How To Cook In A Time Crunch

Food time is almost the favorite time for everyone. However, when the meal is being prepared by a knowledgeable cook, it is that much sweeter. This article is filled with useful advice on preparing great meals.

If you have not yet cooked with skewers you should definitely consider this fact. Using metal skewer types will increase your chances of success when compared to wooden options.

When storing your herbs and spices, they should be kept in a cool, dark spot. Exposure to humidity, light and heat all affect the flavor of your spices. Spices and herbs that are ground usually retain their flavor for close to a year. Spices in their whole forms have longer useful lifespans, lasting up to five years. Proper storage will enhance the flavoring for a longer time.

If you are just beginning to cook more of your meals, go straight to the nearest bookstore or library to find a cookbook that has simple, fun recipes. Cooking might take a while to master, as it requires perfecting certain techniques.

Here's a trick you can use to save your sauce fast! Make a mixture of two tablespoons of water and one tablespoon corn starch. Stir the mixture into a warm thin sauce to thicken it. Make sure not to add the corn starch too quickly; keep stirring and stop when the sauce is thick enough.

It is absolutely essential that you have sharp knives whenever you cook. Dull knives can be dangerous and they also make cutting things hard. It is much easier to cut yourself trying to force a dull knife through a vegetable, than cutting it with a sharp knife.

If you boil your vegetables or cook them for too long, they will lose a lot of nutrients. To retain the healthy nutrients, quickly steam or sauté your vegetables, or even better, eat them raw.

To reduce fat and calories in mashed potatoes without sacrificing texture or taste, replace some of your potatoes with an equal amount of cauliflower. Since cauliflower is bland, it will mix right in with the potatoes along with the other ingredients. Cauliflower mashes into the same texture and color as potatoes, so no one will notice, and you you will get the benefits.

Cook your vegetables quickly to preserve flavor. Vegetables that have been slow-cooked are not as nutritional or tasty as vegetables that are cooked in other ways. In addition to these beneficial results, the overall effect is also serving vegetables that are healthy and more nutritious. The less time you take to cook them, the better your vegetables will be.

There is a special moment of satisfaction when you taste a skillfully prepared and seasoned meal. It may seem like it takes forever to learn what it takes to become a good cook but this isn't true, you can learn faster than you think. Anyone can do it. Now that you have read the great tips in this article, you should be prepared to take on your first kitchen endeavor.