Healthy Cooking may seem to be a chore, but it is also an enjoyable hobby once you know the basics. Anyone can learn to cook when they have a good source of information to learn from. You will be able to use the information in the article below to create culinary masterpieces that you never thought possible.
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. Work your way through a few different recipes, but do not allow yourself to become discouraged during the learning process.
Healthy Cooking
Consider freezing your meat a bit so that it will be easier to slice. This procedure can be particular helpful when you are preparing Asian dishes. The knife can cut the partly frozen meat with less damage than if it were thawed. This is because the partially frozen meat fibers are not as easily stretched or torn. After you have sliced the meat, allow it to thaw out before healthy cooking. This keeps the meat healthy cooking evenly.
The quality of vegetables improves when cooked. If you slow cook vegetables they will lose nutritional value and taste. Using these techniques will mean putting healthier food on the table. So in summary, cook your vegetables for the shortest amount of time possible.
Do you enjoy flavoring your food with fresh basil? Gather a bunch and put it into a glass. Pour enough water in to cover up the stems. You can keep basil fresh for weeks on top of your kitchen counter this way. Change the water from time to time so that the basil grows roots. Cut it on occasion and your plant will continue to provide you with fresh basil for a long time to come.
Garlic is a popular ingredient that has one notable downside; its trademark scent transfers easily to your skin. If you have a stainless steel sink, simply rub your hands vigorously on the inside of it, when you are finished handling the garlic. This serves to both clean your hands thoroughly and prevent the odors from seeping into any other food you are going to handle.
Chicken Broth
When simmering or boiling vegetables, try adding chicken broth. Healthy Cooking vegetables in chicken broth is a low-fat, flavorful option. Broth can be found at nearly any grocery store, and is very inexpensive.
Want to add more protein to your diet? Consider incorporating beans and tofu! You can buy these in almost any grocery store. Pan fried tofu, lightly sprinkled with your favorite seasonings, is a delicious substitute to meat. Soak and cook the beans with herbs, seasonings, and bits of meat for a flavorful soup, burrito filling, dip or other protein-rich application.
When making a dish that needs to contain garlic, purchase the best and most fresh garlic you can. Fresh garlic is sweeter, while older cloves of garlic are more pungent. To choose the freshest garlic, keep away from any cloves that are bruised, soft or have skins that feel too firm.
When serving salads to guests, it is a good idea to leave the dressing on the side of the salad rather than on it. Amount and type of dressing are personal tastes, so let your guests dress their own salad. It is also a good idea to offer several dressing choices.
Keep your herbs and spices in a cool, dark place where they will stay fresh. Keeping herbs and spices in cabinets above the stove or other warm locations will cause them to lose their flavor.
Make sure you thoroughly clean your utensils before starting to cook. If there is any food left on the dish after you wash it, it could contaminate the next dish you use it in. Failure to clean utensils properly could also spread food borne illness.
Extra Flavor
Before chopping fresh herbs sprinkle some salt on the cutting board. Not only does this add a little extra flavor, it keeps the herbs you are chopping where you want them – on the board. Do not over-salt by making sure you don’t directly add any extra salt to the foods you’re preparing. The salt that is used on this board gives your herbs some extra flavor because it sticks to them.
Impress your family and friends with a simple sandwich just by carefully preparing it and presenting it in a great way. Sometimes, people who are rushed just plop some mayonnaise down on the bread and call it good. If you have the mayonnaise spread throughout the sandwich, every bite will taste amazing!
Although you may want to impress them with something fancy, never try a new recipe when healthy cooking for someone important. New or complex recipes will increase your stress level, and you can’t be sure how they may turn out. Make the meal a big hit by preparing dishes you have had great success with in the past.
Use beef or chicken stock as a substitute for water, in order to give extra flavor to a variety of dishes. As a simpler remedy, you could just mix bouillon cubes with water and make the recommended water amount. This way, the food will have the correct moisture content with an added flavor burst.
Use a potato with thick skin to obtain a suitable shell for dishes such as twice baked potatoes. Red potatoes have too thin a skin to hold a thicker filling.
When a recipe calls for the creaming of butter and sugar, soften the butter but do not melt it. If the butter is melted, put it in the refrigerator or freezer for a minute or two to stiffen it up. You could also put the entire cookie dough mixture in the refrigerator. If you chill your dough it will not spread out.
Healthy Cooking involves way more than throwing some food in front of your family. It can be a lot of fun to cook and completely delicious to try. You will have to spend some time learning and practicing, but you will do fine if you apply yourself. Use basic techniques to begin your journey to culinary success.