Often there are a few techniques that make your cooking better and most of the time they are such simple and subtle techniques that they are often overlooked. Here are five that will help enhance the taste of your food.
1. Toasting nuts before using them in a recipe intensifies their flavor. Spread the nuts on a baking sheet and bake at 350° for 5 to 10 minutes or until lightly toasted. Be sure to watch them carefully so they don’t burn.
2. Fresh gingerroot can be used in your recipes and lasts for long time if you freeze it. It is also easy to peel and grate once it’s frozen.
3. When it comes to weather to add oil to the water when cooking pasta there are differing opinions. One group believes that adding olive or vegetable oil to the cooking water prevents the pasta from sticking together while cooking. It suggests adding 1 tablespoon of oil to 3 quarts of water for every 8 ounces of pasta cooked. The second school believes that the oily residue left on the pasta can cause the sauce to slide off the pasta, making it difficult to eat.
Cooking without oil is the more preferred method.
4. When cooking pasta and especially whole grain or whole wheat, the best time to salt the pasta is when it is in the water. Once dissolved in the boiling water, it permeates the pasta as the water is absorbed. A half teaspoon per gallon of water is a good starting point but should be adjusted to taste.
5. To substitute dried herbs for fresh, use one-third less. For example, if a recipe calls for 1 tablespoon fresh, use 1 teaspoon dried. (hint: 3 teaspoons are in a tablespoon)
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