Some Few Gourmet Tips

In pasta

Always cook pasta in salted water, but dont add the salt until the water boils. You'll need 2 tablespoons of coarse (kosher) salt for 1 pound of pasta. Salted water has a higher boiling point, so it will take longer. Taste the pasta to determine if it is done. perfectly cooked pasta should be "al-dente", or firm to the bite, yet cooked through. Another advantage to cooking pasta al dente , is that it preserves some of the vitamins and minerals that are lost into the cooking water with longer cooking times.


When adding-up ingredients

When a recipe calls for adding oil, garlic and onions to a pan, add garlic last. This keeps it from burning and tasting bitter.


In making chocolate shavings

To make the best and prettiest chocolate shavings, use white or milk chocolate, they are softer in texture and curl better.


When unmolding gelatins

To help gelatin hold its shape when unmolded, add a teaspoon of white vinegar to the recipe.


When scooping rock-hard ice cream

When ice cream is rock-hard, dip the scoop in hot water to make scooping easier.


To obtain fluffier mashed potatoes

To make mashed potatoes fluffier, add a pinch of baking soda along with the butter and milk.


When lack of brown sugar

If youre out of brown sugar, try substituting an equal amount of granulated sugar plus 1/4 cup molasses (light or dark) for every cup of white sugar.


To obtain a uniform mashroom slice at the same time quicker

To slice mashrooms quickly and uniformly, use an egg slicer.


When cooking shrimp

When shrimp curl into a semicircle theyre done. When tightly coiled, theyre overdone.


To avoid bacon in sticking together

Bacon strips won't stick together if you roll up the package like a jelly roll before opening it.


To avoid boil-overs

To prevent boil-overs, apply a thin coat of cooking oil around the top of the inside of pots.


To make mixing or whipping easier.

To keep a bowl steady while you mix or whip ingredients, place it on a dampened cloth.