1. Take the guesswork out of reducing liquids. When a recipe calls for you to cook until the liquid is reduced by a certain amount, dip the handle of a wooden spoon into the liquid to mark the depth. This will leave a line on the wooden spoon. Later, you can dip the spoon again to see how much the liquid has actually reduced.
2. When it comes to cooking, you may wish to consider buying an expensive knife set. While it may seem like a lot of money for knives at first, you will be extremely happy with how they work and cause you to want to cook more often that you currently do. High quality knifes are a necessity in the kitchen.
3. Braise meat, cook it at a low temperature for a long period of time. By doing it this way, the meat will stay tender and it will retain its juiciness, which in turns, leaves the meat tasting good. Cooking it a high temperature can dry the meat out.
4. When cooking for someone special, do not try a recipe that you have never tried before. Because you are trying to impress this person, you want to make sure you make a satisfying meal. Try something you are very familiar with, and make sure you have all the ingredients you need to make it. Or better yet, try a test run.
5. Stir fry is the perfect dish for inexperienced cooks – or for anyone who just wants to make something quick. Stir fry is simple to make. It isn’t even necessary to follow the recipe. Start with the meat or vegetables that will take the longest to cook. If you mess up while making stir fry, you can almost always fix your mistake without losing anything.
6. When heating oil on the stove top to use for frying, use a low setting and slowly turn the burner up to reach the desired temperature. Most foods do not require much more than 350 degrees, for the oil to fry it to a nice golden brown and not end up burnt to a crisp on the outside, while raw on the inside. If you crank the temperature setting knob to its highest point, you not only run the risk of spattering and burning yourself, as well as the food you are trying to fry, but you are also wasting time while you wait for the oil to cool down enough to use. Oil heats up quickly, but it is very slow to cool down, once it has gotten too hot.
7. Learn how to cook on a grill. I prefer to cook on a grill verses a stove. Over the years I have mastered the grill. My tip is to never over cook meat. You can always toss the meat back on the grill is it is not cooked perfect. However, if you over cook your meat you will have shoe leather : )
There is no doubt that cooking is a difficult skill to master. So take your time, and do not be discouraged by minor setbacks. Practice and eventually you will get it perfect. – Dawn
Tennessee Home Loans With Dawn 