Nutrition experts often recommend cooking at home. However, there is a learning curve when it comes to preparing food. Whether you’re a hesitant beginner or a professional chef, you’ll likely appreciate new cooking tips. Fortunately, you don’t need culinary school or expensive equipment.
Here are the best cooking tips and tricks.
1. Cut Veggies Smarter
Cutting vegetables can be a time-consuming endeavor, but it’s pretty easy to chop them into perfect pieces. The most important tip is always to make sure your cutting board won’t slip.
There are many different cuts, including the Julienne cut. The Julienne technique allows you to cut vegetables into long pieces. Each piece is a version of a basic stick or oblong shape. You can use a paring knife to cut into the stems attached to the stalk. This type of cut also makes the finished meal look attractive.
2. Use Salt
Salt boosts flavor in soups, stews, and sauces. Likewise, we’re taught that salt draws out moisture from the meat. But it turns out that tackling the inexact science of salt is not easy.
Poaching eggs over salted water helps make the egg fresh. The salt helps to break down the tissue, and it also migrates into the yolk, seasoning it throughout. At the same time, many people use kosher salt because it has a lower salinity. Additionally, kosher salt dissolves fast, and its flavor disperses quickly.
3. Cook With the Right Oils
Not all oils are created equal. Different oils fill different needs — for health and cooking. Additionally, all oils have different tastes.
The best oils for cooking are those that are relatively low in both saturated and unsaturated fats. Generally, olive oil and canola oil are healthful for cooking with. Olive oils are rich in unsaturated fats and are the more healthful type of fat. For a healthy lifestyle, it is best to be picky about which fats you consume.
4. Preserve Your Spices
Spices add a pop of flavor to your favorite meals, but many people still store spices carelessly. Many of us keep heaps of spices on hand in the kitchen. That’s because spices are some of the longest-lasting ingredients you can have in your kitchen. However, heat, humidity, air, and sunlight all have detrimental effects. To get the most out of your spices, use clever ways to store and arrange your spices.
Spices are best preserved if stored away from any direct heat sources. Small jars work very well for spices due to their airtight structure. Remember to store the spice jars away from heat and moisture.
5. Use Smart Appliances
Technology keeps getting smarter and more versatile. With the right intelligent kitchen appliances, you can improve your recipes and speed up the kitchen work.
There are many smart kitchen and laundry units with iOS-compatible apps. These apps are further categorized based on security. That’s because hackers are targeting any intelligent devices, including connected kitchen units.
6. Learn How to Sharpen Your Knives
Knives are essential tools in every kitchen. Dull knives are dangerous because they require more force to cut through food. Additionally, keeping a sharp edge on your blade is essential for your safety.
One of the best ways to sharpen a knife is with a whetstone. That’s because a whetstone is safe and easy to use. Start off on the rough grit side of the stone. Next, drag the heel of the knife down the whetstone towards you. Alternatively, you can go straight to the fine-grind side. You can also use hones or any other freehand techniques.
7. Clean As You Go
You love cooking in your very own kitchen. However, your kitchen can quickly become dirty– especially when you leave it uncleaned for long periods. Cleaning up the kitchen is part of cooking.
Pick the time of day that works best for you. On that material day, start by removing coffee stains from china cups. The secret to making oven cleaning easy is to combine the lemons’ power and your oven to exterminate flies. Alternatively, you can coat the inside of your oven with a mixture of baking soda. Finally, wash down your countertop, appliances, and sink.
8. Thoroughly Dehydrate All Meats Before Cooking
The act of dehydrating meat for preservation is as old as humankind. Meat can be preserved by smoke, freeze-dried, or dehydrated. Dehydrating is a way of preserving food by removing its water content. It removes enough moisture from food to prevent the growth of bacteria. Additionally, it makes it convenient to take on long trips.
Dehydrating meat will preserve it for several years. You can dry any raw meat (beef and poultry) or canned. You also have to place your dehydrated meat in a safe place.
Most dehydrated food recipes require a dehydrator—pre-heat dehydrator to 155-160 degrees F for 30 minutes. Then spread the meat sparingly over trays and dry at 140 degrees F.
Getting Started
Becoming a better cook can be a simple task. Memorize these tips, and your next meal will be a delicious success.