20 Cooking Tips For The New Cook

Sometimes the real obstacle to healthy eating is not knowing all the little tricks that make cooking real food real simple. So today I have 20 cooking tips to help make getting real food on your plate easier (and more flavorful!).

When cooking meat in a slow cooker, sear it first. This will help seal in the juices and give extra flavor to your meal.
Make your own butter. Put heavy cream into your food processor and let it run until butter forms. Rinse and squeeze out the buttermilk then store in your fridge.

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Keep cheesecloth in your kitchen. It’s handy for straining liquid from yogurt, and keeping a bundle of herbs together in a pot of soup.
Rub your steak or roast with fresh cut garlic before cooking. Stick slivers of fresh garlic deep into your meat for incredible flavor.
Be prepared! Always keep your pan lid handy for dowsing fat fires – they do happen! (Put lid onto pot to smother flames.)
Keep a kitchen fire extinguisher handy in your kitchen – and learn what to do for different types of fires.
Do as much of the prep as you can the night before for stress-free cooking. (What do you set out in advance?)
To add oil to a dish already cooking, add it in the edge of the pan. That way, it will be heated when it reaches your food.
Make sure fruits and veggies are stored in a refrigerator no warmer than 40 F.

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Wash your fruit and veggies before peeling – not after. (Too much risk of contaminating the knife, if you wash after.)
Soak veggies like broccoli and cauliflower in cold water for at least three minutes to make sure contaminants are released from the florets.
When storing fresh herbs, stand the stems in a glass of water in your refrigerator. They shouldn’t go limp and will stay fresh for days.
Save leftover sauce in ice cube trays. When frozen, add to a freezer bag of same type of sauce cubes. Reheat and use for quick dishes.
If you need to finely chop bacon, put it in the freezer for 20 min. This will make it easy to chop without being stringy.
To test if your oil is hot enough for frying stick the end of a wooden spoon in the oil. (Bubbles=ready!)
Always let meat “rest” for at least 10 minutes when you take it out of a slow cooker, pan or oven. It will cut much more easily.
Get to know parchment paper. It’s great for lining baking pans or steaming fish and veggies in the oven.
Learn “base” recipes and then experiment by adding different seasonings or ingredients.
There is no right or wrong cheese for a pizza. Go with what you like and what you have on hand.

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Learn basic cooking techniques by signing up for online cooking classes with Smart Kitchen. Click here for a free 7 day trial!