Make sure that you understand the conversions for substituting dried herbs for fresh in a recipe, and vice-versa. While some herbs, including basil, lose a bit of flavor during the drying process, the flavors of herbs like oregano actually intensify. If you are unsure how much of an herb to use, start with small amounts and gradually add more.
When it comes to cooking a good habit to do after preparing garlic is to rub your hands on the stainless steel sink vigorously for about 30 seconds. This will remove the unwanted odor from your hands. Washing them less than 30 seconds will not take all the odor away.
To keep your spices and herbs at their freshest, do not store them above your stove. The steam and heat can alter and weaken their flavors and textures, and may even cause clumping. Try to find a dry, cool place such as a drawer or pantry for storing these items.
To check and see if biscuits, cakes, cornbread, muffins and other bread-like foods are finished, insert a wooden toothpick into the center. If there are any crumbs or batter stuck to the wood when you remove it, pop the food back into the oven for a few minutes to allow it to finish.
If you are cooking pastries or foods that can get very messy, make sure that you wear an apron at all times. The last thing that you will want to do is to get food on your clothes and have to change before you eat your meal with friends or family.
Taste your food as you go along. One of the biggest mistakes a cook can make is to not taste their own food! You should know how it tastes before you serve it to your guests. If you taste it frequently as you go along, you will be able to correct any missteps that occur before there is too much damage to the dish.
Avoid limiting yourself to white potatoes in your cooking. They are very high in starch and have the least amount of nutritional content of any of the potatoes. Try varieties that come in blue, red, yellow, and orange. You can substitute almost any root vegetable as your usual white potato.
To make chopping canned tomatoes less messy, try chopping them in the can. Take a pair of scissors and use them to slice through the tomatoes without removing them from their container. This will save you from dirtying a bowl, and will keep hard to clean tomato juice from splashing onto your clothes or work surface.
When picking out a melon for purchase, make sure that it is still fresh. Many times, people get sick from melons that have gone bad. You can check its freshness by checking the part of the melon that was connected to the vine. If it is soft, then the melon is still good.
Rinse your chopped red onions gently in cold water to reduce the bite and sharpness that are inherent in onions. This will give you more flexibility with the types of items you can use your onions in without overpowering the flavors of your dish. You can also use this technique to keep the texture of an onion without the overwhelming flavor.
If you realize that you have made too much sauce, you can take any excess sauce and put it in the freezer in an ice tray. This is very convenient because the next time that you need sauce for something you can pop a few cubes in the pan instead of making a sauce.
Feel free to make use of the tips that appeal to you. One of the greatest things about cooking for yourself is that it puts you in control of your diet. You are free to cook the way you want to. As you refine your cooking skills, keep looking for recipes and techniques that will help you to make the kind of food that you want to enjoy.