Have You Always Want To Learn How To Cook?

Maybe you have tried cooking before with the result of burnt, unrecognizable food or maybe, you simply dont have the patience to wait on a slow cooker to cook your meals. Do not give up on cooking! Below are some tips to help you make a variety delicious meals to share with family and friends!

When making a stir-fry meal, meat should always be thinly sliced, and cut on the bias. It may be difficult to do. Take the meat out of the freezer when its firm to the touch, and slice across the grain at an angle of 45 degrees.

Try to plan for a weeks worth of meals. If you can get in the habit of planning a weekly menu, it will save time on grocery shopping, and will reduce the stress of having to come up with a meal idea at the last minute. Also, keep a magnet-backed notepad on the refrigerator, and jot down any items that you are running low on. This way, your kitchen will always be stocked with the ingredients that you use regularly.

Substitute Greek yogurt for mayonnaise in creamy salad dressings. If you are on a diet or just trying to eat healthy, you can still make creamy salad dressings with healthy ingredients. Just substitute the mayonnaise in them with a low-fat Greek-style yogurt. This will make the dressing much healthier.

To prepare for the meal that you are going to cook, make a comprehensive list of everything that you are going to need to cook your meal when you go to the supermarket. This will allow you to stay as organized as possible so there is no part of your meal that you leave out.

Keep a potato masher in your kitchen at all times. This useful device can be used to mash more than just your typical potatoes. Try mashing carrots, cauliflower, and other root vegetables. You can mix any of these in to your usual mashed potatoes to make them more vibrant, nutritious, and interesting.

If you plan to let your chicken sit in the oven for a while after it is baked, then subtract a few minutes from its baking time. Since chicken continues to bake even after it is taken away from a heat source, it can dry out quickly in an oven that is still hot.

Will you be making a meal using fresh basil? Gather a small bunch of freshly cut basil and place it in a glass. Make sure the the stems are completely covered with water. You can keep it on the kitchen counter for several weeks. If you replace the basils water enough, the basil can grow roots while in the water. Trim your basil plants back a bit to encourage new growth, and keep enjoying your basil for a long time.

Nutrition

Try to add some broths or other ingredients to recipes that call for liquid in place of what it asks for. For instance, you can use broth, stock, juice or a bit of wine to replace the water in a recipe. You can try out buttermilk, yogurt or sour cream instead of milk. Using different liquids can add nutritional content to certain dishes and improve their flavor.

To preserve more of the nutritional value of your vegetables dont cook them for too long. As you cook a vegetable, its nutrient content diminishes. Good techniques for quickly cooking vegetables are steaming and stir-frying. Slow cooking has its place, but dont neglect the quicker techniques with their greater nutrition.

Whether youre trying to make fancy dishes for the holidays or quick, economic meals for you and your family, the tips above will help you brush up on your cooking skills so you can make delicious meals! There are millions of recipes from every culture for you to try, so start cooking today!