it cool, pour it

into a freezer bag, and stick it in the freezer.

Over-complicating recipes is often the source of a ruined meal. Sticking to the basics will lead

to easy, nutritious dishes that can taste just as delicious as the more complicated ones. Use

the tips presented here and come up with a few cooking ideas of your own. Happy eating!

Take Your Cooking To The Next Level With These Simple Tips Quick Tips For Cooking

Wonderful Meals With Ease Learn To Cook Like A Pro