Who wants some cooking tips?
Posted on | February 18, 2010
Do you remember the contest I held at the end of last year? The one where the readers who entered also gave me some cooking tips?
Well, if you’ve been reading me all along, you know I have been sharing the tips with you in batches of ten. I’ve been caught up in school and those tips got pushed to the end of my to-do list, but they’re back!
So, without further ado, I give you: Cooking tips!
1. Always use fresh spices and herbs.
2. Butter and EVOO makes everything BETTER!
3. Tongs. They are my favorite thing in the kitchen now!
4. If you’re just starting off in the kitchen, start with dishes that you’re familiar with and have had before. That way you know what it’s supposed to taste like, look like, smell like AND you’re not buying completely alien ingredients. Once you get some confidence in the kitchen, then try challenges from cookbooks and magazines and the internet, and don’t beat yourself up over your failures. They’re learning experiences. Oh, and season everything more than you think you should, especially if you’re new to cooking!
5. Learn food styling and create dinner party meals out of everyday dishes
6. Take care of your stuff and it’ll take care of you. Cast Iron is the cheapest to buy but the very best thing to have around.
7. A good knife is worth it.
8. keep your knives sharper than they need to be.
9. Split, remove seeds and bake pumpkin in the shell to remove flesh for pies, just scoop it out.
10. Be creative. I like to look at recipes and combine a couple different ideas to make my own recipe or creation. If you think two ideas will work together, try it!
Did we miss an important cooking tip? G’wan and add it in the comments, below. You know you want to (and, heck, we want you to!).
Cheers (and thanks!).
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3 Responses to “Who wants some cooking tips?”
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February 18th, 2010 @ 9:37 am
I think your #6 is one of the most important tips of all. My cuisinart (DLC-7) is older than dirt, but still works like a champ and looks about like the day I bought her!
Lemons. Meyer lemons are so great to use, however, are only available for a short period of time. Buy a bushel if you can. Then you can juice some of them and freeze the juice into ice cubes to use later.
February 18th, 2010 @ 2:52 pm
#9) Works with any hard winter fruit. Any thing with seeds is a fruit. Butternut squash, acorn, pumpkin etc..and Pumpkin is not just for pies, use it for soups, risotto, topping for a pot pie, in a saute ( just under bake until it is fork tender but still firm, cool & cube). Roasting is a great method for these fruits as the flavour intensifies & they do not absorb any cooking water. To add flavour, use stocks, herbs, gtrated sheese, spices etc.
February 22nd, 2010 @ 7:23 pm
Don’t throw away leek tops. Rinse well and stuff into any produce bag from the grocery store, then pop them into your freezer. Next time you roast meat of any kind, line the bottom of your roaster generously with the leek tops. They will impart a gorgeous aromatic addition to the meat and make cleaning the pan a bit easier!