Spice Up Your Life With These Cooking Tips

With just a little knowledge, anyone can learn to cook. Are you able to follow the steps in a recipe and buy all of the ingredients that are listed? Do you have access to basic cooking equipment? That's all you need for cooking. Follow the tips below for great advice on how to skyrocket your culinary skills and make fabulous, effortless, delicious meals.

In order to get the most out of your selection of spices, you should store them out of the light and heat. If you leave them out somewhere, you will expose them to light, wetness, and heat, and it could ruin them. Always keep your spices in a dark and cool location to extend their longevity. If you use fresh spices, your food will taste better.

To add oil to food already cooking in a skillet, carefully pour it along the sides of the hot pan so that it has a chance to heat through before touching the food. This will help to maximize the flavor of your food when you are done.

Do not throw away the product of your hard work. In a bowl, combine 2 tablespoons' worth of water with 1 of corn starch. Stir the solution into the simmering thin sauce to make it thicker. Don't add all the starch at once, and avoid stirring erratically. Either of these could over-thicken the sauce.

Try adding cauliflower to your mashed potatoes to lower the fat content. Cauliflower blends perfectly with your potatoes without changing the taste of your mashed potatoes. Cauliflower also matches the color and texture of the potatoes. This is a great way to add veggies and eliminate calories from a favorite dish.

If you've made a big pot of sauce, freeze the leftovers by pouring the extra sauce into ice cube trays. Take them out to use on another night when you'd like a no hassle home cooked meal. Simply reheat the sauce cubes slowly in a medium pan on your stove top. Nothing to worry about as the sauce will be fine even after it's been sitting in ice cube trays.

Always begin your cooking with utensils that are spotlessly clean. If there is food leftover after washing, this could ruin whatever you are going to cook. This could lead to problems from bacteria being spread.

When cooking with fresh herbs like parsley or dill, bunch them together and cut them with a pair of scissors. They will be light and fluffy, and won't have the wetness that chopping would give them.

Macaroni and cheese should be cooked with careful attention to the instructions. The macaroni cooks perfectly when you do this and is nothing short of spectacular after the nice, creamy, melted cheese is poured over the noodles. Use a solid face spoon when you serve to make sure you get plenty of cheese scooped up with the macaroni. You can add more flavor to your dish with pepper, a spoonful of mustard, or additional cheese.

Cooking can be skill, a hobby, and a profession. There are millions of ways to prepare food, and the best way to learn new cooking skills is to take advice from people who are good at what they do. Use these tips and see how successful you can be in the kitchen.