From throwing pasta water to buying the wrong pieces of meat, here are cooking and baking errors that should be avoided if you want to rise to a higher level in the kitchen. (Also, how to fix these errors next time!)
A crowded pot is a recipe for disaster. While it may be tempting to pack as many vegetables as possible on a paper plate, doing so will increase moisture-and the food is more likely to steam rather than brown. When grilling, frying, frying or frying, give your ingredients room to breathe. In this way, they can get a perfect golden brown.
When pasta is added to boiling water, the pasta absorbs part of the water during cooking. If you do not add salt to the water, the food will remain tasteless. However, if you do, it will be seasoned internally, which is the only way to get pasta dishes. If you want to know how much salt should be added to the water, the answer is: more than you think! The Italians will tell you that it should be “salty like the sea.” Although this is a fascinating exaggeration, the truth is not out of reach. Most of the salt you add will be lost in the water, so to make sure some of it gets into the pasta, you need to be generous.
The cooking water for pasta is filled with starch-this will help bind the pasta and sauce together and make the sauce smoother. It has also been salted to make it more flavorful than alkaline water. Therefore, the next time you make pasta, save 1/2 cup of cooking water and use it in the sauce.
Rinsing the pasta strips its starch, which is necessary if you want the sauce to be super silky and delicious. The only good way to rinse pasta is to make pasta salad or use it in stir-fry.
One of the most common mistakes beginners make is the lack of food season. To ensure that your food is properly seasoned, add salt and pepper throughout the cooking process, not just at the end.
When eating properly seasoned food, salt causes the most attention, but acid is equally important. Acidity is usually what distinguishes good dishes from good dishes. Finish a dish with a pinch of lemon or vinegar at the end, enough to make savory dishes (such as peppers or stews) more delicious. The acid adds a subtle (today priceless) layer of depth and flavor.
The non-stick pan is perfect for things like eggs (whether it’s omelets, scrambled eggs, or fried eggs) as well as pancakes and pancakes. But they are not excellent in other aspects, mainly because they are not as hot as other pans and the heat distribution is not always uniform. If you need to burn or continue hot cooking over time, discard the nonstick pan.
There are several reasons why you should almost always preheat the pot before adding ingredients. For example, if you want to burn meat, putting it in a pan that is not cold and flat will not achieve the purpose at all, and will prevent you from scorching it evenly. (This may also make your meat stick to the pot.)
Hot pot also helps to force evaporation: when vegetables are added to the pot, they lose some of their moisture. If the pot is hot enough, it will evaporate, but if it is not enough, it will remain in the pot, and then steam the vegetables you want to fry.
Some cuts are suitable for slow cooking, while others need to be cooked quickly at high temperatures. Make sure you buy the correct cuts of meat according to your wishes (this beef cut guide is very useful), and if in doubt, please tip to the butcher.
Of course, flip the food and check around if it is super tempting. But patience is key here. Letting the magic happen without affecting the ingredients in the pot will produce a beautiful golden color, which also means better texture and flavor.
It’s worth repeating: you should not use olive oil on everything. This is because olive oil has a low smoke point (between 365°F and 420°F), which means that if you try to use it at high temperatures, it will start to smoke-for example, fried or roasted meat. Learn more about smoke points and the proper use of oils here.
A sharp knife is both effective and safe. You may be intimidated by a sharp blade, but using a blunt knife means that you need to apply more force each time you use it-this can cause slips and cuts.
Ideally, you should sharpen your knife at least once a week (this is what Gordon Ramsay did in the GIF above). This keeps the blade straight without fraying, but does not sharpen the blade. This means it is best to sharpen the knife with a whetstone or sharpener every few months. For best results, you can choose to perform professional sharpening once a year.
If you leave warm food at room temperature for a long time (more than two hours), the food may start to grow bacteria. However, there is also the danger of putting hot food in the refrigerator immediately-it may raise the temperature of the refrigerator and put other foods at risk. To avoid this, refrigerate warm but not hot foods in small airtight containers and leave space next to the refrigerator. This allows the air to circulate properly and cool the food faster.
We’ve all been there: you are very excited about making recipes. You mastered all the ingredients, started making them, and then found in the middle of the making process… the chicken to be made must be marinated in the refrigerator for at least 5 hours? ? ? Solution: Always read the recipe. It only takes a few minutes, but it can save your work time.
Just like reading a recipe, preparing ingredients is the key to reducing stress in the kitchen. Of course, shredding and dicing is not the most exciting thing ever, and I know you really want to catch the craze of action, but mastering the art of live cooking is what makes rookie chefs and professionals stand out.
Before you start cooking, the first thing you should do is to prepare all the ingredients. This means calculating the quantity, shredding what needs to be shredded, and organizing each ingredient in its own space. This way, when you are making risotto, you won’t have to stop and measure out the wine while stirring. This means: less stress and fewer errors!
At the end of cooking, never discard all the precious brown pieces stuck to the bottom of the pot. Those pieces you like are cooking gold and should be treated as such. You can use wine, tomato sauce, lemon juice, chicken broth or even water to glaze the pot. It will create a delicious, full-flavored sauce that will combine your entire meal.
Some people will tell you to listen to the meat in the pot. Others might say to look at the color of the juice, or just use their thumbs to check the maturity of the steak. However, these methods are not completely accurate methods to determine whether the meat is cooked to your liking. (Or fully cooked, poultry is involved.)
The best way (and the most accurate way) to cook meat is to check its maturity with an instant-reading thermometer. The oven temperature may be fragile, and the grill may be overheated or overheated, but a meat thermometer can solve all these problems. If you have the ability, please invest in one of them.
