Cooking Techniques

First, salt does not prevent sticking, nor does it significantly increase the boiling point of water. Salt should be added because you should always season every element of food that you eat. Cooking pasta in salted water means that the pasta will absorb some of the salt and therefore not taste bland. This cannot be corrected by salting the pasta later or adding salt to the sauce. All you end up that way is bland pasta with a salty exterior. You really should add quite a bit of salt to the water so it tastes like water from the ocean (don't worry, most of this will go down the drain, salt is cheap anyway). Really, pasta cooked in plain water is ultimately only good for the trash can.

With regard to adding oil to the pot of water, this is also a BIG mistake. I've heard various claims that it will help keep the water from boiling over, as well as that it keeps the pasta from sticking. First, if the water is boiling over, then just lower the heat. You don't need a raging flame under your pot to maintain a boil. I usually drop it down to medium-low or so on my stove. Second, if your pasta is sticking together, it means you're not using enough water. Ultimately, the addition of oil will inhibit the sauce from sticking to the pasta and will again result in bland pasta.

Try to use at least 4-5 quarts for a lb. and put a couple tablespoons of salt in it. Cook till al dente, usually the lower number on the box (i.e., if it says cook 7-9 minutes, cook for 7, then immediately add the pasta to hot sauce (enough to coat the pieces, but not for them to swim in), stir around, let sit for a couple minutes covered, then serve.

Anybody can make pasta, few make it well. Bon appetit!

1. 5-10 min nlkgreytyn

Curry for starters, then cardamon, coriander, onion, garlic, pepper, and pretty much anything you like.

chicken breasts should NEVER be boiled, it should be roasted or fried.

add some more fish sauce and lime juice and coconut milk

Yes, you can grate the peel of an orange to substitute for grated orange peel. Just be sure to grate lightly, as you only need the outer orange part, and not the "meat" of the peel. This is also referred to as orange zest.

Recipes call for clams to be steamed for about 10 minutes or until they open. Cooking the clams too long causes them to toughen.

Place almonds in a bowl. Pour boiling water to barely cover almonds. Let the almonds sit for 1 minute and no longer. Drain, rinse under cold water, and drain again. Pat dry and slip the skins off.

The unfortunate reality is that you can't fix it. There is no way to mask or remove that bitter, burnt taste, its always there, no matter what you do. You need to clean the pan very carefully, remove every bit of burnt carbon on the pan, and start over, I'm afraid.

Vinegar softens the meat and also adds flavor. The high acid content will chemically "cook" the meat a bit, too.

You can, but they won't taste as good.

You can cook the potatoes a day ahead and then heat them in the microwave and add hot milk or cream when you're ready to serve them. If you do this, I wouldn't mash them until they've been reheated.

Yes you can when you use cream cheese & sour cream instead of milk. They are called Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes.....I use garlic powder instead of onion powder.

Yes because the temperature it hotter in the stove than in water. It takes longer for water to boil then a potatoe to cook. And baked taste better.

(2) I have a different view. Baked potatoes are usually cooked whole or in large chunks and in order to be baked they must be cooked in the oven - it takes time and energy to bring an oven up to the right temperature and you have to heat the whole volume of the oven to do so - that is not cost effective.

It takes less time to bring a pot of water to the boil to boil potatoes especially if you start with hot water from the tap - you only need to raise the temperature a few degrees. And you are only heating the volume that will actually be used for cooking, not the whole oven. Furthermore, potatoes, especially if they are going to be mashed or used for potato salad, can be cut into small pieces beforehand, this further reduces the boiling time.

As a rough rule of thumb I would say that a potato that took 45 minutes to bake whole would only take about 10 minutes to boil if peeled and cut into quarters first.

Canned clams that are in unopened cans are edible for approximately three years. The best by date on the can does not indicate that the clams are spoiled after this date, only that they may not taste or look as fresh.

yes, cake batter can be beaten with a whisk, spoon, fork or spatula, or any other convenient utensil.

If you grill it over indirect heat (off to the side of the coals or burner) it takes about 20 minutes. Over direct heat it can be done in about 5 minutes, but there is a risk of burning it.

You can let them sit for a while out in the open (till they get a bit mushy), or add some sugar on top.

Alfredo Sauce is a fast and easy sauce and you should make it fresh because it makes all the difference in the world. There really was a man named Alfredo who owned a restaurant His original restaurant in Rome named Alfredo alla Scrofa at Via Della Scrofa, (female pig) is near Piazza Navona and was established in 1914. The Alfredo Sauce recipe was created to easy the stomach of his wife who was pregnant at the time and was having difficulty eating.

This is his original recipe.

Ingredients:

1 lb of fettucini pasta cooked al dente. You must drain and immediately add to the sauce

12 tablespoons of Butter

2 cups of heavy cream

1 cup of freshly grated parmigiano

Pinch nutmeg

Pinch of Salt

Very simple:

Heat the butter in a pan but don't boil.

Then add the cream slowly while stirring.

Then the pinch of nutmeg and when the pasta is cooked al dente, toss it into the creamy mixture.

Remove from the heat and add the cheese and stir until thick!

Serve with extra cheese if you like.

Put your oven at 375 degrees F. Dry run the ribs with a seasoning mixture of your choice. Some salt, lots of pepper. Time is a variable without knowing the amount of meat. Bake of 90 minutes and check for doneness. When the meat starts to pull way from the rib, take them out. Let stand for about 10 minutes before serving. Retain the juices for gravy if desired.

It depends on what kind of recipe you are using. Never substitute cream for milk when baking because cream has a much higher fat content than milk, and it will throw the balance of fats, sugars, protein, etc. off and possibly harm your results. In general, if you want to substitute cream for milk in a cooking recipe, that should be fine, you may even like it better, in sauces, for example, you will get a smoother mouth feel and better taste (fat tastes good). I especially like using cream instead of butter in mashed potatoes, it takes them from great to extraordinary.

You should cook a 5 lb. chicken for about 1 hours and 55 minutes at 350 degrees F. The internal temperature should be 165 degrees F when the chicken is done.

The oil should be 375 degrees - cast iron holds temperature best. Season the dredge and coat the chicken. Fry 15 minutes a side, and turn. It should be brown or golden brown - not dark brown. Have patience. If it comes out perfect the first time you were lucky. To me, (and I''m a lifelong cook) excellent fried chicken is a PhD in cooking. Only experience will perfect it.

Pork must be cooked to 145 degrees Fahrenheit because of reducing bacterial growth. The internal temperature of the pork must be a specific minimum temperature. There are parasites and bacteria that risk being ingested if the internal temperature is not high enough.

Because they were only meant to be eaten by groundhogs, brown bears, rabbits, and small ficticious forest dwellers. I must be one of the above mentioned animals. I like peas but they better have butter and salt on them. I hated them as a child but my tastes changed as I got older. Different people have different tastes. It's like ice cream. I like chocolate but can't stand strawberry. Different strokes for different folks.