Your own kitchen may seem boring sometimes. But taking up cooking as an art in which you want to gain expertise changes how you feel about it. The following tips can give you helpful hints to get you started on your new adventure with cooking.Slice meat very thinly for stir-fry dishes. This can take a tricky undertaking and be hard.When cooking with skewers, be aware of some important facts. Twisted or square shaped metal skewers hold the food better than round ones will.Spices should be stored in a cool and dark. Your food will taste better if your spices are fresh.You do not want to deal with the stress of trying to make something that you enjoy. This will allow for an easier cooking less stressful.Keep your spices and herbs in a dark, cool place. If they are exposed to light, heat or humidity, they will lose much of their flavor. Ground spices typically maintain their flavor for around a year. Spices that have not been ground may still be worth using for three years or a little more. Store your spices correctly to make them last.

Mashed Potatoes

Try adding cauliflower in with your mashed potatoes to cut some calories and fat. The taste of cauliflower helps it to blend nicely with the potatoes. Cauliflower has the same texture and color as mashed potatoes, while lowering calories from classic mashed potatoes.Spices should be stored in an area with little light and low temperatures, like a pantry. The shelf life of spices is greatly reduced if they are exposed to heat, humidity, or light. Try to find a cool, dark cupboard if you want to increase the flavor and lifespan of your favorite spices. Meals prepared with fresher spices are simply more delicious.Do you enjoy the flavor of fresh basil in your dishes? Place a fresh bunch of basil into a jar or glass. Make sure the basil’s stems are saturated with water. Put the basil on top of your kitchen counter and it will be fresh for weeks! The basil will grow roots if you change out the water. Trim or cut the basil once in a while so it grows even more and you will be able to enjoy fresh basil!Use fresh foods any time you can, as they bring out the flavor in a dish, and they may cost less over the long run.To make your sauce thicker, stir cornstarch into the simmering sauce. Mix 2 tablespoons water and 1 tablespoon cornstarch into a bowl. You can then stir this solution into your sauce to instantly thicken it. Avoid over-thickening by adding the starch mixture slowly and stirring the sauce often.If your burgers seem to be sticking to the surface of your grill, it will be difficult to flip them without mangling them in the process. Try brushing a thin coating of vegetable oil on the cooking surface prior to cooking so that food from sticking.

Chicken Broth

When you season meats, try cooking a little piece prior to the entire piece. Many meats require seasonings that are carefully chosen. Do not cook everything right after adding the seasoning. Instead, make a little piece into a patty and cook it first. This is a good way to find out if you got the seasoning right.Cook your veggies in chicken broth. Chicken broth is an excellent base to use when preparing vegetable dishes that helps keep them from sticking of vegetables and incorporating some great flavor with them.Beans or tofu contain a lot of protein that you may not have yet considered adding to your diet. Both of these protein-rich foods are available at just about any grocery store. Try frying tofu with some interesting seasonings and you will have a tasty alternative to meat. Beans can always be cooked with herbs for a flavorful source of flavor and protein.For crispier French fries, put raw potatoes into cold water and let them sit there for about half an hour before frying. A cold water soak helps the potatoes stand up to the rigors of deep fat frying.When you want to cook a pumpkin, stand them upright and cut them halfway down the middle. Take each half cut side down and place on different baking sheets to bake.When serving a salad at a social gathering, always offer the dressing on the side rather than pouring it directly on the salad. Some people enjoy lots of dressing than others; let guests pour their own dressing. Offer many different types of dressing.Vegetables that are cooked more quickly will be of higher quality. Vegetables that have been slow-cooked are not as nutritional or tasty as vegetables that are cooked in other ways. If you do this, it will provide you a vegetable that is higher in nutritious value. Learning to cook them for the minimum necessary time is the key to better vegetables.Leave the bone in your roast when you are pressed for time. The bone helps distribute the bone pulls the heat to the center of the roast.Storing these items in a warm locations will cause them to lose their flavor quicker.When storing baking ingredients, such as flour and sugar, be sure to store them in air-tight food containers. Cooking ingredients will keep longer if they are sealed in airtight containers, and they’ll be safe from bugs and other pests, too. You can find them at many stores, and they are well worth their inexpensive price.Use the ideas presented here as a jumping off point for your own ideas. Fix awesome dishes that everyone in the family will love and talk about for days to come. Try cooking as a relaxing hobby that can also improve your health. The old adage of “home is where the heart is” can certainly begin in your kitchen.