Learning-by-doing: Cooking Tips and Tricks (2)
I know everyone was so excited to read part two, so without further ado, here are five more cooking tips and tricks I wish I knew sooner rather than later:
1.
Flour absorbs liquid differently based not only on type but also on brand. So, if your bread recipe asks you for 500g of flour and 260ml of water, chances are you will need to adjust these unless you use the exact same flour as the recipe’s owner. Some flour absorbs more liquid and some less, so be prepared to adjust!
2.
Mustard is so versatile! Growing up, we only used to have mustard with sausages or hot dogs, but I’ve later learned that there is so much more you can do with it. Honey-mustard glazes have become one of our favourites, and we always make sure to have a bit of Dijon mustard around – just in case a recipe calls for it.
3.
Garlic is STRONG, even in small quantities. As someone who grew up with Romanian food, garlic was present everywhere – we even used to eat it raw sometimes, to avoid vampires or something. I’m only probably kidding about the vampires part. Once I started cooking for Kokoro who was not used to garlic as I am, I realised that even two small cloves can be enough to overpower a dish. I once made a small bowl of tzatziki using five garlic cloves and 5 spoons of yoghurt, and you can use your imagination to know how that tasted. Moral of the story: use garlic in moderation based on your audience.
4.
Buy proper cupcake and muffin papers/liners that DO NOT STICK. Don’t get me started on how many pieces of muffin we’ve wasted because we bought the cheapest papers, thinking that they’re all the same. So. Frustrating.
5.
Making bread isn’t scary. Sure, you won’t get a five-star loaf, but there are plenty of recipes that yield good results in as low as 30min to 1 hour! So, if you’re really craving that piece of bread and don’t want to leave the house before dinner, head to Google, or to our quick and easy bread recipe here.