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No one is perfect at cooking, and everyone, even the most famous chef, has room for improvement. Becoming a better cook takes time and trial. If you are looking for immediate improvements to your cooking skills, this article can help! Eventually, you may be confident enough in your cooking skills to start experimenting with your own recipes.

When baking pie or tart crusts, bake them longer than you think you should. Go past the usual pale tan color and take them to a caramel gold. The crust changes to the caramel color only after the sugar has had time to caramelize. This will give the crust the sweet flavor you want.

Cooking methods like boiling tend to destroy a lot of the nutrients that are in vegetables. To preserve their vitamins and minerals, cook vegetables quickly by steaming them or frying them. They can also be enjoyed raw.

Mushrooms absorb large amounts of water, and this excess water will go into whatever you are cooking with. Use a clean cloth to wipe them off.

After you have prepared some sauce, freeze the leftovers in ice cube trays. This way, when you want to make an easy meal another night, all you have to do is reheat it in a saute pan. No worries, because the sauce is still quite edible after being frozen in ice cube trays.

Use airtight containers to store all of your spices, seasonings and fresh ingredients. Keeping your food in sealed containers will keep them fresher longer as the air can't reach them. It is possible to buy these containers almost anywhere and they are well worthwhile.

The simplest way to prepare a pumpkin for cooking is to half it by cutting the pumpkin in half. Set each half cut-side down on its own baking sheet. Sprinkle the baking sheets with water, and put the pumpkin in a 350-degree (Fahrenheit) oven for one hour.

To make your cooking experience run more quickly and smoothly, commit some of your time for food preparation the night before a meal. Cut up ingredients the night before you plan on cooking a meal to save some time. When the time comes for you to put together the meal, it will be less stressful.

If you are cooking with ground meat, make sure you blot it before cooking. One good secret should always be blotting away at the built up moisture upon the meat's surface. If your meat is too moist, then it can affect how it cooks. It will sizzle and dissipate. The meat may then stem instead of sear like it's supposed to do.

When making salsa to be eaten later, rinse the onions after you dice them, and use a paper towel to blot them dry. Onions have plenty of sulfurous gas. Your fresh salsa will be ruined by this gas. Rinsing the onions allows the gas to be removed.

Prepare all of your ingredient before you begin cooking. This way, you can prevent distractions like hot oil in pans or other distractions. You can also save on gas and heat by not turning on appliances before you are ready.

Remember when cooking, even if it is just a simple dish, the fresher the better. Dried herbs like oregano are better with dishes that are complex. However, using fresh herbs in your dish is a lot better if you can because it provides a fresher, stronger, and yummier taste. You can plant an herb garden to make sure you always have your favorite fresh herbs available.

Do prep work in advance to cut down on cooking time. You can often prepare ingredients for upcoming meals a day or two in advance. There are many occasions where longer prep times actually lend a more flavorful touch to your meal. After you experience the benefits of preparing in advance, you may well make it your standard practice.

To get a firm shell for twice baked potatoes or potato skins, use a baking potato with a thicker skin. Red potatoes have thin skins and cannot support a dense filling.

As the above article has demonstrated, learning new methods of cooking is very exciting! It can feel even more exciting than eating the finished meal! This article should have provided you with ideas you can use for your meals, and new ways to cook in general. Cooking is a never-ending journey.

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