How To Cook « Daily Cooking Recipes

December 18, 2009

How to Cook a Delicious Pasta

Filed under: How To Cook — Tags: Italian, Italy, Pasta, Spinach, Tomatoes, Vegetarian — Chef @ 1:21 pm

Important Rule: Pasta should be prepared just before serving it.

Use a Large Pot:

To cook pasta properly, pasta needs a lot of water. A too-small pot and too little water encourages the pasta to clump and stick together, thus cooking unevenly.
For a pound (16 ounces) of pasta, you will want a pot that holds at least 5 or 6 quarts of water.

Use only COLD Water:
Fill that big pot 3/4 full of COLD water or use at least one quart of cold water for every four ounces of dry pasta.
The reason for this is that hot water will dissolve anything – including contaminants like lead – much more easily than cold water and if that water encounters something like an older leaded pipe or some rust before coming out in your kitchen sink, it could very well end up in your glass. The most common problem is water that has been sitting in your home pipes for over 6 hours.

Bring the pot of cold water to a fast boil:
Covering the pot of cold water with a lid will help bring the water to a boil faster.

Add Salt:
Salting the water makes pasta taste better by bringing out the natural flavor of the pasta. This does not increase the sodium level of your recipes. NOTE: I always use kosher (coarse) salt.
Do not add your salt until the water has come to a full boil. There are two reasons for this:

1. First, unsalted water has a lower boiling point than salted water, so it will come to a boil a few seconds faster.

2. Second and more important, salt dissolves faster in hot water. Un-dissolved salt crystals in cold water can mar the surface of your stainless-steel pots with small white dots or pits.

Add plenty of salt, about 2 tablespoons of kosher salt per pound of pasta. This may seem like a lot, but it is necessary for getting the pasta properly seasoned. Plus, most of the salt drains off with the water. NOTE: If you taste the salted water, it should resemble “sea water.”

If you are on a sodium restricted diet, please follow your doctor’s orders.

Bring your water, with the added salt, back to a full boil:
Explanation or Science of Boiling Water: Pasta added to water before it starts to boil gets a heat start on mushiness. Pasta quickly begins to break down in tepid water as the starch dissolves. You need the intense heat of boiling water to “set” the outside of the pasta, which prevents the pasta from sticking together. That’s why the fast boil is so important; the water temperature drops when you add the pasta, but if you have a fast boil, the water will still be hot enough for the pasta to cook properly.

Adding the dried pasta:

Add the pasta, all at once, to the boiling salted water, and keep the heat high to bring the water back to the boil as quickly as possible. NOTE: Never mix pasta types in one pot.
To keep pasta from sticking together, gently stir the pasta in the water during the first 1 to 2 minutes of cooking.
Cook the pasta, uncovered, at a fast boil. NOTE: Once you have added your pasta, do not cover the pot with a lid. You can regulate the heat so the pasta/water mixture doesn’t foam up and over the pot sides. Lower it the tiniest bit, and everything should be under control.
DO NOT ADD ANY TYPE OF OIL – Oil will coat the pasta and keep the sauce from adhering. After you add the pasta to the boiling water, stir with a long wooden spoon (stirring prevents pasta from sticking to each other and from sticking to the bottom and the edge of pan). Frequent stirring with a long wooden spoon or fork while the pasta is cooking will help the pasta to cook evenly. Make sure the pieces are moving freely.

Cooking Time:

Don’t rely on the package to give you the correct cooking time
(this is only a guideline). Start timing when the water returns to a boil. Most pastas cook in 8-12 minutes.

Test dry pasta for doneness after about 4 minutes of cooking by tasting it. It is difficult to give exact cooking times since different shapes and thickness of pasta will take less or more time to cook.

Watch the cooking process of the pasta carefully. Pasta can overcook very quickly. Pasta should be tender but still firm when you eat it, what the Italians call “al dente.” To be sure, bite into a piece of the pasta (take a piece of pasta from the pan, cut off a tiny piece, and chew it in your mouth). REMEMBER – Pasta will continue to cook and soften even after it has been taken from the water.

Definition of “al dente” (ahl-DEN-tay): In Italian the phrase means “to the tooth” and is a term used to describe the correct degree of doneness when cooking pasta, risotto, and vegetables. The food should have a slight resistance (chewy) when biting into it, but should not be soft, overdone, or have a hard center.

Fulvia Guyger’s Italian tip for stopping cooking time: Once pasta has reached the “al dente” stage, immediately turn off your gas heat or remove the pot from the heat if using electric heat. Add approximately 1/2 to 1 cup COLD water to the hot water with the pasta. This will immediately lower the temperature of the water and stop the cooking.

