Other

121 Cooking Secrets to Impress Friends and Family
19
82. Add flavor to rice. Instead of using plain water when boiling rice, try chicken stock,
beef stock or even tomato juice. Serve it as is or add even more flavor by sautéing
some vegetables in olive oil and garlic and adding them for a delicious and healthy
side dish.
83. Reduce the stickiness of pasta and rice. The starch in pastas and rices often cause
them to stick together. Avoid this by adding a splash of vinegar when boiling them.
The result will be perfect, stick-free pasta and rice every time.
84. Make the fluffiest baked potatoes. Start by choosing a potato with a high starch
content. Russets and Idahos are both good choices. Before placing your potatoes in
the oven, pierce them several times with a knife in order to let the steam escape
during baking. Never wrap your potatoes, as it will cause them to steam rather than
to bake. When serving your baked potatoes, cut a slit in the top and squeeze the
sides of the potato before adding toppings.
85. Soften up the skin on baked potatoes. Do you like to eat the skin along with your
baked potatoes? Make it soft and delicious by rubbing the outside of your potatoes
with some vegetable oil before placing them into a hot oven. Add a little butter and
sour cream – even some shredded cheese if you like – and you have a perfect side
dish!
86. Make perfect mashed potatoes. Whether you like them on their own, smothered in
butter or drowned in gravy, mashed potatoes are an excellent accompaniment to
many different meals. To make them like the pros do start by putting several whole
garlic cloves in the water with the boiling potatoes. The garlic will cook and once the
potatoes are mashed it will give them a wonderful flavor. While mashing, add
buttermilk, cream cheese, sour cream, butter, or a combination of these. Experiment
to find the taste that you like best!
87. Bake potatoes in a flash. Need baked potatoes fast? You can microwave potatoes
but they’re always nicer in the oven. To bake them quickly, slice your potatoes in half
lengthwise and bake them with the flat part facing down. Be sure to grease the
baking sheet, and simply place them into a 375-degree oven for about half an hour.
88. Undercook pasta and then add your sauce. To make the perfect pasta, cook it one
minute to two minutes less than what you read on the box and cook it the rest of the
way with the sauce you are serving with it. This ensures that you do not overcook
the pasta if you were to toss it in with the sauce after you cooked the pasta until it
was done in the pot of water.