A couple of weeks ago, I shared with you about a new book that I really enjoyed, called Notes on Cooking. Well, now I've got a wonderful opportunity for you...how would you like to win a free copy?
FREE STUFF ALERT***FREE STUFF ALERT***FREE STUFF ALERT
Simply leave me a comment below, sharing your favorite cooking tip. It doesn't have to be long or complicated, and it doesn't have to be a recipe: just a tip. In a week, I'll randomly select a winner. There's another chance to win over at Cooking Gadgets...you're welcome to sign up in both places, but you can only win one copy of the book in the unlikely occurrence that you get chosen in both places ;-)
7 comments:
Wow! I can't believe that no one has put their names into the hat for this book yet. During BBQ season (which is all year around my place), I tend to purchase the family packs of meat then them break them down. Before I freeze the packs, I pour marinade inside. That way I can just pull out some meat in the morning to thaw and it is well marinated by the time I get home from work.
I'm not a big cook, so I eat a lot of lean cuisines; however, I like to jazz them up a little. I zap frozen veggies like peas and mix them up with a lot of them after cooking them in the microwave. This way, I get more veggies in my diet and it makes it feel like I'm eating more.
I don't do the cooking my sweetie does because he's the better cook. But I do make sweets. My favorite conversion of a basic fudge is for a non-dairy one for several of my lactose intolerant friends.
I use the Fantasy Fudge recipe but substitute the Nucoa margerine for the butter and Chocolate Almond Milk (2/3 cup) and Ghirdelli 85% cocoa chocolate bars for the semi-sweet chocolate. (read pacakages to be sure there's nothing that can hurt the lactose intolerant).
It has taken several tries to get this right including a yummy fudge topping good for icecream by not cooking long enough and a peanut brittle style hard candy by overcooking so the correct temperature is 136 degrees exactly or you get one of the variations which is still yummy!
My friends object to my going the extra mile by making things that are safe for them to eat and adjusting my menus for their diets but I'm their friend and I do it for all my friends. At one point there were 9 various allergies and adjustments that had to be made for a group gathering... it took 4 hours in the store to be sure everything was safe!
Ooh, looks like a good book! Well...our picky eater sometimes will eat whole pints of fresh berries at a time and sometimes will completely ignore them. In order to avoid wasting food, I freeze berries that are about to become overripe and use them (frozen) in fruit smoothies (he thinks this is ice cream and will generally eat/drink it).
I love cooking! My tip is to read as many great cookbooks as you can and start by following recipes exactly. As you progress you'll find certain spices and flavors resonate strongly for you. The key to becoming a great cook is to add your own personality to your meals by making small changes to the recipes to suit your tastes. Eventually you'll find yourself creating your own delicious recipes.
Cheers,
Madge
I love to cook. My tip of the day is to pre-chop up a whole onion even if you only need part of it. Save the rest in the fridge for sandwiches or to add to quick sautes.
One of our favorite tips is to harvest fresh basil from the garden when it's lush and thick, then whirl it in the food processor with olive oil until it's a paste. Then we freeze it in ice cube trays, pop them out when they're frozen, and store in zipper bags. That way, we can just use a few at a time. We use them all winter long in soups, for pasta sauces, for making pestos, etc.
We also do the same with cilantro, and use it for fresh salsas and skillet meals.
bobbi c.
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