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If you are interested in learning to cook but have never tried it first you should read the information that is provided in the article below. There is no reason to feel intimidated by cooking. When people first start cooking, many fail their first dish but try again and again until they get it right.
Keep spices in a dark and cool place. Leaving your spices out will expose them to moisture and light, which will diminish their quality. Try to find a cool, dark cupboard if you want to increase the flavor and lifespan of your favorite spices. Keeping your spices fresh can improve the taste of every recipe you prepare.
It is extremely embarrassing to have lumps in your gravy. It happens to everybody from the beginner cook to the master chef. There is a simple trick you can use to eliminate them. Drain the gravy through a fine strainer and discard the lumps. This technique can be used for other sauces or soups too.
When cutting onions, hold a match between your teeth while you cut. Make sure the match is not lit. This will keep those stinging eyes and unwanted tears away. Your experience cutting the onion will be more pleasant if you follow this simple tip each and every time.
In brief, learning how to cook is learning how to avoid pre-packaged foods and meals. These convenience food products, all too common today, have speed as their solitary real benefit. Home-cooked meals will always beat them in taste and cost. In most cases - even with meals that are not especially healthy - the version made in the kitchen will be healthier than the packaged version.
There is an easy way to peel garlic. There are many tips and techniques for peeling garlic, but there is a simple way that doesn't involve any fancy gadgets. Take a rubber jar lid gripper and lay it on the counter. Place a clove of garlic on it and fold it over. Using a little pressure, simply roll the garlic clove around a few times inside the rubber gripper, and the skin will instantly be removed.
Fresh herbs can add a great deal to most recipes. Herbs can be "My 5 Choices":http://my5choices.com/ to handle, though, because they need to be chopped so finely. Sprinkling salt over the cutting board before chopping herbs can cut down on mess. The salt encourages herbs to stick to the board instead of flying off.
Chicken broth should be used when you are sautéing your vegetables. Chicken broth can be purchased at any grocery store. It is important to choose a chicken broth that is low in sodium so that you do not eat too much sodium. Sodium can cause you to retain water which is not good.
If you are following a recipe take extra caution to make sure that you don't skip a step, or that you are reading the measurements correctly. Especially in baking, a small mistake can completely ruin a dish. To avoid this just check the recipe a couple of times before adding in the ingredient to the mixture.
Cooking is a fun and exciting skill to learn, and the tips you've just read, will be instrumental in helping you along the path. Just by reading this article, you are well on the way to creating inspired and delicious food for your family and friends, to enjoy from home.