Angel Dee’s Cooking Tips For Beginners

One of my favorite things to do is to cook.  I love to try new recipes and am always ready for tips and advice.  So I thought that I would share a few common kitchen mistakes.

I started cooking at a very early age.  I was interested and my mom could use the help so she began to teach me.  I tried to learn everything I could from her and my great aunt.  Of course, I made a lot of mistakes, and I still do.  But I have learned a lot of tricks along the way and I'd like to help those who are just now deciding to learn.

Tip #1

The biggest mistake I ever made was when I decided to cut out as much fat as I could.  I started to buy extra lean ground beef.  My food was dry and not very tasty.  So I went back to buying 80-85% lean.  The fat helps to cook the food and keep it moist.  Then to get the leanness, I just drained the fat.  Food instantly tasted better.  Once you drain the excess fat, the meat becomes lean.

Tip #2

Another big mistake I made was putting tomatoes in the refrigerator.  I thought that all fruits and vegetables went in the fridge.  Well they didn't last very long and they even lost some of their flavor.  So I began to look into it a little.  I found that excess cold or heat is bad for tomatoes.  The best thing to do is to store them on the kitchen counter.  The will last longer and be full of flavor.

Tip #3

My last tip for today is heating your skillets and pans.  When cooking my mom always turned on the skillet before putting food in to cook.  I never understood why.  As I cooked more and began experimenting, found that a cold pan and cold oil cause a lot of sticking.  This is a pain when you go to wash dishes.  If you heat up your pan and oil for a few minutes before putting the food in, the result will be a nonstick pan.

These are just a few tips to help you out in the kitchen!   I hope they help you in your kitchen mission.  Do you have any helpful tips for cooking?