Do you ever find yourself wishing that you could recreate a favorite restaurant dish? Perhaps you have even tried to recreate the dish at home. Here are some pointers that may not make you a master chef right away, but can guide you toward creating meals to be proud of. Healthy Cooking can be a rewarding hobby for nearly anyone.

If you would like to start healthy cooking more food on your own, take a trip to a local library or bookstore where you can find many cookbooks with recipes you can enjoy making at home. Try making three or four of the recipes that appeal to you the most, and give yourself plenty of time to perfect your newly acquired skill.

Golden Color

When baking crust for pie or tarts, leave them in the oven to bake a little longer than you planned. The crust should turn a golden color, not simple blonde. When you see the golden color it indicates carmelization, which lends a crisp, sweet flavor to the pie crust.

There is something you can do to rescue your sauce and use it as planned. Put some corn starch into water and mix it in your sauce. Then, stir the resulting solution with the sauce to thicken it. However, it is important that the sauce is stirred often while the mixture is being added so as to stop it becoming too thick.

Making a meal for someone important, such as a romantic partner or a boss, is not the time to experiment with new dishes. Stay away from using new ingredients, or a new recipe. This will help you feel less stressed when preparing your meal.

For crispier French fries, put raw potatoes into cold water and let them sit there for about half an hour before frying. Vegetables fibers can breakdown under high heat conditions. Soaking reinforces these fibers to produce better results.

If you are looking for a nutritionally beneficial way to cook your vegetables, try sauteing them in a small amount of chicken broth. Broth will flavor the vegetables, and less oil will be needed to saute them. Do this and you will find that your vegetables are delicious and easy to prepare.

You should read the labels when you are buying ingredients for a recipe. Unwanted additives are sometimes placed in many healthy cooking staples, and this may be unhealthy. Make sure the ingredients you get don’t contain too much sugar or sodium, because each may account for certain health problems if overused.

Healthy Cooking

When certain recipes call for milk or water, try adding some other liquids that you would see fit to experiment with flavors. For example, you might try chicken broth or beef broth instead of water in a meat dish. You might even try fruit juice when healthy cooking certain veggies. As an alternative to milk, try using thinned sour cream, yogurt, soy milk or buttermilk. Using liquid substitutions in your healthy cooking can increase nutrition and give a standby dish a new flavor.

When making a dish that needs to contain garlic, purchase the best and most fresh garlic you can. A rule of thumb for garlic: Fresher means sweeter. If garlic isn’t fresh, it will be shriveled and soft.

Many popular veggies and herbs have a strong residual odor that can remain on cutting boards well after use. Get two different cutting boards or mark one side of your board and make sure you use it for certain ingredients only.

You should let your meat rest prior to serving. Many home cooks do not realize how important it is to let the meal rest. It is highly tempting to serve the food as soon as you take it off the grill. If you serve immediately off the grill, you will lose most of the juices in meat when you cut into it. Always wait a awhile before eating your meal; allow it to cool slightly before digging in.

Prepare the meal the night before to reduce any stress when you’re going to have a complicated meal. Use this time to gather all needed ingredients, chop veggies and measure seasonings. Make sure you have everything you need. This way, you won’t have to do the tedious tasks when you are ready to cook.

Pasta Salted

Use salt liberally in the water used to cook pasta. This allows the salt to be absorbed by the pasta. Pasta salted during healthy cooking tastes better than pasta salted after the fact.

If you plan on using raw onions in your salsa, rinse them with cold water after dicing and then proceed to blot them dry. If you use fresh onions, they are going to release a sulfurous gas. Fresh salsa can be ruined by this type of gas. Rinsing the onions with cold water removes this gas.

When sauteing, don’t put too much into the pan. This will create extra moisture that will act to steam the food rather than adding that crispness that comes from sauteing. Saute at a lower temperature as well.

Cutting Board

Proper care for a wood cutting board. To keep your wooden cutting board in top shape, avoid exposing it to excess moisture. If you have to clean your cutting board, use a sponge rather than immersing it in soapy water. You can find oil designed for cutting boards to maintain yours. Make sure it is completely dry before you use it.

Don’t try out a new recipe on important guests or a special occasion. New or complex recipes will increase your stress level, and you can’t be sure how they may turn out. Please them by healthy cooking a recipe you are familiar with, and can cook very well.

If you’ve followed the tips in this article your healthy cooking skills should be much improved. Think of new and innovative recipes and techniques that will make your meals fit for a gourmet. With such a wide range of food out there, the possibilities are endless.