A cake with a filling will be better if it will stand for at least half a day.
Peeled apples and pears for filling will retain their color if wrapped in a vinegar-soaked napkin before cooking.
Walnuts for cakes and baked goods will taste good if they are lightly roasted before cooking.
To prevent walnuts from going rancid, they must be stored in a dry and cool place.
If you use only whites from eggs, then the yolks can be put in water, then they will last longer. You can also pierce the egg from both sides and blow out the white, leaving the yolk inside.
You need to brew tea only in porcelain or earthenware dishes.
Tea will become much more aromatic if you put a piece of orange peel, lemon or vanillin in the box where it is stored.
There are many quick desserts available. But we have selected some of the simplest and most popular for you. What can you quickly cook from delicious food?
For example, a layered dessert made from fruits, pieces of cookies, cream, mascarpone. Just lay out all the ingredients in layers in a glass and serve. Such desserts are based on the trifle, beloved by the British. When preparing a puff dessert, you can safely experiment with the ingredients.
A light and tasty dessert is also a smoothie, which can be prepared from a variety of berries and fruits. Curd and berry mousses can also be made in 10 minutes.
One of the popular quick desserts is chocolate-covered fruits, or fruits with cream. The original dessert is stuffed strawberries. It is enough to prepare strawberry cups and invite the children to fill them with mascarpone cheese and sprinkle with almond crumbs.
Instead of slicing fruit, you can surprise loved ones with an original dessert. To do this, take a pear and cut it into round thin slices. Mix curd with sour cream. Now coat all the pear slices, rebuilding it in the required sequence. As a result, you will get a pear tower, with layers of cottage cheese and sour cream.
You can go even further and make a real berry soup! Children and adults will also appreciate it. Sweet berry soup can be made from fresh berries or frozen.
A good dessert completes any meal with dignity, and this section contains recipes for treats that you will surely enjoy. Desserts are very diverse, including cakes, pies, soufflés and mousses; in turn, these dishes can have a wide variety of tastes – vanilla, caramel, cherry, peanut, apple, strawberry, chocolate.
Features of baking. Measure all ingredients accurately and accurately. To get the required amount of flour, spoon it into a dry measuring cup and then smooth with a rectangular metal spatula. Do not shake the cup or bang it on a hard surface.
Use a baking dish of the size indicated in the recipe. The wrong choice of shape will lead to the fact that the dessert burns at the edges or falls through in the middle.
The temperature in the oven may vary depending on the model and manufacturer. Therefore, check the readiness of the dish in the ways indicated in the recipe.
Features of the preparation of confectionery. Using a stirrer or two knives, grind the shortening, margarine (butter) and salt mixture, making sure the individual pieces are the size of a pea. Add the liquid (one tablespoon at a time), stir with a fork, so that the mass acquires the consistency of a dough.
If the dough sticks to your hands, put it in the refrigerator for a while. The easiest way is to roll out the dough using a cloth-covered rolling pin and a piece of cloth. To do this, dust the rolling pin and cloth with flour, after which you can easily and quickly roll out the dough. A tough pie crust is often the result of using too much flour and too much effort in rolling the dough.
Roll out the dough into a 3 mm thick circle; the diameter of the circle should be about 2.5 cm larger than the diameter of the mold at the edges. To shape the circle into shape, roll the dough lightly on a rolling pin. Then transfer the dough to the mold and unwind carefully. Gently press down on the dough with your fingers, being careful not to stretch it or leave scratches, otherwise the dough will shrink when baking.
It is said that the crust of a pie is often “blind baked”; this means that the crust is cooked before the filler is placed. To prevent the crust from swelling during baking, you can place foil filled with beans or rice on top of the crust. Then bake until tender. Remove foil and weight; return crust to oven for finishing or chill before placing filler
Do you want to cook the most delicious salads? We will help you with this!
Salad potatoes will not darken when boiled with a little vinegar.
If potatoes for salad are boiled “in their uniform”, then they must first be pierced with a fork in several places, then the peel will not burst.
Beets for salad will taste better when cooked in unsalted water. To prevent the beets from losing their color during the cooking process, add a little sugar to the water or pour in kvass, as was done in the old days.
It is not recommended to bake or stew beets in a metal dish or on a metal baking sheet – this impairs its taste.