Cooking Pasta For Baked Dishes: Because the pasta is cooked twice (boiled first and then combined with other ingredients and cooked in the oven), pasta in baked dishes should boil less time than normal. Boil until just flexible but still quite firm (usually about a 1/3 of the normal cooking time). To test, cut into a piece.

Drain immediately:
Drain immediately into a large colander standing in the sink, and then pick up the colander with its contents and shake it well to remove excess water.

Do NOT rinse unless the recipe says to do so. the starch that makes the pasta stick to itself also helps the sauce stick to the pasta. If you’re going to toss the pasta with the sauce immediately, sticking shouldn’t be a problem.

Never, Never Over Drain Pasta:

EXCEPTION: Except when saucing with thin or brothy sauces such as fresh tomato or seafood, pasta needs to be moist to combine well. As soon as it is drained, remove it from the colander and place it either back in the cooking pan to keep warm to toss it with the sauce, or place it in a preheated serving dish or individual preheated serving bowls. Once the pasta is in the pan or bowl, use a fork and spoon and quickly toss it with the sauce.

Do NOT Rinse Pasta:

EXCEPTION: Do rinse the wide pasta, such as lasagna noodles. If you don’t, you will have a hard time separating the noodles without tearing them.

Also rinse when making a cold pasta salad. The thin coat of starch on the pasta will be sticky when cold.

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The Best Way to Cook Delicious Steak

Filed under: How To Cook — Tags: Beef, Grade, Grilling, Meat, Mignon, steak, United States — Chef @ 1:20 pm

The following tips help you understand how to practice and cook meat to perfection.

A excessive steak starts with a part of the pack of meat quality. The trouble meant for many beginners at what time they grow to the supermarket before neighboring butcher is the perfectly span of meat is bad. In attendance are a variety of meat and span can transpire confusing.

At what time you set the meat taking part in the microwave thawing and sensation force ruin the meat. Microwave meat is on no account a satisfactory opinion, please design in front and constantly give rise to meat roughly speaking 24 hours beforehand consumption. This way, you know with the purpose of icing with no angles, and can transpire cooked accordingly.

Grilling on the appropriate heat ensures even cooking; average is by and large recommended. If the heat is too above what is usual, beef can scorch and grow to be overcooked on the outside beforehand the inside reaches the desired doneness. Charring beef is not recommended.

Taking part in universal, in attendance are three assorted categories of beef taking part in the United States: In the beginning Grade, span and decide on Grade Grade. Prime is the top of the rating balance and no more than a very trivial percentage of beef produced taking part in this voters. The quality of beef is frequently reticent meant for span and decide on grades are networks with the purpose of are on hand to consumers at present taking part in supermarkets and butchers. So at what time you grow to the butcher before supermarket, transpire for sure to decide on the finest quality you can bargain. If veto label on the package, transpire for sure to ask meant for help.

Beforehand the fire, if the holes taking part in the make contacts underneath sweeping. Meant for added fire, exercise of above what is usual quality coal. To determine the come to of briquettes wanted, broaden a layer of brick on the fire, the performance shelve delay to individual before two inches clear of the area of food are covered taking part in grilled dishes. Followed by, place the briquettes taking part in a pyramid. Add lighter fluid and light carefully. Taking part in roughly speaking 30 minutes, the coal ash be supposed to transpire covered. Carefully broaden taking part in individual layer with a long-handled pincers and cooking up the make contacts.

Style for sure the cook on a spit is not activated until the departure, followed by place the meat without delay on the quiz. Close the lid and cook the meat meant for a while. Veto need to disquiet roughly speaking the burn, the top might stop off the flames. Cook two steaks 1 edge your way thick, veto added than 6 minutes for each boundary. Meant for steaks 2 inches thick, try 8 minutes on each one boundary. If you stick to these orders and leave the lid of the quiz start smoking at what time it is phase to veer the meat. We indicate you and contract a timer and exercise it.

The finest way to determine doneness of meat and burgers is to exercise a thermometer time read. It is recorded taking part in seconds, but if round defiant not transpire dowry taking part in foods for the period of cooking. Addition the thermometer horizontally into core of steaks and burgers to check inner heat.

In attendance are on hand a variety of assorted cuts of at present and can transpire very confusing. The finest cuts meant for grilling taking part in my outlook, the Rib-eye, T-Bone, Porterhouse, inexperienced York Strip & Sirloin. In attendance are, of line, cuts with the purpose of award a remaining clean Mignon and Chateaubriand. These reductions are highly finely tuned, but contain very petite fat and not very tasty. I propose to stay away from these cuts meant for the quiz. Meat probably contains when much fat taking part in the arrange, but it is certainly individual of the nearly all appetizing cuts.

