Sifting Dry Ingredients

The purpose of sifting is to break up any clumps which may be in your ingredients and to allow air to circulate throughout your ingredients. If you need a way to sift dry ingredients for a recipe and you do not have a sifter on hand, you can use a fork or egg whisk. Simply place your dry ingredients into a bowl and stir them with a fork or egg whisk. Stir thoroughly until your ingredients are smooth and light. This method of sifting will fluff up flour and powdered sugar quickly.

Tilt Saucepan To Avoid Splattering Injuries

A common injury incurred by beginner chefs is burning themselves while sauteing food in a saucepan. The oil, butter or grease can easily splatter from the saucepan to the chef and cause serious burns. To avoid this potential injury, tilt the pan in the opposite direction whenever you add food to the pan before laying it flat again. This short, easy method can prevent any splatters and burns.

Tips On Cooking Techniques

Several cooking techniques are important to know. They include:

Simmering: This means you are heating a substance to a high temperature. It comes close to boiling, but does not get hot enough to create bubbles. Food has the potential to stick to the bottom when you are simmering, so stir occasionally.

Sautéing: When you sauté an item, you are cooking it in an oil or substance, preferably flavored, over medium heat. Sauteing is best at high heat, the oil should be at least at 375 degrees to avoid from penetrating inside the food.

Marinating: Marinating means to soak a food in oil, spices or seasonings and make it more flavorful and tender. Food generally marinates for extended periods at a time.

Separate Eggs In One Bowl

Separating eggs is a task that can be tedious, even for seasoned chefs. To separate many eggs at one time, break them all carefully into one large bowl. Wash your hands and then, gently scoop the egg yolks out of the bowl and place them gently into another. This makes the process of separating eggs much faster.

Practice Food Safety When Cooking Meat

When you are cooking raw meat, be sure you clean the plate before you place cooked meat on it. Using the same plate for raw and cooked meat can cause contamination of your food. It is also a good idea to wash any tongs, spatulas and other utensils between the handling of raw and cooked meat or fish. Another good safety rule is to wash hands after handling raw meat or dairy products, such as eggs. Use an anti-bacterial soap and do not assume it is safe to wipe your hands on a dishtowel without first washing them.

A Nutty Suggestion

When a recipe calls for ground nuts, be careful not to overprocess them or the nuts’ oils will be released, and you’ll wind up with nut butter. Instead, for evenly ground (but not liquefied!) nuts, try using the following rule of thumb: Use no more than 2 cups of nuts at a time and process in 3-second intervals, checking the texture as you go, until the mixture is finely powdered. For particularly oily nuts like pecans or cashews, add a small amount of flour or bread crumbs to absorb excess oil.

Cook Fish By Measuring Inches

Fish should be a regular part of your weekly menu. One aspect of cooking fish for beginning cooks is that is difficult to tell when cooked fish is complete. The easiest method is to cook fish using measurements. Allow roughly ten minutes per inch for the thickest part of the fish and make sure it flakes before removing it from heat. This can apply to all methods of cooking fish, including frying, grilling, steaming, broiling and more.

Use Food Pyramid To Plan Meals

Beginning cooks should use the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Pyramid to plan meals and recipes. Color, temperature and texture are the three guiding principles of any good meal plan. Color is the most important because a colorful plate means the meal is balanced and healthy. Vary the texture and temperature of the foods included in your meal to be pleasant for your palate.

Take Note Of Serving Size Abbreviations

Serving sizes are critical and are displayed in recipes as abbreviations. Standard abbreviations include: Tbsp: Tablespoon Tsp: Teaspoon Oz: Ounce Pd: Pound

Read Cookbook Recipes Through Completely

When cooking using a recipe, it is important to read the recipe in its entirety before you even begin cooking. This way, you know you have all of the tools and ingredients you needs before you even begin. Recipes should list the ingredients in order of use; however, not all recipes do so. Measurements are important and when a recipe author recommends a specific serving size, use an actual measurement tool and not utensils you would use for serving.

Clean Oysters Before Consumption

Cleaning oysters can be difficult for beginning cooks. There are some easy steps to follow to make the process easier. The first thing to do is hold the oyster with the flat side up using an oven mitt. Then, take an oyster knife with a hand guard and insert it into the hinge portion of the oyster located between the shells. Pry open the oyster by twisting the blade and move it along the inside of the top shell to release the muscle. Then, remove the top shell and throw it away. Severe the muscle from the bottom shell by sliding the knife inside of the oyster once again and use this shell to serve the oyster on the half-shell.

Roasting Meat Helps Seal In Flavor

Roasting is a quick and easy way to cook meat, particularly poultry. Roast meat in an oven preheated at a high temperature and baste meat before roasting it to contain flavor. The high temperature seals the flavor in the meat and prevents it from losing its juices while cooking. Poultry should be roasted breast down and finished on the opposite side to give juices a chance to flow evenly into the breast meat. The roasting pan should comfortably hold your chosen cut of meat. It it is too big, your meat will likely burn. If the pan is too small, it will stick to the sides.