Do not cook beets and carrots together, as this will not only lose color, but also taste.
So that the beets do not color all the vegetables in the vinaigrette, it must be separately seasoned with vegetable oil and only then combined with other products.
The successful preparation of any dish often depends on thoughtful organization and accurate execution of all operations. First of all, you should carefully read the recipe and all instructions; then collect all the ingredients and equipment. You should not make any substitutions in ingredients unless specifically noted in the text; in case of unjustified replacement, the taste balance may change and you will get an unsatisfactory result. Following the guidelines below will help you master the skills of making desserts and, to some extent, will guarantee success.
How to beat egg whites. The easiest way to separate the white from the yolk is when the egg is chilled. However, the whites reach their greatest volume if they stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before whipping.
When whisking the egg white, make sure the bowl and whisk are clean and dry. A small amount of yolk, water, or fat will prevent the whites from beating to their maximum volume. A stainless steel or glass bowl is recommended (plastic bowls may have an oily film even after rinsing repeatedly).
Beat the whites slowly at first, until they acquire a frothy consistency; then increase the speed. Add a pinch of salt and citric acid diluted with water to stabilize the result. Do not beat for too long, otherwise the whites will dry out and become lumpy.
You can beat the whites until you want them. If, for example, you want to get soft peaks after removing the whisk, then a sign of this consistency would be a decrease in peak heights while maintaining them. If you want to get the consistency of hard peaks, then their sign will be the preservation of height and shape.
Transfer the squirrels to another dish immediately, otherwise a delay in time will lead to a decrease in their volume. After that, you cannot whisk the mixture or stir in the usual way. The term “stirring” should be understood as “stacking the layers”.
Dissolving gelatin. Gelatin is used at the rate of 4 g per 100 g of liquid. It is first soaked in plenty of cold water. When the grains become transparent, the gelatin is thrown on a sieve and allowed to drain off the water, then combined with a warm liquid, stir well, bring to a boil, but do not boil.
Whipping cream. First of all, you need to chill the cream, bowl and whisk: the cold keeps the fat solid, so the cream takes on a large volume.
For optimum volume, whip the cream in a deep, narrow bowl. As practice shows, 1 cup of 25-30% cream should yield 2 cups of whipped. Whisk until soft peaks form. To check if the desired consistency has been achieved, remove the beater: the height of the peaks should decrease, but the peaks themselves are still preserved. Do not overdo it or the cream may turn into butter.
Burger! And if your mouth is full of saliva now, it’s time to learn the secrets of making the most delicious grilled burgers.
Any soft-baked product that can be cut into two parts: a lid and a bottom are suitable as a “burger bun”. Ideally, the bun should be slightly sweet. And experts also recommend not to take buns with a crispy crust and an excessive content of all kinds of bran.
Before folding the burger, grill the halves of the bun. If you don’t do this and put the cutlets on the bun right away, the bread will absorb the meat juices and the burger will fall apart.
The burger must have a vegetable filling. The classic assembly scheme: green salad, tomatoes, onions (fresh or fried), fresh or pickled cucumbers. But, in principle, you can add other vegetables (bell peppers, zucchini, and eggplant).
Traditionally, a hamburger is not complete without ketchup and yellow mild mustard. BBQ and chili sauces are also commonly used. Less often, cheese sauces and mayonnaise are added.
If you’re making burgers for the company, you can put patties, buns, and filling ingredients on the table so everyone can make a burger to their liking.
And no cutlery! Burgers are eaten only with hands.
Delicious steaks are made only from the rib and lumbar parts of the carcass. So that the meat does not deform during frying, it must be on the bone, and layers of fat are needed for the taste. The ideal option is a piece of beef from the lumbar part of the carcass on a T-bone. It is called a short loin and contains a thin edge of the dorsal muscle with a soft notch. We advise you not to waste time looking for it in stores but order it from a butcher in the market. In this case, you will have to cut the meat into steaks yourself with a hacksaw, but we think that this is a slight inconvenience compared to the deliciousness that will turn out.
