Back to the Basics

Last night was a midterm night my friends. I think we all know what this means, NO TIME TO COOK! So me and my husband decided to make something easy and what's easier than a fresh salad. As I was grating the cheese I asked him to cut the tomatoes for me. He looked at me intrigued and said, "Is there a specific way to cut a tomatoe? " Right then it hit me. We've all seen cooking at some point in time but don't know the best techniques to get the best results. So here are some fun tips and tricks about cooking that can make my easy recipes....even easier.

Easy Substitutions for last minute cooking:

Half and Half :1 1/2 Tbsp of Margarine and enough milk to add up to one cup.

Heavy Cream: 3/4 cup of milk and 1/3 cup of butter

One Small Onion minced: 1/2 tsp onion powder
Sour Cream: Plain Yogurt
1 clove of garlic: 1 tsp garlic salt

Poultry Seasoning: 1/4 tsp Thyme and 3/4 tsp Sage

Fun Cooking Facts:

To prevent egg shells from cracking, add a pinch of salt to the water before hard-boiling.

To easily remove burnt-on food from your skillet, simply add a drop or two of dish soap and enough water to cover bottom of pan, and bring to a boil on stovetop-skillet will be much easier to clean.

If you accidentally over-salt a dish while it's still cooking, drop in a peeled potato-it absorbs the excess salt for an instant "fix me up."

Place a slice of apple in hardened brown sugar to soften it back up.

To prevent pasta from sticking at a pinch of salt to the boiling water (it will help it boil faster too)

Instead of guessing how to convert cups to tablespoons here's an awesome link that converts any cooking measurement http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/cooking-conversions/conversions.aspx

How to cut:

Tomatoe: remove the center core and then cut in slices across the short side.

Onion: Always peel the onion first, if you want rings you cut it in slices, if you want strips you have to cut it long ways (the way orange peels go)

Chicken: Find the grain of the chicken then cut along the grain

Pineapple: Remove the stalk or stem, cut off the top and bottom of the pineapple, stand the pineapple on its side and cut the skin off in strips, you should be left with a cylinder of pineapple, remove skin divets with a peeler, cut the cylinder into four equal parts, on each part cut the core off (this should be the triangle tip of the pineapple), after core is removed cut the pineapple into chunks or slices.

Garlic: Smash or grind the garlic on the counter, skin will come off, select however many cloves you need and mince garlic.

Cooking Terms:

Simmering: This means you are heating a substance to a high temperature. It comes close to boiling, but does not get hot enough to create bubbles. Food has the potential to stick to the bottom when you are simmering, so stir occasionally.

Sautéing: When you sauté an item, you are cooking it in an oil over medium heat. Sauteing is best at high heat.

Marinating: Marinating means to soak a food in oil, spices or seasonings and make it more flavorful and tender. Food marinates for extended periods at a time.

I hope these tips helped!

Happy Eating Food Lovers