If cooking appeals to you but you are a beginner, today we want to share this essential tricks and recommendations for in the kitchen.
Use them and they will help you perfect your technique.
1. Fresh ingredients
You can also use frozen ingredients, although they may lose texture and flavor. They can be defrosted slowly in the refrigerator or using the microwave’s defrost function, but never at room temperature.
2. Keep spices away from heat
It’s better to store them in a nearby cupboard where steam from cooking and heat from the stove cannot reach them. This way they will last longer and have a better flavor.
3. Try your dishes while you cook them
Without doubt, it is best to try a little of the stock, sauce or preparation while it is cooking. It is best to begin with a bland dish and season it than to add too much salt.
4. Use healthy fats; extra virgin olive oil is best.
We often use more than is really necessary, but you can cook with much less. Take care that the olive oil does not burn and give off white smoke.
5. Chopped garlic burns quickly
When you are making a stir fry or the base for any dish, don’t add the chopped garlic first, because it will end up burning. First add the onion, leek, carrots, peppers, etc., and the garlic afterwards, before adding liquids.
6. For vegetables to brown, they don’t have to be constantly stirred
If you want al dente vegetables, golden on the outside but still crisp and maintaining their color, cook them on a higher heat, stirring them occasionally, but leaving them in contact with the pan.
7. Vary the cooking methods that you use
Don’t boil and grill everything: roast, braise, grill, stir fry, microwave, steam, sauté, or stew, for example. When you cook something in the oven, cover the tray with baking parchment so that it does not stick and so that you don’t need to add more fat than necessary.
8. Marinate in advance
A good option is to leave foods marinating before going to work. This way, when you get home, you will only have to grill it.
9. Leave to cool before cutting, especially with cakes.
Once cool, you can cut and serve them, and they will have a much better texture.
10. Clean and tidy up as you prepare your dishes
Because cooking is fun but cleaning up isn’t.
For example, when you cut one kind of vegetable on the chopping board, wipe it with a clean, wet cloth, and also clean the countertop in case any pieces have fallen on it. When you are finished with the chopping board and knife, wash them right away. Do the same with the bowls and utensils you have used. This way, afterwards you will only have to wash the plates you used for serving and the pot, pan or oven dish you used for cooking.