A lot of people consider healthy cooking to be tedious. This article will provide you with some creative culinary tips that will make your time in the kitchen more enjoyable.
If you are baking crusts for a pie or tart, you will probably need to bake them for a while longer than you thought. Go past the usual pale tan color and take them to a caramel gold. This color means that the sugar has caramelized within the pie crust and will have a crunchy and sweet flavor.
Always keep your spices away from light in a cool place. Storing them out exposes them to light, excessive heat and humidity, which can reduce their shelf life. Spices last longer and taste better when stored in cool, dark locations. You can prepare tastier meals if you use fresher spices.
Have you ever had feelings of guilt when you have thrown away rotten fruit? Is it a good practice to save them by cutting out the rotten, moldy part? It is not possible to save rotting fruit. In fact it is best to throw away the fruit. Mold can grow much deeper than the eye can see, and eating it could potentially make you very ill.
For crispier French fries, you should chill the peeled potatoes in water for 30 minutes or more before frying them. By leaving the potatoes to soak up cold water, the fibers are reinforced. This makes it so when you fry them, they’ll withstand the heat better and won’t break down completely.
You can reduce the fat and calorie content of regular mashed potatoes by substituting part of the potatoes with mashed cauliflower. This won’t affect the taste but it adds a handful of nutrition. Cauliflower does not have a strong taste and will be virtually undetectable when mixed with the potatoes and other ingredients. Cauliflowers look very similar to potatoes in texture and color when they are mashed. It will allow you to have a delicious side dish that is healthier and still flavorful.
You can also use this seasoning on foods other than meat. It can spice up snack foods such as roasted pumpkin seeds, or provide a little zing to your breakfast menu when used on your morning eggs. No one will know how you made that tasty food!
If burgers get stuck to the grill, it will be difficult to flip them without mangling them in the process. The way to prevent this is to coat the grill with some vegetable oil prior to putting any food on the grill.
Preparing healthy vegetables can be easy if you choose to saute them in chicken broth. The broth adds flavor to them, while reducing oil that is usually used for sauteing. This is a tasty way to cook your veggies.
If you are trying to cook pumpkins, cut it exactly in half from top to bottom. Place each half of the pumpkin on two separate baking sheets with the cut side facing down. Sprinkle the baking sheet with water, and bake the pumpkin for an hour at 350 degrees.
If you have a recipe that requires water or milk, you can change out the liquids to create a whole new flavor. Try adding some stock instead of water, or even the water your cooked veggies in. To replace milk, yogurt, sour cream and buttermilk can make good substitutes. By using different liquid ingredients in your side dishes, you can increase their flavor and nutritional value.
If you’re feeling stressed at the idea of making dinner for the family, consider doing much of the prep work the evening before healthy cooking. The night before the big day, prepare a sauce, marinate meat or chopping up and measuring out vegetables and herbs. With far less work left, you’ll be eager to pick up where you left off at dinner time.
Cutting Board
There are many herbs that have a strong smell that will stay on your cutting board. Mark one end, or side, of each cutting board so that you know which is which.
Put your fresh herbs together in a bunch and use kitchen shears to cut them all at once. This will prevent them from clumping together and they will be drier than when you chop them.
Macaroni and cheese can take on many forms and varieties, but you’ll get the best results by simply following the instructions on the box. The macaroni will be cooked just right and the creamy goodness of the cheese melting everywhere will be a crowd-pleaser. To serve the macaroni and cheese, a solid faced spoon works just fine. You can add more flavor to your dish with pepper, a spoonful of mustard, or additional cheese.
Homemade stock adds lots of flavor. Made in large batches, it’s easy to store in the freezer, if you use resealable plastic bags. By making the stock in bulk, there will always be some available for your soups and other dishes. In creating your own stock at home, you are assured that it isn’t loaded with preservatives.
Wait a few minutes before you serve a meal to allow the food to sit for a bit. A lot of people aren’t aware that flavors will improve if a meal can rest a bit before being served. We are inclined to serve meat and other foods as soon as they are cooked. But if you do, you miss out on the full flavors of the dish. Always wait a awhile before eating your meal; allow it to cool slightly before digging in.
This article has shown you that there are a multiple techniques which make healthy cooking exciting and enjoyable. By following the tips presented above, your time in the kitchen can be a creative, joyful experience.