Let the meat sit for 10-20 minutes after it is cooked. This will redistribute the juices inside and make sure to make a succulent steak, grilled meat or whatever you make. If cut directly, the juice will gather and run out before it has a chance to be reabsorbed by the meat. Therefore, the next time you finish cooking the meat, cover it with foil so that it does not cool down, and let it sit for a while before digging.
Of course, there are many different recipes for pie dough. But if you want a foolproof secret, it’s 3-2-1: three parts flour, two parts fat, and one part cold water. (So, for example, 12 ounces of flour means 8 ounces of butter or ghee mixture and 4 ounces of water.) Keep this in mind and you will be all the way to deliciousness.
If you want to bake biscuits, pies, or anything that requires precision (remember: baking is a science!), then scatter the flour in a measuring cup and pack it in a bag is not ideal. That’s because doing so will pack too much flour and give you more room than you actually need.
If you don’t have a food scale (this is always the most accurate method!), you should do the following: Sprinkle some flour with a fork to let it breathe, then oop it out with a large spoon and fill the cup once without pressing Just drop a spoonful, then use the back of a knife to flatten the top of the cup and make sure the cup is flat.
As mentioned earlier, the best way to achieve accuracy when baking is to invest in a food scale. The purchase amount is about 20 dollars, if you really want to bake, you will not regret it.
In addition to buttering the pan, line up on parchment paper to make sure the cake goes out smoothly. Follow the step by step steps above to measure a perfect circle for your pot.
After the cake batter is ready, you need to put it in the oven as soon as possible so that the leavening agent can work properly. This is why you should always prepare the pot first and preheat the oven in the oven before you can avoid wasting precious time-even if it is only a few minutes.
Adding butter and sugar together with cream will increase the air in the dough. When it comes to baking cakes and biscuits, air equals lightness, which is almost always a good thing. When the recipe tells you to “beat the sugar and butter together until light and fluffy,” it doesn’t mean to beat them for a minute. This process is actually very long (not 5 minutes, but 5 minutes), so it should not be skipped or rushed.
To see if your butter and sugar are perfectly sanded, rub some mixture between your fingers: if you can still feel the sugar crystals, you are not there yet. If it goes well, then great!
It is not always necessary to sift dry ingredients, but if needed, do not skip this step. This will ensure you get the perfect non-clumping batter, who doesn’t want it?
Baking is all about precision and accuracy. You didn’t spend all your energy to accurately measure each ingredient and then leave half of the batter (or at least a few flour crumbs) on the side of the bowl. Therefore, in each step of the entire recipe, make sure you scrape the bowl correctly (a silicone spatula will do wonders here).
Just as it is important to preheat the oven when baking cakes, it is also important to avoid opening the oven door inside the cake. Otherwise, you will let some cool air into it, which may stop the raising process and prevent the cake from reaching its full potential.
If you need to see, turn on the light inside the oven and, if available, peek through the transparent window of the oven door. (Or, otherwise, please be patient.) Once you reach the end of the baking time, you can open the door to check if the cake is done, but don’t do it before.
If you try to frost a warm cake, it will be a disaster. Not only may the cream or frosting begin to melt, but the cake will also become more brittle, making it more difficult to achieve a smooth effect. You have to wait for a while to decorate the masterpiece, but let me believe this can be frustrating: you want the cake to be cold, not even room temperature, before freely controlling your artistic skills.
Salt seems counterintuitive, but salt is an essential ingredient in sweet bread. That’s because it is actually a flavor enhancer that can accentuate and balance the sweetness of baked goods. So next time you make a cake, don’t forget the small amount of salt that the recipe requires.
When the recipe calls for room temperature butter, your butter should not be cold, it should not melt, it should be at room temperature. That’s because the butter should still be solid, but soft enough for whipping, so it can be creamed with sugar.
If you don’t have the patience or time to set aside the butter for a few hours before starting to bake, heat the bowl and place it on top of the butter and cut into slices to make sure that there is no actual contact between the butter and the butter. The side of the bowl. Wait a few minutes until the butter is soft enough for use, and you are ready to use it.
Contrary to popular belief, oiling the grate will not prevent your food from sticking to the grill. Once the smoking point is reached, the oil will smoke and carbonize, which may give your food an unpleasant aftertaste. solution? Brush food with oil instead of grill.
When you sear meat, it is very important to remove excess water. In this way, you will get a good Maillard response, and the steak will become even brown. This applies to most proteins you want to bake, from fish to tofu, which should be as dry as possible before serving. To ensure this, first pat all sides with a paper towel.
This may seem obvious, but when the recipe tells you to cook or bake at a set temperature, the oven should actually be at that temperature. This means: Before putting food, be sure to fully preheat it. In addition, some ovens operate at a higher temperature than others, and you cannot always trust the temperature seen on the display. To ensure that the oven temperature is right (this is especially important if you are baking), an oven thermometer can help.
This is a labor-saving and highly rewarding step that can distinguish good dishes (or small cookies) from good dishes (large). You can roast nuts and seeds in a cast iron frying pan or a pan in the oven on a stovetop in just 15 minutes. result? Nuts with a deeper flavor are even more brittle.
To ensure that the pasta does not clump and stick together, you need to make room for it to cook and move around in the pot-so use a larger pasta.
In addition, there is no need to add oil to the pasta water, as this is actually counterproductive. But make sure you stir the pasta often, especially at the beginning of cooking.
In terms of taste and texture, it is best to add al dente pasta to a pot of slow-cooked stovetop sauce, and then mix it all together, rather than hitting regular pasta with the sauce on the plate first. By doing so, the pasta and sauce can be combined in a more effective way.
Post time: Jan-14-2021