Few things are more enjoyable than sitting down to a well-cooked meal at home. Few things are more a...

1. Basic And Easy Ways To Prepare Excellent Meals
Few things are more enjoyable than sitting down to a well-cooked meal at home. Few things are
more appreciated. Here are some tips to help you raise your game a level in cooking. You will find
tips here on technique, ingredients, cookware, ethnic dishes, time-saving methods and much more.
Bon apetit!
When seasoning your food, remember that it is much easier to add more seasoning if needed, but
you cannot take it away if you add too much. That is why it's important to go light when seasoning
with herbs and spices. You want to compliment the flavors of the food and not overpower them.
Ensure that your baked fish is moist and tender by cooking "en papillote". This is a French technique
that refers to fish baked in a parchment-paper packet. Place the fish and vegetables of your choice in
the center of a large piece of parchment-paper. Bring the edges of the paper together, crease them
tightly to form a seal, and bake for 10 to 15 minutes at 450 degrees. The fish and vegetables steam
in the packet, keeping them moist and tender, and creating a tasty, healthy dish. (Clean-up is just as
easy - simply throw away the paper after eating!)
If you feel that a piece of food you are about to cook does not look right or may be rotten, always
error on the side of caution and throw it away. It is better to lose a few dollars than to cost yourself
the next couple of weeks from food poisoning.
Meat can easily be sliced into thin strips if it is partially frozen. This is great to do when you need to
slice meat thinly for Chinese or Thai meals. By partially freezing meat ingredients, slicing is cleaner
and the fibers do not stretch and tear as easily. After slicing the meat, allow it to completely thaw to
ensure that it cooks evenly.
Layered bar cookies, fudge and chewy brownies often fall apart or get torn up from trying to evenly
cut them into squares. A good rotary pizza cutter can be used to accomplish this task without
worrying about a sharp knife slipping and causing an injury. Make some light guidelines in your food
with the tip of a knife first and follow up with the pizza cutter for perfectly cut bars, brownies and
fudge every time.
Add salt and horseradish to your foods if you want to instill more flavor and add spice to each of your
meals during the day. These ingredients are found everywhere and are very inexpensive, allowing
you to maximize your level of taste with very minimal expenses. You can Improve the flavor of many
foods with these ingredients.

2. Make sure to prepare your dishes the night before. Create marinades and allow your meat to sit in
the refrigerator overnight. By doing most of the prep the night before, you make a delicious tasting
meal. You also lower the amount of stress when making the meal before your guests arrive.
Don't use prepared seasoning mixes when you cook, especially if you have high blood pressure.
These mixes often have a high sodium content. Instead, use fresh herbs and spices, or make sure you
choose a low-salt mix. For more flavor, try adding lemon or lime zest or a few chili peppers to your
meal.
When cutting corn kernels on the cob, try this tip: Use the side of the knife that is not sharp to
scrape the cob. This will extract the excess http://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/ace-of-cakes.html/
sweet juices from the cob, which can be applied to your corn dish and add a hidden burst of flavor to
it, creating a new taste to the dish.
Avoid dry sandwiches by making sure the spread reaches every corner of the bread. Whether its
mayonnaise or a cucumber cream cheese spread, it rids the sandwich of the dry taste of bread, meat
and cheese. A quick dollop in the middle leaves only a well moisturized middle and less flavored and
prepared edges.
If you are a big fan of having baked potatoes with your meal but do not like the long cooking time,
you should soak them in salt water for twenty minutes before you bake them. They will take only
about half of the usual time to bake after being soaked.
Put food into a hot pan instead of trying to cook it while the pan is still cold. The pan should already
be at the desired temperature before you start cooking. This will ensure that the food is cooked
evenly and thoroughly. You want to see the steam rising off the pan when you start cooking.
If you are a big fan of having baked potatoes with your meal but do not like the long cooking time,
you should soak them in salt water for twenty minutes before you bake them. They will take only
about half of the usual time to bake after being soaked.
Carrots are a tasty and inexpensive staple that can be used in many ways. Raw carrots pastry pro
cut into strips of convenient sizes are great snacks and popular with many kids, but can also be
baked in popular dishes like carrot cakes, tossed into salads, or blanched and glazed with honey.

3. Taking on cooking is a great way to make yourself feel better about your food choices. You can see
what you put into a dish and then be rewarded by the tastes and flavors you've tailored to you
specifications. Getting a few recipes from close family members or magazines are great places to
start.
When food is being sauteed, make the pan is not overloaded. Excessive moisture can steam food,
instead of actually sauteing it. This should also be done at a lower temperature.
Add a roll of sausage to your cabbage for a particularly tasty meal. Cut up a cabbage into bite sized
pieces, cover with water, and put it on the stove to boil. While your cabbage is boiling brown some
sausage in a skillet. Drain off the excess grease then pour the sausage into your cabbage. Cook until
the cabbage is tender.
As stated before, you must know how to cook food if you like to eat food. Although not everyone
knows how to cook food, it is easy to learn. If you follow the tips found in this article, then you can
know how to cook to feed your hunger needs.