Cooking Tips

Things to Keep in Mind When Cooking: The difference between a good cook and a great cook can usually be as small as a few good cooking tips. Cooking hints can help us make preparing dishes much easier and side step the many pitfalls in food preparation. While it is true that experience, patience and knowledge are very important when cooking, a few practical cooking suggestions can fortunately make many good cooks look like master chefs. Here are just a few cooking suggestions that will ultimately help you in the kitchen.

Food Safety Tips: First off, the best way to ensure that your food tastes the very best that it can is to make sure that it is fresh. When shopping in the supermarket or produce market make sure you view each item that you buy, checking it for freshness or ripeness. While many packaged foods have an expiration date located on the container, almost all foods such as fresh produce must be looked over individually. It’s also a good idea to get familiar with general produce and the art of finding high quality produce in your local grocery store.

As far as meats go, make sure that the meats (beef, poultry and fish) you purchase are fresh. In addition, when using meat for a meal keep all meats refrigerated until using, any utensils you use with the meat or that come into contact with the meat should be cleaned with soap and water. Regarding serving, make sure that meats are cooked thoroughly and reach a safe temperature. Cooked foods should reach at least 140 degrees F. Use a cooking thermometer to measure the temperature. It should be noted that while cooked foods should reach 140 degrees F., foods that are chilled such as dairy products should always be stored refrigerated less than 40 degrees F.

Use the Right Tools: Just like a good car mechanic has the proper tools to fix a car, make sure your kitchen is stocked with items that will help you create dishes easily and properly. This includes a good set of knives, pots, pans and measuring cups. You might also want to invest in a good blender and food processor.

Reduced Fat Cooking: A lot of people make the mistake of associating low fat cooking with bland, tasteless cooking. This is not the case. In fact, low fat cooking can be colorful, vibrant and extremely flavorful. The key is to utilize a variety of fresh spices, herbs, olive oil and put some thought into the dishes you select. For instance, you can make almost any dish a low fact dish just by ensuring the least amount of oil is used, and selecting lean cuts of beef and pork. In general, chicken and turkey are usually low fat and fish is also a great option for any low in calorie dish.

Beverage Selection: Remember that a meal includes not just the food, but the beverage as well. You can enhance almost any meal by pairing it with a superb beverage. Whether it is a nice wine, flavorful sparkling mineral water or a high quality cocktail, a beverage can easily make a standard meal outstanding.

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