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Pastas
Setting up A Recipe File
A recipe file is a must for every new kitchen, and especially for a young lady who is setting up her kitchen for the first time.
Whether a newlywed or a young girl in her first apartment, they will appreciate this as a housewarming gift. A mother-in-law can make sure her son has all of his favorite foods prepared like at home; this may keep him out of your kitchen for a while too!
There are many ways to set up a recipe file, an index card or notebooks are two ideas. Another great idea is one of the recipe files you can purchase through the internet, the kind that sends out a new set of cards each month.
An index card file is one common way, and can be set up either alphabetically or by topic, (casseroles, desserts, breads etc.). This is up to your discretion, but a topic is usually the easiest for her if she is unfamiliar with cooking!
Be sure to provide plenty of extra index cards, they can be color coded for the favorite recipes or plain white cards; this again is up to you.
A notebook is the most common way to set up a recipe file, and leaves plenty of room to add recipes as she learns more about cooking. Pages can be added from magazines too, if she happens to find something she would like to try in a magazine.
You can include a category on meals, which could include cards with entire meals, on them, with the individual receipts listed separately.
Another category could include basic cooking facts, measurements, cooking times, kitchen tips are always helpful.
I remember one of the things that I didnt know was how long to cook a turkey, now they just have the little pop up to let you know, but in my time they didnt have those!
There are so many little hints you can give someone, to you they are standard, to her they may make the difference between a great meal, and a total disaster!
See Also:
Cooking & Recipes
Childrens Recipes
The Cost of Coffee
Efficiency will save you lots of time in the kitchen, to accomplish this, learn to do more than one thing at a time. Increased preparation time before cooking is another way to become a faster cook.
Read your recipe before starting, this will save you many headaches, like getting a dish ready and finding out you need bat wings and you dont have any! Just kidding, I dont stock bat wings in my kitchen either, but you get the idea.
Get everything you will need together, follow the order they are used in the recipe, this allows you to be sure that you have everything you will need. Once you are sure you have everything, measure out the ingredients according to the recipe.
Organize all of your ingredients on one side of the work area, as you use something, move it to the other side, lessens confusion as to whether you used it or not.
Use the cutting board for all of your non-meat items first, this avoids cross contamination. If you have to prepare the meat first, wash the cutting board thoroughly before using it for any other food items.
Keeping a sink of hot soapy water will help cleanup later on, just drop used utensils in the water and allow them to soak.
Sometimes it is better to use your hands to mix something than it is to use a utensil; it also saves time washing up later. I for one loved making mud pies when I was a child, the only difference is the mud is now hamburger and the crushed leaves are now herbs.
Salads are always mixed more evenly if they are tossed with your hands. Make sure to wash your hands thoroughly, inexpensive plastic gloves will help if you didnt like playing in the mud!
Coat measuring cups, spoons and molds with non-stick spray before putting anything sticky in them, the ingredients will slide right out. To prevent having to clean a burned on, sticky mess from your boiler pan, line the pan with foil and spray the rack with non-stick spray.
Re-sealable plastic is great for marinating and coating foods with flour or cornmeal.
Planning in advance can save you a lot of time in the kitchen opening up your evenings to spend more time with your family. |
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Preparing a Start up Set of Pots and Pans
Every womans kitchen is different, depending on how much time she spends in it, how much she likes to cook, how many people she cooks for and what she likes to cook.
A woman who cooks a lot of soups and stews for a large family will need large pots. A woman who cooks for only one or two people can get away with much smaller cookware.
Most women receive a few hand me downs from family and friends when they finally move away from home. It is amazing, as a matter of fact, how many items mom has two of in the dark recesses of her kitchen cupboards.
However, this will not cover all of your needs. As your experience grows, along with the types of recipes you prepare, your cookware will expand to cover those needs.
Skillets are a requirement if you plan to fry anything, which sooner or later you will, having coated skillets and cookware is a plus if you dont like food cooked in a lot of fat or oil.
A basic set of pots usually 2, 3 and 5 quarts and a stock pot, will cover most of your stovetops needs. If you plan to bake you will need a couple of pie pans, whether metal or glass is up to you.
A cookie sheet, not only for cookies, but for heating pizza, can also be placed under foods that may boil over, leaving a mess in your oven.
A casserole dish which can double as a cake pan can also be used for making lasagna. You will also need a colander for draining pasta; it can also be used while washing beans or lettuce in the sink.
You will find yourself coming up with unique ways to adapt recipes so you can use the pans that you have, and eventually you will purchase every thing you need to have the perfect kitchen for you.
Related Topics: Reducing Ingredients-or Pared Down Cooking,
The Cost of Coffee, Meal Planning
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