Learn To Cook Today With These Simple Tips!

Expand your limited kitchen tools cooking skills quickly with the following advice.

If you store your spices in dark place with relatively low temperatures like a pantry, the spices will retain their taste and take longer to spoil. These fresh spices will help add flavor to your meals, making them tastier!

Boiling and other lengthy cooking methods strip vegetables of their important nutrients. The healthier way to prepare vegetables is by cooking them quickly, such as steaming or sauteing them; the most nutritious way of all is by serving them raw.

Leave raw potatoes in cold water for at least 30 minutes before frying them to make crispier French fries. The potatoes need to soak because the fibers will be reinforced through the cold fluids which in turn makes them fry better. They can handle the heat and not break apart completely.

Garlic can add a tremendous amount of flavor to your food. However, when you are cutting and chopping fresh garlic, it can also leave its odor on your hands. To get rid of this odor, or any other strong cooking smell, rub your hands on the inside of your stainless steal sink. This process removes the odors from your hands and keeps you from transferring them to the next piece of food you work with.

It's very frustrating to try to cook a tasty hamburger and see it deformed or ruined, because it gets stuck to your grill. Because of this, you should use vegetable oil to brush the grill prior to cooking so that you can prevent the meat from sticking.

Try cooking your vegetables in chicken broth. It will keep veggies from getting stuck to the bottom of the pan and add a little flavor. Chicken broth is easily purchased at almost every supermarket, and is quite inexpensive.

This will ensure that the fruit stays fresh for an entire year. Additionally, you'll have access to fruits that aren't currently in season.

Do not forget to replace your spices twice a year. When spices are stored for too long, their flavor degrades, resulting in a less potent spice. If you know you can't use as much as is in the package, give some to a family member or friend to keep from wasting it.

When you are preparing food that needs to be seasoned, add the seasoning every few minutes. This will allow your food to really take on the flavor of the seasonings and make the food as flavorful as it can be.

Fresh garlic is ideal when preparing dishes that call for garlic. Garlic that is fresh is sweeter than garlic that is not. You can tell that garlic is fresh when it isn't bruised, mushy or shriveled. The skin should be firm.

Don't mix unfamiliar wine into your food. By using a wine you do not like or one that you are unfamiliar with, you are jeopardizing the taste of your food. Look for wines that are specifically used for cooking.

Some ingredients can leave a rather strong odor on your cutting board. Use a permanent pen to make a mark so you know which side you are using.

Use the tips you just read about to help you improve your cooking skills.