Cook Great Food Like Your Mama Used To Do
Whether you are living away from home for the first time or have been out of the nest for years, you no doubt yearn every now and then for the home-cooking that you so fondly remember. Learning to prepare hearty, home cooked meals starts with some simple tips and tricks, and this article has some for you.
If you use baking mix to make biscuits, replace the milk with a half cup of sour cream and a half cup of lemon lime soda to every 2 cups of baking mix. The biscuits will have a slightly sweet flavor and an extra-rich texture, and they make excellent vehicles for breakfast sandwiches.
To get perfectly cooked salmon that is not too dry, remove it from heat when the fish is opaque and it flakes if you press gently with the back of a fork or spoon. Salmon dries out quickly and is easy to overcook, and because it stays pink, color is not an accurate indication of doneness.
If you can’t purchase fresh legumes, commonly called beans, your options are dried or canned servings. However, canned beans will contain extra salt and is never desirable. To reduce the salt in canned legumes, just rinse with cold water to wash away preservatives and salt. Be sure to read the instructions on the dried legumes so that they will reconstitute back to their original plumpness.
After you have cooked your favorite pasta, grate fresh Parmesan or Romano cheese on it while it’s still hot and then toss it into your sauce. This will not only act as a great thickening agent, but it will also give the sauce something that it can really stick to.
Avoid lumpy gravy! Don’t make the mistake of getting ready to serve the gravy, only to discover it’s full of lumps. Simply pour the gravy through a fine strainer and reheat if necessary. To avoid lumps in the first place, slow down the cooking process – you are probably adding the liquid too quickly and the heat may be too high. Always remember to whisk the gravy constantly while it is cooking.
Instead of rinsing fresh mushrooms under water, wipe them with a damp paper towel or a mushroom brush. Mushrooms already contain a high water content, and their porous flesh will absorb even more if you run them under the faucet. Wiping them gently removes the dirt while preventing sogginess or sliminess.
Try cooking your favorite baked casseroles in muffin tins. Not only will you have individually-sized servings, but each person can have some of the crispy, brown edge pieces. As a bonus, the casserole freezes well in these portion-sized pieces, so you can pull out leftovers for lunches and thaw them more quickly.
Rather than pouring out leftover wine, pour it into an ice cube tray, then place the wine cubes in a labeled bag in the freezer. You can add these cubes to sauces, roasts, soups and other dishes for extra flavor, and wine that you don’t drink fast enough doesn’t go to waste.
If you want to preserve fresh basil longer, keep the stems in water and store it at room temperature. This will considerably extend the usability time of the herb, preserving the taste and saving you money in the long run. You can do this with other fresh herbs as well.
When making your own whipped cream, store the mixing bowl and beaters you plan to use in the fridge for 30 minutes or so before whipping the heavy cream. Your whipped cream will have stiffer peaks and a better overall consistency than starting with warm or room temperature utensils.
Cooking should seem a little less challenging now that you have read the information in the article. It is important to give cooking a try and to realize that any dish can be made to be a masterpiece with just a little bit of know how and a lot of heart from the cook.
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