Wednesday, August 5, 2009

How To Be A Better Cook

By Walter Dreimann

As easy as it might sound, you could turn your entire cooking style around with a couple of cooking tips. You will have a less difficult time in preparing food and an easier time in side stepping many of the obstacles in cooking with a few cooking suggestions, as well. These simple tips can make a greater difference than experience, patience, and knowledge combined in making you look like a master chef.

Always buy fresh is rule number one in getting great tasting food. When shopping in the supermarket or produce market, make sure you view each item you buy, checking it for freshness or ripeness. Packaged foods can be judged by an expiration date, while fruits and vegetables must be looked at individually. Few skills are as helpful as being familiar with the general produce, and having the ability to understand what is quality produce in your local supermarket.

Ensuring that what you are about to buy is fresh is even more important when shopping for fish, beef, or poultry. At home always remember to keep the meat in a fridge or a freezer.

When serving your meals, make sure that they are cooked thoroughly and reach a safe temperature. Cooked foods should be checked with a cooking thermometer to make sure they have reached temperatures of at least 140 degrees F. Foods that are designed to be chilled instead should be kept at temperatures less than 40 degrees F.

Proper mechanics will use proper tools to fix the exact type of car they are working on. Thus, a cooking suggestion is to make sure your kitchen is stocked with items that will help you prepare your dishes easily and properly. Knives, pots, pans, and measuring cups are all essential, and a blender or food processor are also important. Using an appliance such as the Mickey Mouse Waffle Maker can also help in adding a fun accent to the meal.

A common conception is that all low fat food has to be tasteless. Many low fat foods, however, are full of the kind of vibrancy and taste that their counterparts have. The trick is to use a variety of fresh spices, herbs, olive oil and put some thought into the dishes you choose. To make most dishes low fat, all you have to do is use the least amount of oil possible, and select lean cuts of beef and pork. Changing your meats to chicken, turkey or fish will save you both fat content and calorie content.

The last cooking suggestion to give you is to always include a good beverage along with the food in your meal. Any meal can be drastically improved with a great beverage. These beverages can include a great wine, flavorful sparkling mineral water, or a great tasting cocktail, all of which can make a regular meal outstanding.

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