Basic Cooking Tips

Basic Cooking Tips

Tips

 * Don't worry if you mess up on a recipe. We all make mistakes in our cooking now and then. You just have to use your good judgment to decide whether or not it's fixable.
 * Start slow. Don't go home the first time and try to make a turkey dinner. Start with something small, like cookies or scrambled eggs, for example. Don't expect to be fully satisfied with your first try. Cooking is as complex as it is simple, and can take time to get results you like.
 * Enjoy it. Cooking isn't for everyone, and is supposed to be fun, so if you find yourself dreading it, then it probably isn't for you.
 * Enjoy a variety of foods. Research how to make the dishes you like and compare them to the ones produced by someone else.
 * Experiment. When you learn more about flavors and the behavior of your food, try strange ingredients, spices or combinations you've never tried. You will learn about complementary tastes and have surprising results. Don't worry if it's terrible at times, you'll get the hang of it!
 * A cooking thermometer is especially useful for beginning cooks to determine if roasts, meats, and other dishes are adequately heated.
 * Look for a cooking class you could take, a person that could teach you, a cooking show, or a book you could read.
 * Hot temperatures cook the outside more, while lower temperatures cook more thoroughly. So, use really hot temperatures to sear the outside of a rare steak or get a thicker crust on bread, but lower (and longer) temperatures for a well-done steak or a soft crust.
 * If you find it hard to know when your pan is ready to cook in (hot enough) simply try putting a drop of water into the pan;if it sizzles your pan is ready.
 * Stay in the kitchen while the food is cooking. If you walk away, you may end up with a burnt mess that's stuck to the bottom of the pan.
 * When possible, taste your dishes frequently while you cook (not including raw or partially cooked fish, meat or eggs though, because of food safety issues). This lets you make sure the balance of spices is correct; it also helps you to learn how flavors develop with cooking.
 * Don't put the stove on and leave, if you can't light the stove then turn it off.
 * Always remember to wash up and clean the dishes after cooking, to prevent bacteria from accumulating on your dirty plates.

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