Learn How to be a Good Cook with these Simple Tips

Would you like to plan a family feast, have a picnic or throw a dinner party but you really don’t have a clue as to where you should begin?  Read this article and you will find plenty of fancy tips and simple clues that will have you rearing to get into your kitchen in order to cook up a storm.

If you are planning on cooking a big meal you can make it a lot easier on yourself by doing most if not all of the prep work the day or the night before the meal.  For example, if you plan on having a salad you can easily make it the night before.  This way you’ll be able to focus on cooking on the day of the event.

When you cook meat don’t ever turn it over with a fork.  Instead use a spatula or a pair of tongs.  The reason you shouldn’t use a fork is because it will pierce the meat.  Once you do this the juices will run out and the meat will end up being dry.

You should always slice meats against the grain in order to get the best texture and to enjoy the best tactile sensations while you’re eating.  When you slice against the grain you will cut through the muscle fibers.  This will result in more tender slices of meat.

Conversely, when you slice meat with the grain it ends up being overly tough and much too chewy.  Slicing against grain is also a good method to use when slicing chicken and turkey.  However, steaks, pork roasts, beef, chops and loins tend to get the most benefit from this approach.

If you plan to serve wine a general rule of thumb is that white wines should be served with fowl, fish and pork and red wines should be served with red meat.  In order to keep your wines always chilled to the correct temperature you can store them in a built in wine refrigerator in your home.

Have you ever noticed that when you clean shrimp or fish it’s a pretty messy task that keeps your hands smelling rather distinctively for at least a day or two?  Here’s an effective and easy way for you to remove the smell:  take a couple of fresh strawberries and squish them between your fingers for several minutes.  Then rinse your hands with soapy water.  Do this and the offensive smell will instantly disappear.

If you ever have too many people over for breakfast or brunch and find that you have too few eggs you can make scrambled eggs and stretch them by adding bread crumbs.  If you add seasoned bread crumbs you will be able to feed more people with a dish whose flavor has been enhanced by the bread crumb seasoning.

People sometimes get sick from melons that are not fresh.  You can check to make sure that a melon has not gone bad by feeling the part of the melon that was once connected with the vine.  If it’s soft then the melon is still fresh and it should be good.

In order to make sure that you don’t overcook a meal you should taste it at different points in the cooking process.  This will allow you to know exactly when the food is done.

While cooking is one thing, cleaning up is a whole other game.  Here’s an easy way to easily remove baked on food from your dishes.  First, scrape off all of the loose food.  Next, put a few drops of dishwashing soap or dishwasher detergent in the dish.  Add boiling water and stir the solution.  Let it stand overnight.  When you awaken the next morning you’ll find that the food that was baked on will have been lifted off the plates.  You’ll find this method is extremely effective on glass baking dishes.

Well, there you have it – a handful of tips that can help to turn even an inexperienced cook into a well appreciated chef.