Preparing food does not come easy to everyone. Some children grow up in households where cooking is a form of love language– where batches of food and baked goods from grandma’s old recipe book are constantly passed around and enjoyed by many. Other households view food only as a form of sustenance, meant to nourish our bodies and provide energy to carry out our daily tasks and routines. Other people are not as fortunate to have a positive relationship with food, obsessed with counting calories and macros, maintaining a certain weight, or look that makes them feel good. Any way you view food- learning how to prepare meals that you and your family (however big or small) can enjoy is an essential part of life.
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Cooking is an art form
Cooking food is considered an art form in our culture- many chefs pride themselves on combining unlikely ingredients in a savory, delicious way that many people can be blessed with tasting. A refined palette is considered highly revered in the food world, creating jobs like chefs, taste testers, and critics. While composing a list of ingredients that blend well together in an assorted dish might sound easy to some people, others struggle. This is where the blessing of the internet takes place. The internet offers an endless supply of recipes from an incredible variety of cultures, people, families, and even professionals. Websites and blogs much like this one you’re reading are filled with step-by-step directions for whatever type of food you are interested in making or simply learning about. Sites like Pinterest provide the convenience of narrowing the search for a specific target few words into helpful tips and techniques for whatever you may seek. Being a novice myself in the world of cooking, these prove incredibly valuable for taking on the role of a chef during the many house gatherings, parties, work functions, and get-togethers my family and I are a part of each year. How-to-boil.com supplies the reader with an abundance of recipes and guides on the preparation of diverse recipes. Depending on your skill and comfortability level in cooking, you may want to search for the basics of whatever dish you have in mind. For example, how-to-boil.com offers a plethora of simple ways to boil the necessities.
Boiling poultry
Duck, chicken, or another bird can easily be boiled to perfection to add to your selected sides. In five easy steps, you can cook the bird of your choice to moist, crispy excellence. First, begin by cutting your bird into smaller pieces, allowing the meat to absorb the flavors and water. The amount of water you use depends mainly on the size of your bird and container. A good rule of thumb is to ensure the meat is completely submerged with at least 4 inches of water above. Once boiling, you may add whatever fresh ingredients you would like. I typically add a whole onion and carrot, with a mix of my favorite spices and bay leaves for added taste. Once your ingredients are added and the water is back to boiling, scoop out the foam. This process will ensure that your bird is not greasy or filled with fat. While you don’t have to remove all of the foam, you want to get most of it. Once removed, let your bird boil for at least 45 minutes. This allows the bird to soak up the maximum amount of flavor and nutrition for your taste buds. Once finished, your bird should be easily sliced into, soft, and ready for serving.
Infographic provided by Iron Mountain, a provider of a retail display cooler
Other items
Not only can your choice of birds be boiled to add to a flavorful meal, but many other items benefit from the boiling process. The obvious ones are hard-boiled eggs or mushrooms, both of which a novice like myself can do without much guidance. However, items like plantains or peanuts might need helpful tips to ensure the maximum quality of food produced. Plantains are an excellent companion to a steak and rice meal, and boiling plantains are healthier for you than fried. The process is described above for a duck or chicken- first, slicing them into smaller pieces to absorb water better and continue boiling until tender and easily peeled. A helpful tip provided by how-to-boil.com includes a chart of exactly how long to boil green vs. yellow vs. ripe plantains, guaranteeing a delicious product.
Conclusion
All in all, even the food experts learned the basics from somewhere. To accumulate your skills to bring your meals to the next level, investigate the unlimited number of resources provided to you through the internet.
Featured Photo by cottonbro from Pexels