Cooking Safety Tips
* Never use shrimp if in doubt of its freshness. Dispose of it.
* Take care in putting food in hot oil. Any moisture will cause the oil to splatter, possible causing burns.
* Always use a knife with cutting strokes away from you, not toward the hands.
* Keep knifes sharp. In general, dull knifes cause more accidents than sharp ones.
* Always keep pets and children at a safe distance from the stove or outdoor grills.
* Keep a fire extinguisher handy near the kitchen and know how to use it.
* Have a working smoke detector near the kitchen
* Do not leave food cooking on the stove unattended.
* Keep hot food hot and cold foods cold.
* Keep pot holders handy and use them.
* Wash down counters with a weak bleach solution periodically to sanitize them.
* Keep your freezer at 0 degrees.
Seasoning Tips for Beginners
Salt
Salt is undoubtedly the world's all time favorite seasoning. It was considered so valuable in some societies that it was used as money. Today we know that too much salt can lead to health problems in some people, but we still love our salt. As a beginner cook you should learn to use salt to enhance a bland tasting dish. Salt will liven up tasteless food. However, remember you can always add more salt, but you can not remove it once cooked in. So, taste, taste, taste!
Salt Substitutes
If you are concerned about salt intake there are several natural foods you may use in place of salt. Lemon juice, lime juice, vinegar or dill weed satisfies the desire for salt for many people. Use dill weed and lemon juice on fish in place of salt.
Sweet and Sour
The Chinese learned long ago the secret of combining sweet and sour. It is used in many of their dishes. In dishes that are intended to be sweet, try adding a dash of salt. Likewise, in dishes intended to be sour try adding a dash of sugar. Examples: In any cooked greens (turnip, collard, spinach, mustard) add a touch of vinegar, salt and sugar. In chili, add a spoon of sugar or honey. In BBQ sauce and Italian or Ranch salad dressing, add a touch of sugar.
Stock Your Kitchen
As a beginner cook you should stock your kitchen with the following spices and ingredients as a minimum:
* Salt
* Black pepper
* White sugar
* Baking powder
* Baking soda
* Cornstarch
* Basil
* Oregano
* Cayenne pepper
* Cinnamon
* Vanilla
* Garlic
Eventually, you should add the following:
* Yeast
* Thyme
* Rosemary
* Sage
* Nutmeg
* Lemon juice
* Mustard
* Olive oil
* Cooking wine
* Corn meal
* Soy sauce
* Brown sugar
* Tomato paste
* Chicken and beef stock
* Vinegar
Baking Cooking Tips
* Always pre-heat your oven to the temperature specified in the recipe.
* Use an oven thermometer to determine the accuracy of the temperature control on your oven. You will only have to do this once. If you set the oven for 400 degrees F. and find that the thermometer shows the oven is actually 415 degrees F., you will know in the future to set the control just slightly below the 400 degree setting when you want 400 degrees.
* When making biscuits, do not overwork the dough. Just two or three folds is all that is needed. Overworking the dough results in heavy biscuits.
* Use the cookware specified in the recipe. If it says glass, use glass. If it says cookie sheet, use a cookie sheet. It makes a difference in the final product.
* When baking breads or any dish calling for baking soda, baking powder or yeast, use measuring cups and spoons to measure accurately. Breads to not take well to eye-ball measurements.
* Bleached and unbleached flours can be used interchangeably.
* Baking powder and baking soda are not interchangeable
* When baking pies or any dish with a crust on top, cover the outer edge of the crust with aluminum foil to prevent burning before the rest of the crust is brown.
* Invest in a biscuit cutter and rolling pin for smooth edged symmetrical biscuits.
More baking tips to come. Please check back.
Dealing with the beef
- Always buy fresh – when you buy beef, you should make sure it’s soft and fresh. The color should be bright red with thin white fat distributed evenly throughout the surface.
- Look for tenderness and leanness of the beef before procuring it.
- Avoid beef injected with flavorings, because it can be easily overcooked.
- Before you use it, always wash it with water.
- It’s easier to cut beef when it’s frozen. so before you decide to cut it, put it in the freezer for an hour or so.
- If you want your beef soft and tender, soak your stakes in olive oil overnight.
- All meals that include beef should be cooked all of the way through. You should cook beef at least for 1 hour.
- The longer you cook it, the softer it gets.
- You should never salt the beef long before you cook it. Salt and cook immediately.
- Beef stakes should be sliced thinly, so it takes less time to cook them.
- Beef tastes good with white wine. Don’t drink it, cook with wine:)
