When preparing meals at home, you must use sharp knives for best results. Dull knives make cutting difficult, but in addition, they are dangerous. This is because if you are trying to cut using a dull knife you have to exert more force to make the same cut that you could easily make using a sharp knife.
You can add a little ketchup to the batter you use to fry foods in. You can not only dip foods in ketchup, but you can also use it to dip foods in before you coat them with breadcrumbs. The ketchup adds a surprising zest to any fried food, and most people would never think of ketchup in that way.
Add some spices to your dishes once they’ve been cooked. Explore different possibilities. Try salt, pepper, cayenne, or garlic powder. Spice is a matter of individual taste, so what works for one person may not work for another. Due to this, it is often best to leave spices out for people to add to their food as they wish, instead of forcing them to eat it how you like it. This will make it so everyone can have it their way.
Using a baked potato instead of a small one can help you to have nice thick skins to use to make twice baked potatoes. Red potatoes contain skins that are too thin to hold very much filling.
If you are combining sugar and butter for a cookie recipe, it is essential that the butter is soft but not melted. If it has accidentally melted, place the butter inside the freezer and leave for several minutes to harden slightly. Alternatively, you could chill the dough once the ingredients have been mixed. By using cooler dough, your cookies will not spread out as much.
Impress your family and friends with a simple sandwich just by carefully preparing it and presenting it in a great way. Often times, people simple add mayonnaise to the middle of their sandwich. Spreading the condiments evenly is the best way to create a sandwich full of flavors.
Fruit works especially well on the grill. Thread sliced melon, nectarines and peaches onto skewers. Cook them on a grill that is clean until you are able to see grill marks. Top some delicious ice cream with your grilled fruit, or try them on a slice of pound cake, which can also be lightly grilled.
If you cook using herbs and spices, keep them stored under dark, cool conditions to preserve their freshness and flavor. When you store your herbs out on the kitchen counter, they will lose their flavor quickly and become stale.
Use your own stock for more flavorful food. You can make stock in large quantities if you wish, then store it in bags and put it in the freezer. Doing so will provide you with an abundance of custom, home-produced stock, readily available for creating soups and other dishes. Doing it on your own, prevents any unnecessary preservatives from being added to the stock.
Take the time to educate yourself about ingredients that you are not familiar with. When you’ve done some research, you might be surprised to learn how versatile a particular new food is. The better prepared you are before you start, the better your kitchen experiences will be.
When serving a salad at a social gathering, keep the dressing in a dish to the side. Certain people prefer a larger amount of dressing on the salad than others. Because of this fact, you should allow people to pour dressing on their own. For an even more considerate touch, provide different kinds of dressings.
Once you start putting these tips into practice, you will be inspired with new ideas yourself. Make delicious meals that your family will love, meals that you relish and feel good about. Having cooking be a hobby can brighten your diet and your life. Your kitchen should be the center of your house.