You can cook steaks from fresh meat, but they will turn out to be harsh and not fragrant. In steak houses, cuts are exposed for a long time, up to 4 weeks, in refrigeration chambers at low humidity, good ventilation, and temperatures close to zero. This process is called “dry” maturation. During it, meat enzymes destroy connective tissue fibers and some proteins, it loses excess moisture. As a result, completely different meat is obtained: tender, rich in flavoring, and aromatic substances. Frying it is a real pleasure.
Pickled and defrosted meat is not suitable for “dry” ripening: changes have taken place in it, due to which ripening becomes impossible.
Before cooking, cut off the dried “crust” if you have meat after “dry” aging, and let it warm up to room temperature: a cold steak will take longer and unevenly to grill. Cut the meat across the grain into pieces at least 2.5 cm thick. One steak should weigh between 500 and 800 g. Before frying, brush the meat with vegetable oil – it will be juicier.
The actual roasting: press the piece against the wire rack for a short time so that the “classic” stripes appear on it. Fry one side for 2-5 minutes, then use tongs or a spatula to turn the meat over to the other side. To check if the steak is ready, do not poke the steak with a knife or fork over and over again to prevent the juice from leaking out. Do this once in the fourth minute, and if the meat is not tender enough, hold the steak for another minute or one and a half.
When the steaks are ready, cover them with foil and let them rest. Let them get to the condition due to the internal heat.
You can just chop and mix vegetables, but this is a recipe for a regular salad. We offer you unusual salads.
Green onion salad with egg. Finely chop the green onion feathers together with the white head, season with oil and salt, put in a salad bowl. Hard boil the egg and cut, put on the onion, garnish with a sprig of dill. Serve vegetable salad with meat.
Red sweet pepper salad. Cut the pepper in half and remove the seeds, cut into thin long strips, put in a salad bowl, season and decorate with a slice of egg and a sprig of dill.
Fresh cucumber salad. Cucumbers for salad are more commonly cut into slices, and if cut lengthwise and into large strips, it looks very appetizing. Place the cucumber slices on the lettuce leaves. Fresh cucumbers in a vegetable salad, go well with dill and oil and salt dressing.
Cucumber and tomato salad. Red tomatoes and green cucumbers on lettuce, decorate the salad with green onions and dill.
Tomato salad. The salad looks delicious, although it contains only tomatoes, a little sweet pepper, green onions, dill and lettuce.
Radish salad. Vegetable salad with radishes for lunch. Cut the radish into slices, add some cucumbers and tomatoes. Place on lettuce leaves, season with oil and garnish with egg wedges and a touch of sour cream.
Tomato and sweet pepper salad. Cut the vegetables for the salad, season with oil as usual and lay out in a heap, so that the salad is delicious, add a little cheese.
Delicious vegetable zucchini salad. Cut the zucchini into slices and fry on both sides until tender, covered with a little oil. Put lettuce leaves on a plate, on them tomato circles, then warm fried zucchini. In the oil remaining from frying the zucchini, quickly fry the garlic, cut into wedges. Season the salad with garlic along with oil, pouring it over it.
Fresh onions can be added or pickled (vinegar, salt, pepper).
We recommend using lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, or wine vinegar instead of vinegar. They will give a less harsh and more sophisticated aroma and taste.
Onions can also be caramelized. To do this, melt the sugar in a frying pan, then, putting the onion in it, hold it for another couple of minutes. It is appropriate to add a couple more spoons of red wine.
For a change, make onions in batter.
Mix egg, flour, salt, add spices to taste. We recommend oregano. Onion rings should be dipped in batter and fried in a large amount of vegetable oil (deep-fried), and after a couple of minutes on the grill.
The sauce is a moment of creativity in the process of preparing any dish. Pesto (Italian – based on olive oil, basil, and cheese), salsa (Mexican – made from tomatoes and chili, with garlic and black pepper), dzatziki (Greek – based on yogurt with herbs and garlic). In general, play fantasy, prepare the sauce!
The most commonly used ketchup. You can do it yourself. One of the recipes: peel tomatoes (6 pcs.). Boil sugar (4 tablespoons) with vinegar (half a glass), add tomatoes. Add mustard powder (2 tablespoons), garlic (2-3 cloves), salt, pepper to taste, tomato paste (2 tablespoons), and chili pepper. Cook everything over low heat until the tomatoes soften – about 15 minutes. Turn into a homogeneous mass with a hand mixer, cool.
