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Simple tips for improving your cooking skills

ByCourtney M. Wolf

Jul 3, 2021 #cooking, #improving, #Simple, #skills, #tips

Simple tips for improving your cooking skills

Love cooking? It’s a great skill to have, not to mention a necessary one for day-to-day life!

As with any other skill or interest, you’ll want to get it right, whether that’s to save money, impress your friends, keep you and your family healthy, or all three.

Take a look through these tips, inspired by Book Culinary Vacations, to discover some great ways to improve your cooking output.

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Don’t overcook vegetables

Not only does overcooking vegetables take a very long time, it can also remove all the nutrients. You would be better off eating them raw!

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Make soup with leftover bread

If you buy fresh bread and it starts to go hard, don’t throw it away. It can be softened and consumed safely by putting it into a soup with vegetables.

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Three is the magic number

Don’t over complicate dishes by including too many ingredients. Three main components should be sufficient for a great dish.

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Get the temperature right for frying fish

The best way to ensure that fish is fried to perfection is to briefly keep the fish at room temperature before frying. You’ll also want to preheat the oil in the pan.

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Microwave lemons

If you soften lemons in the microwave for 20 seconds before squeezing them, they will produce more juice!

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Use a ceramic knife

Not only is it faster to use a ceramic knife, you will also prevent vegetables from oxidizing as quickly as they would if cut with a metal knife.

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The usefulness of citrus juice

Avocados can oxidize extremely quickly, which makes them look very unappealing. This can be avoided by adding citrus juice to them.

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Think before you throw

Over-salting food is an easy mistake to make, and it can completely ruin a dish. However, rather than trashing it, try adding some vinegar and sugar to balance the flavors.

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Retain the fat from meat

Not only can meat fat provide a great base for stocks and sauces, it is highly economical and environmentally friendly to reduce waste.

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Don’t bother soaking beans

Soaking beans, chickpeas etc., is a reasonably effective way of softening them, but it takes hours and is unnecessary. Just increase the cooking temperature and save yourself some time!

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Freeze bread

A great way to save money and reduce waste is to freeze bread. It doesn’t impair the flavor and it defrosts very quickly.

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Make your own salad dressings

Don’t waste money on over-priced pre-packaged salad dressings. Get a tastier, healthier alternative by making your own with simple ingredients.

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Onion powder

Peeling and slicing onions can be very time-consuming. If you want to save time, you can replace them with onion powder, which has the same flavor.

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Freeze tofu

Not only will freezing tofu keep it fresh for much longer, it can be easier to cut after it has been frozen because a lot of the excess water will be removed.

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Read recipe books

It may sound obvious, but reading a variety of recipes will give you a huge amount of tips to continually improve your cooking performance.

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Get seasoning right

There is nothing worse than using great ingredients and ending up with a dish that seems rather lacking in flavor! Make sure you learn how to season well.

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Use unsalted butter

Unsalted butter is not only healthier, but you also avoid modifying the taste of the food that you are cooking by excluding an extra salt.

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Focus on getting one recipe right

If you put a huge amount of effort and time into mastering one specific recipe, you will always have it in your repertoire, and can impress any guests with little notice!

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Fry fries twice!

In order to eliminate all the water content in fries, the trick is to fry them twice! You can be sure that they will be crispy and just the right color.

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Wood utensils

Using wooden utensils is a great idea for many reasons. They won’t damage pans and they are also more environmentally friendly.

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Watch the color of vegetables

Steaming vegetables is a very healthy way to cook them, keeping them bright in color and retaining their essential nutrients. Be careful not to overcook!

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Peeling not required

It is not necessary to peel all vegetables, and you may even be losing out on some of their nutritional value. Just ensure that they are washed thoroughly.

Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.

Get pasta right

Like rice, it is very easy to under- or over-cook pasta and end up with disastrous results. Remember to add pasta to the pot after the water starts boiling.

Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.

Vinegar

Vinegar has more use than just as a cleaning product! It can also be used to cook fish, whiten potatoes, or thoroughly clean fruits and vegetables.

Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.

Seltzer water

Seltzer water can be used in a variety of ways. One unusual tip is to use it when making pancakes. It makes them rise faster and makes them softer, too.

Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.

Pay attention to detail

When reading recipes, it’s easy to follow the instructions too loosely, and then end up with a disastrous result! Paying attention to detail is essential.

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Use ice cube trays to freeze vegetables

If you have small quantities of vegetable leftovers, even ginger or garlic paste, that you might want to use later, freezing is a great way to store them.

Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.

Make your own mayonnaise

In order to save money, why not try making your own mayonnaise? All you need are eggs, vinegar, and oil!

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Marinade

A great way to marinade meat or fish is to leave it in a bag with spices and sauce for at least eight hours. After this time, the flavors will be fully infused.

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Using two pans

Balancing cooking different ingredients at the same time can be difficult, but learning to use two pans at the same time will prove to be highly productive!

Are you a big foodie? If so, click here to read out some amazing and obscure foods from around the world.

Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.

31/31 SLIDES

By Courtney M. Wolf

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