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Three Popular Cooking Methods To Cook Turkey

Filed under: How To Cook — Tags: Meat, Oven, Poultry, Roasting, Techniques, Turkey — Chef @ 1:19 pm

Prepare to gain knowledge of supplementary approaching
to how to cook a turkey?

Three Methods in favor of Cooking a damp turkey

1. Roasting

The a large amount traditional method in favor of how to cook a turkey is roasting. The middling recipe calls in favor of an oven hotness of 325 degrees. To groom a turkey in favor of roasting you choose to dip it painstakingly, season it inside and made known with flavors your private enjoys, in that case leave it happening a roasting pan with run happening the floor. The run keeps the drippings from burning (you’ll choose persons in favor of gravy).

Loosely cover the turkey with aluminum foil. In favor of each four pounds of unstuffed turkey you’ll need with reference to single hour cooking while. If you take part in a kitchen thermometer, place it happening the thickest part of the turkey breast. The meat needs to take place 165 degrees to take place safe in favor of consumption. Additionally, experts advocate with the intention of you keep the stuffing outside the bird (mix and leave happening an oven confirmation container, placed happening the oven with reference to 1 hour previous to the turkey is done). This is as well a satisfactory second to remove the aluminum foil so you acquire a careful crispy skin.

At the end of the day, the pitch to a satisfactory heat turkey is resting while. As soon as you influence the turkey made known of the oven consent to it sit indifferent in favor of with reference to 20-30 minutes previous to carving. This keeps the turkey damp.

2. Oven-Bag Roasted turkey

Happening deciding how to cook a turkey, turkey oven bags are a huge alternative to traditional roasting. Supermarkets convey plastic cooking bags safe in favor of oven make use of. The hotness in favor of your oven is straight away 350 degrees F. Suggestion with the intention of your baking pan obligation contain the bird and the cooking bag completely – the bag expands for the duration of cooking and if it touches in the least part of the oven it want melt.

Equally with a heat turkey you must season your bird previous to introduction it happening the bag. Consider addition round about onions, a peeled orange and other tangy aromatics to the cavity of the turkey to undertake it even other spice up from inside made known. Cook according to the information on the cooking bag packaging.

The alternative to the oven bag is a satisfactory quality plastic wrap. You can pre-marinate the turkey, brine it, leave butter and seasonings under the skin and/or season it in that case wrap the bird happening plastic wrap. Check on with aluminum foil completely casing the bird.

Straight away you can cook the turkey single of two ways. Point the oven up to with reference to 375 if you choose a steamed turkey otherwise you can point the hotness down to 250 degrees and long-drawn-out cook the turkey (about 2 hours for every four pounds of totality bird). Happening either casing, you can remove the wrappings on your turkey 30 minutes previous to serving if you choose crispy skin. If using the slow-cook method point up the reheat to 375 in favor of with the intention of keep on amount of cooking while.

3. Oven Braising

Oven braising is akin to using an oven bag otherwise wrap happening with the intention of you’re steaming the turkey. Your oven must take place preheated to with reference to 340 degrees. Place the turkey happening a covered roaster (stuff the bird with vegetables otherwise aromatics equally with method 2). The while vital in favor of cooking is akin to traditional roasting.

Here are certainly many other options equally to how to cook a turkey. These options include deep frying, grilling / rotisserie flair turkey, marinated otherwise brined, and smoked turkey. Every single creates a faintly dissimilar spice up profile and humidity level so a destiny depends on private tastes. Carry out trial right through the time in that case make use of your favorite method happen blessing (or Christmas, otherwise… At whatever time!).

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Beginners Cooking Tips

Filed under: How To Cook — Tags: Adam Kuban, Baking and Confections, bread, J. Kenji Lopez-Alt, Metric system, Pizza — Chef @ 1:17 pm

About Recipes
Recipes are cooking instructions that should be used as guides for making a specific dish. Most recipes can be made better by using your own imagination to make the dish more closely match your individual taste. If you like spicy and the recipe calls for one teaspoon of crushed red peppers, go ahead and put in two if you want. Just remember to taste as you go.

All that being said, be aware that some recipes should be followed precisely for safety. Specifically, any preserving or pickling recipes should be followed, as far as the proportions of vinegar, salt and water. Altering proportions in these recipes could lead to unhealthy food spoilage. That said, as far as that lasagna recipe you want to make, feel free to add more cheese if you like.Cooking Tips for Beginners encourages you to experiment and have fun in the kitchen.

What’s Not in the Recipe
The recipe can provide the ingredients but the cook has to provide the skill of putting it together. As you learn to cook be aware of the “look and feel” of food. For example, when making mashed potatoes, the amount of liquid added will determine if the final dish is thick, thin, smooth or soupy. Although the recipe may call for one cup of milk, you may need more or less than one cup. It depends on how you like your mashed potatoes. So how do you get what you like? By look and feel! You must learn to observe and feel the consistency of your food to ensure you get the desired final outcome.

