Helpful Cooking Tips

I have gone to over 20 cooking classes since last year and there are some basic cooking tips that everyone should know.  I put these together from the instructions every chef has given about commonly made mistakes.

1. Olive oil has a low burning point.  You can’t use olive oil to cook everything.  There’s no sin in using vegetable, grapeseed, or canola oils.  Peanut oil is ok, if no one has a nut allergy.  The important thing is that the oil you use should fit your situation.  For instance, if you are thinking of deep frying in olive oil.  Don’t!
2. Never use cold eggs to cook.  When cooking, the temperature of the eggs can effect the outcome.  It’s already made a difference in the cakes and pies that I make.  The truth is any ingredients from the refrigerator should be room temperature before use, unless the recipe calls for cold ingredients.
3. Frozen vegetables are a good thing.  Frozen vegetables have been flash frozen, to keep them fresh.  Using them cuts down your cooking and cutting time, when preparing meals.
4. Don’t rinse berries.  Rinsing strawberries, raspberries, or blackberries with water is not necesscery.  They hold the water and become mushy and tasteless.  Just wipe off excess dirt with a clean cloth or soft brush.  When using raspberries, always check the center for worms.
5. Seasonings don’t last forever.  If you have seasonings that have been sitting in the cabinet for over a year.  Throw them out.  Seasonings lose flavor, although, they can last longer if you keep them in the freezer.