Cook Whatever You Want With These Tips

Many people consider cooking to be a nice way to relax and a rewarding activity. A welcoming kitchen filled with pleasant smells is something everyone enjoys coming home to. Yet, it can be difficult to find not only a great recipe but also some great tips to help you turn a good meal into a great one. You can improve your abilities, and get closer to those fantastic results, by making use of some of the tips you'll find below.

If you keep herbs and spices handy, make sure you are keeping them in a dark, cool area. The flavor of herbs and spices will be diminished if they are subjected to humidity, heat, or light. Generally speaking, spices that have been ground will keep their flavor for about one year. Whole spices last longer, possibly as long as five years. Their changes at longevity increase with proper storage.

Slice meats into thin strips on the bias when prepping for stir-fry. Cutting meat thinly can be difficult and time-consuming. Take the meat out of the freezer when it is slightly frozen and cut at a forty five degree angle, do it across the meat's grain.

There is something you can do to rescue your sauce and use it as planned. In a bowl, combine a tablespoon of cornstarch with two tablespoons of water. Stir the sauce constantly to avoid letting it get too thick. Be sure to slowly add the starch solution to your sauce until you achieve the desired thickness.

Boiling and other long preparation methods tend to eliminate key nutrients in vegetables. The healthier way to prepare vegetables is by cooking them quickly, such as steaming or sauteing them; the most nutritious way of all is by serving them raw.

When you are cooking, it is important to remember that a fresh ingredient is always better than a frozen or dried ingredient. You will save plenty of money by buying fresh vegetables and other ingredients, and your food will also taste more flavorful.

If you've made sauce, you should place any that is leftover in an ice tray and freeze it. Then, at a later date, it is a simple process to reheat the cubes on your stove top in a pan. The sauce will remain edible even after being in an ice tray.

Tofu and beans can serve as great sources of protein that can be easily added to any diet. Both can be found at any grocery store. Tofu can be pan-fried with some seasonings, and makes a tasty meat alternative. For a tasty bean dish, simply boil them with your favorite herbs.

Replace the standby liquids of milk and water in recipes to mix things up. Broth is a great substitute for water, and milk adds delicious flavor and extra nutrition to soups and stews. To replace milk, yogurt, sour cream and buttermilk can make good substitutes. Varying the liquids that are in your recipes is an excellent method of adding nutrition and variety to a dish.

As this article has discussed, cooking is revered by many as an excellent and enjoyable hobby. However, some people don't know where to start, in terms of picking the right recipes or using the proper techniques. Follow this article's advice and you will be on your way to cooking great food.