Cooking Easy (ePub)

Once the roast or turkey is cooked, there's always the task of making the gravy and waiting while it thickens. Luckily, there is a quicker way! Thicken your gravy by adding a tablespoon of instant mashed potatoes. Start there, and add more if needed until it's the right consistency. 35. Dried herbs versus fresh ones. Fresh herbs are best for flavor, but if unavailable, use about one-third as much dried. If a recipe doesn't specify fresh or dried, you can assume it means dried, since dried herbs are much more commonly used. Whichever herbs you choose, if you're unsure of the amount, start with just a little, taste often and add more during cooking. And to ensure that you're using dried herbs with the maximum amount of flavor, replace them every three months. 36.Add garlic to oils and vinegars. Oils and vinegars that have been flavored with garlic provide a quick and easy way to add some punch to salad 101 Tips and Techniques for Cooking Like a Chef 9 dressings, stir fries and meats. Once prepared they can keep indefinitely and can be grabbed whenever you want to add a little flavor. To make your own simply peel garlic cloves and cut them in thirds. Put them in the bottom of the vinegar or oil shaker and leave for a few weeks before using. 37. Use marinades to add flavor. A good marinade will add lots of extra flavor and juices to meats and vegetables. But be careful not to marinade longer than the recipe calls for. Some foods, seafood in particular, break down when marinated in acidic ingredients such as vinegar, wine or citrus fruit juices. The result can be a mushy mess that no one wants to eat! 38.Make thicker gravy. For thicker gravy, mix some butter and flour in a frying pan and cook until the mixture is smooth and thick. Add it to your hot gravy for a thick and rich texture. 101 Tips and Techniques for Cooking Like a Chef 10 Chapter III: Meat and Poultry 39.Choose perfect cuts of red meat. Red meat such as beef, pork and lamb should have a moist, red surface with no signs of drying or surface film. The fat should be a creamy white color and should not be dry. Look for even, wellcut meat that is free from sinew and excess fat.