Learning to cook is a skill that will prove to be useful to you throughout your life. Cooking is useful, because you need to feed yourself and your family, and it is fun too. Following the tips provided in this article will help you learn more about this useful life skill.
Spices and herbs should be stored in a dark and cool area. Many factors can cause herbs and spices to lose their flavor, especially humidity and light. As a general rule, most of your ground herbs and spices will stay fresh for about a year if stored correctly. Spices that are kept whole can keep their flavor for about three, four or five years. Storing your spices properly can help you achieve a longer shelf-life for your spices.
If you are cooking for someone important, such as a new boss or for a dinner party, don’t use a new recipe and a new ingredient. Make sure you practice the dish first for your own family. Play around with it to make sure it is how you want it.
As you cook your meal during the course of the night, make sure that you taste it at several different points. This will allow you to pinpoint exactly when it is done, so that you do not run the risk of overcooking it. Tasting your food is important to achieve the quality you desire.
If you want to cook delicious steaks, use your oven broiler. When you properly heat your oven, the broiler will quickly sear the meat and keep it juicier. You should avoid using any utensil that will puncture the meat when you turn it. That will cause vital fluid loss. Use a spatula instead.
Unleash the tremendous flavor power of Mediterranean cous-cous by using this cooking tip. Pour your dry cous-cous in a pot filled with boiling chicken stock instead of water. Mix for ten seconds, then turn off the heat and cover for five minutes. The cous-cous will absorb the tasty flavor of the chicken stock. This effect can also be achieved with vegetable or beef stock.
One of the greatest things that you can do is to cook with family members or friends. When you cook with someone else, you will be able to pick up on tricks that they implement and will be able to better yourself as a cook. Talk to them to see how their thought process works, to elevate your expertise.
When you are going to fry a food, use long tongs to add food to the oil. For about five seconds, hold the food just underneath the surface of the oil and release it. By placing a food into oil this way, the exterior of the food will be sealed and it will not likely stick to the pan.
As you can see, cooking is not as hard as you may have previously thought. By following these tips, you are well on your way to becoming a competent chef. Your family will love the delicious meals you provide them, and you will likely pass these skills along to them too.