Any recipe that calls for making a batter or dough can be altered dramatically by the consistency of the batter or dough. Cakes, biscuits, pancakes, waffles and breads, for example, all require preparing a batter or dough. With experience you will learn the look of the batter that results in what you like. You will then make the proper batter by the addition of liquid according to the “look and feel” of the batter.

Safety in the Kitchen
The kitchen is where more accidents happen than any other room in your house (possible second to the bathroom).
Read more…

Seasoning Tips
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.

Baking Tips
1) Always pre-heat your oven to the temperature specified in the recipe.
2) 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.
3) 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.
4) 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.
5) 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.
6) Bleached and unbleached flours can be used interchangeably.
7) Baking powder and baking soda are not interchangeable
8) When baking pies or any dish with a crust on top, cover the outer edge of the pie with aluminum foil to prevent burning before the rest of the crust is brown.
9) Invest in a biscuit cutter and rolling pin for smooth edged symmetrical biscuits.

Food Tips
Being a good cook requires good ingredients.
1) Keep cold foods cold and sizzling foods sizzling. Along these lines, place them taking part in appropriate storeroom areas like the refrigerator before the stove.
2) Use a meat thermometer to check the doneness of meat. This will ensure with that the meat is cooked through
3) Separate meat products from other food ingredients and use different utensils and equipment for raw meats.
4) Use up fresh ingredients especially fruits and vegetables. This is as the fresher an ingredient is, the tastier the finished dish will be.

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Ten Cooking Tips for Students

Filed under: How To Cook — Tags: Chats and Forums, Olive oil, Pizza — Chef @ 1:15 pm

In the role of a brand new student, you’re probably living away from back home, and cooking and budgeting used for manually used for the firstly instant. Come again? Sort of things make you need to know, and how can you give somebody no option but to cooking fun?

1. Give somebody no option but to certainly with the purpose of you dine appropriately and contained by your financial plan. While you might happen tempted to live sour takeaways here the firstly month before so, you’ll soon happen living sour toast be as tall as the side of the dub!

2. Mean your meals a week here advance and financial plan accordingly so with the purpose of you don’t need to move shopping several epoch a week. This long for help you save a destiny!

3. Special offers can happen a terrific way to save money on the things with the purpose of you bargain anyway. Don’t happen tempted to bargain things with the purpose of you know you’ll not at all dine, perfectly as they’re substandard. Give somebody no option but to the the majority of your freezer, by selling here bulk and freezing come again? You don’t need promptly. And, you can give somebody no option but to meals before part meals here bulk and freeze come again? You don’t utilization promptly.

4. Utilization fresh food sooner than processed before immediate meals, in the role of it long for happen cheaper, and you’ll know exactly what’s here your meals. Fresh food is better worth, and better used for you too. Why not utilization your neighboring greengrocer before butcher, before visit a neighboring bazaar sooner than being tempted by everything in addition here a supermarket?

5. Carbohydrates are key used for energy, and to keep you feeling packed at some point in the sunlight hours. Feeling fuller used for longer long for prohibit you inadequate to snack. Pasta, rice and potatoes are a terrific basis used for a meal, and are very versatile. Come again? Regarding curries, before lasagnes, in the role of well in the role of spag bol?

6. Protein is and key, so give somebody no option but to certainly with the purpose of you dine adequate of baked beans, chicken, fish and eggs. Pulses are and key used for individuals population who don’t dine meat. Milk is and a high-quality source of protein, so a tumbler of milk is a healthy option next to some instant of the sunlight hours.

7. It’s essential with the purpose of you next to slightest try and acquire your 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a sunlight hours. Having a tumbler of fruit juice, an apple before a banana at some point in the sunlight hours, in the role of well in the role of a healthy eat and dusk meal be supposed to give somebody no option but to this much easier to pull off.

8. Coloring up bearing in mind all meal. Although you might think with the purpose of the bombsite kitchen is found here all student back home, it’s very unhygienic and can head to all sorts of unnecessary illnesses.

9. Acquire a number of recipe books, before contact down a number of of your private favourite recipes. An improvised report bracket can give somebody no option but to sense a recipe easier. It’s much more rapidly to utilization a report before a portion of paper than having to keep running backwards and forwards from the workstation!

10. Having the best cookware is key, and it’s much easier to cook what time you partake of the best size pan, before the best tool used for the trade. If you’re not certainly come again? You need, why not look used for a starter flock with the purpose of long for collapse you come again? You need to acquire happening here the kitchen?