Cook
basic foods
A lot of us did not learn to cook from our mothers, although our mothers
tried to teach us. At the time we were supposed to learn, we were too busy
going out, listening to music and talking to our friends on the phone. Now
you are on your own, don't feel like going out to eat, or can't afford it
even if you did. You can call your mother, but she'll say, "I told
you so", or she'll come over to cook for you, or she is not much of a
cook either. If you don't want to go through the cookbooks with the
recipes that require 20 ingredients and hours of work, here is some help:
There
are a few basic rules to keep in mind:
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Buy fresh, good quality
ingredients. |
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Most foods are cooked on medium or
low temperature. |
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Use less salt and more herbs. |
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Most vegetables can be washed,
sliced and served in a salad. |
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To make a salad more interesting,
add fruit or nuts to it. |
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If you are out of dressing, mix
salt, oil and vinegar. You can add herbs you like. |
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Use sea salt |
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Use olive oil. If it’s too heavy
for a salad, use grape seed oil. |
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Most vegetables are boiled or stir
fried for a few minutes only. |
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Most beans are boiled for 1 hour or
more. They will absorb the water they are cooking in, so cook in a lot
of water. |
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Most fish are done in less than 10
minutes. |
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To cook
pasta: Wait until the water boils, add the pasta and reduce the heat
to 3/4. Don’t boil for more than 10 minutes. Add a bit of salt and
oil to the water after you add the pasta and stir once or twice. If
left in the hot water it will continue to cook.
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To cook
rice: Wait until the water boils, add the rice and reduce the heat to
½. Cook for 20 to 30 minutes. Cook the rice in a lot of water, the
rice will absorb a lot of it. Stir a few times. If left in the hot
water it will continue to cook.
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To boil
eggs, add them to the cold water. After the water boils reduce the
heat to ¾. Boil for 10 minutes for hard-boiled and only 3 to 4
minutes for soft. If left in the hot water they will continue to cook.
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To
stir-fry: Add only as much oil to cover the bottom of the dish. Add
the vegetable to the hot oil and stir until it changes the color.
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To deep
fry: Add enough oil to cover the food you will be frying. Add the food
to the hot oil. Do not stir; the food should rotate itself.
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