Cooking 101: How To Cook Like A Pro

Many people want to learn how to cook delicious meals, but doing this can be pretty difficult for new beginners. Since cooking skills are based on experience, the more you practice the better you will get. Here in this article are some tips for beginners that can help you get started and avoid common mistakes.

Use a tried and tested recipe when entertaining. When you have guests over for a meal, always prepare something tasty that you have made before. This is not the time to test a new recipe as it could turn out to be a disaster! Also, remember to find out if your guests have any dietary requirements or allergies, or if they simply dont like a certain kind of food. This will ensure that your evening is a success.

Add oil to the side of the pan when you are cooking with it. The oil will then already be heated when it comes to the center of the pan. Your food will taste better, and you will not have a lull in the cooking process waiting for the oil to heat up.

Do not be afraid to experiment. There is no rule that says you need to follow a recipe exactly. If you do not care for an ingredient, leave it out. If you think a different ingredient would taste better, substitute it. If you think the dish is missing a little something, add it.

When it comes to cooking a good habit to do after preparing garlic is to rub your hands on the stainless steel sink vigorously for about 30 seconds. This will remove the unwanted odor from your hands. Washing them less than 30 seconds will not take all the odor away.

Do you experience a guilty twinge when you pitch out rotten fruit? Are you tempted to just cut off the moldy part and save the rest for your meal? It is impossible for you to save fruit that has already begun to rot. The mold and spoilage that you can see is only part of the problem with marginal-looking fruit; even the parts that appear pristine can be unsafe to eat.

One fun part of learning to cook is showing off your new-found skills. If you are cooking for someone special, though, leave the experimentation for another day. Do not try new recipes or new ingredients (or, worse, both at the same time) when you are cooking a meal for someone you really want to impress.

Planning out meals for the coming week can save you both time and money. You can buy all of the things you will need beforehand without having to make spontaneous trips to the store during the middle of a busy week. You can have a planned schedule and it will make it easy for you to prepare things before you actually cook.

Nutrition

If you have a recipe that requires water or milk, you can change out the liquids to create a whole new flavor. For example, you might try chicken broth or beef broth instead of water in a meat dish. You might even try fruit juice when cooking certain veggies. Try to use buttermilk, yogurt, or sour cream in place of milk. Varying the liquids that are in your recipes is an excellent method of adding nutrition and variety to a dish.

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.

Becoming a great cook is no easy feat. It takes a lot of time and effort, not to mention sometimes making a mess. But these tips can give you valuable advice that others learn through painful mistakes. If you follow these tips, making healthy, delicious meals will be simple and easy.