Preparing culinary delights is something everyone with a
flair for cooking loves to do. Did ever wonder how some of
the world's greatest chefs accomplish what they do with
some of your favorite foods? Well, you're about to be let
in on some very "insider" secrets in this special excerpt
from "Tips And Tricks On Cooking Like A Chef". You will be
given top level advice on what to do with pasta, rice and
potatoes.
When pasta is fresh it tends to require less water than
dried pasta. You need to have a large saucepan of rapidly
boiling water ready—just about enough boiling water
for the pasta to cook in. To prevent the pasta from
sticking together, a little oil should be added to the
water. Next, you add the pasta to the pan, seeing to it
that the water stays boiling and stirring slowly for ten
seconds to separate the pasta. Depending on the type of
pasta you're using, boil for two to four minutes.
Spaghetti should be untangled before serving. Sometimes,
when you allow spaghetti to cool for too long, it becomes
tangled. If this happens, toss it back into the hot water
and stir with a large spoon. Right after that, drain and
rinse the pasta in cold water. Some olive oil may be added
if you see it fit.
Al dente pasta is a special type of pasta. Al dente, an
Italian phrase, means "to the tooth".
Cooked pasta should be soft but still firm when you bite
it. It is said that the easiest way to determine whether
pasta is "al dente" is removing a piece from the saucepan
and testing it between your teeth. The ideal "al dente"
pasta will have some texture when bitten, but it should not
be dry and hard in the middle.
Pasta is also cooked dried. There is a common mistake (when
cooking dried pasta) of not having enough boiling water.
Prepare a large saucepan of rapidly boiling water. Add a
little oil and pasta to the pan. To separate the pasta,
stir for twenty seconds. Depending on the shape of the
pasta and the flour used, boiling should be for ten to
fourteen minutes. To serve hot, drain and eat immediately
without any extra oil or butter. To serve cold, rinse pasta
under warm water, and then rinse under cold water.
If you want perfect pasta, do not boil the noodles!
Instead, boil the water and add pasta after turning off the
fire. Cover the pasta, removing cover only to stir the
pasta every five minutes for twenty minutes. This way, you
will never have overcooked pasta, but perfect pasta every
time.
Let's now move on to rice. Here are some tips for making
fluffier rice. Before adding rice, add one teaspoon of
lemon juice to the water. This will not change the flavor
but will plump up the grains to give you perfect rice.
Here are some tips for adding flavor to rice. Substitute
plain water for chicken stock, beef stock, or tomato juice
when boiling flavored rice. It may be served "as is" or
more flavor may be added by sautéing some vegetables
in olive oil and garlic and then adding them. This will
give you a delicious and healthy side dish.
Here are some tips for reducing the stickiness of pasta and
rice. Because of the starch in pasta and rice, they tend to
stick together. This may be avoided by adding a splash of
vinegar when boiling them. This gives you perfect,
stick-free pasta and rice every time.
Here are some tips for making the fluffiest possible baked
potatoes. You need to choose a potato with high starch
content. Examples of good choices are Russets and Idahos.
To aid steam in escaping during baking, pierce the potatoes
several times with a knife before placing them in the oven.
Wrapping your potatoes will cause them to steam rather than
bake, so do not do this. When serving your baked potatoes,
before adding toppings, cut a slit in the top and squeeze
the sides of the potato.
If you like to eat the skin along with your baked potatoes,
here are some wonderful tips for you. Before placing them
into a hot oven, rub the outside of your potatoes with some
vegetable oil. This will make it soft and delicious. A
little added butter and sour cream, or even shredded cheese
gives you a perfect side dish!
Smothered in butter or drowned in gravy...however you like
them...mashed potatoes are a wonderful accompaniment to a
variety of meals. To copy a page off the professional's
book, start making your mashed potatoes by putting several
whole garlic cloves in the water with the boiling potatoes.
The garlic, being cooked, will give the potatoes a
wonderful flavor when they are mashed. Add buttermilk,
cream cheese, sour cream butter, or a combination of these
while mashing potatoes. You may want to experiment until
you find what you like best.
If you need baked potatoes in a flash, here are some
excellent tips from the experts. Potatoes may be
microwaved, but are always nicer in the oven. Slicing your
potatoes in half (lengthwise) and baking them with the flat
part facing down, will facilitate speed in baking. Remember
to grease the baking sheet, then simply place potatoes into
a 375-degrees oven for approximately thirty minutes.
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Patrick Carpen, the author of this article, is the writer
and developer of the website:
http://www.platinumrecipescollection.com . The Platinum
Recipes Collection is the internet's most comprehensive
recipes collection.
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