Every cook loves to learn new things about cooking. The same can be said about novice cooks. Cooking can be a chore sometimes, but more often, it can just be an enjoyable experience which culminates in a delicious meal. This article can add to your knowledge and joy of cooking.
Taste your food as you go along. One of the biggest mistakes a cook can make is to not taste their own food! You should know how it tastes before you serve it to your guests. If you taste it frequently as you go along, you will be able to correct any missteps that occur before there is too much damage to the dish.
Vegetables
If you are going on a picnic, put lettuce and other vegetables in separate containers from condiments. Condiments are not to make sandwiches soggy, so by separating them, you are ensuring your sandwich will taste fresh. Also, do not place any food items next to drinks inside of the basket.
Meats
You should separate your meat into usable portions before you freeze it. You can separate your meat and store the portions in sandwich bags. You can then place the sandwich bags inside of freezer bags. This will give you that ability to have your meats perfectly portioned and to be able to use the freezer bags over and over again.
Rice
If you are out of corn starch and need a thickener, you can get the same results from these substitutions. You can use an equal amount of potato starch, rice starch, or arrowroot; or you can use double the amount of all-purpose flour or instant tapioca.
Potato
If you have added too much salt to your soup, just add some celery or a potato. To reduce the saltiness of the liquid, add large slices of celery or thick chunks of potato. Taste every five minutes, and remove once they have soaked up the excess salt from the broth.
Bacon
For a make-ahead, grab-and-go breakfast, try breakfast burritos. On Sunday night cook up a pan of scrambled eggs and bacon. Use whole-wheat tortillas and fill them with the eggs, bacon, and top with cheese. Wrap in foil and refrigerate them and you will have breakfast ready for the whole family through Wednesday!
As stated at the beginning of the article, cooking is a joy whether you are experienced or just beginning. A good cook is always learning new things and experimenting. By reading this article and adding to your repertoire of cooking skills, you also add to your enjoyment of a meal that is well done.