In the arsenal of each housewife there are several culinary techniques and signature recipes that help out at a time when there is no time to prepare full meals. Novate.ru invites you to familiarize yourself with the most interesting of them and, if you like, take note of them.
1. How to make a quick snack
When only half an hour is left before the arrival of guests or family members, ordinary pita bread will come to the rescue, which many housewives always keep in their kitchen in reserve. It serves as an excellent shell for a future nutritious snack, since almost any food can be wrapped in it: grated cheese, cottage cheese with garlic and herbs, the remains of boiled chicken, and so on. In general, everything that is in the refrigerator can be safely used as a filling. A tube of pita bread should be twisted tightly and lightly fried in a pan until golden brown. You can also make a batter from an egg or put a lavash with a filling in a spiral in a frying pan in the manner of a Serbian burek and send it to bake in the oven.
By the way, you can even make a full-fledged layer cake from pita bread. To do this, alternately lay out the layers of pita bread, and on them - any filling: minced meat, sausage, corn, mushrooms, pieces of bacon, etc. To make the finished cake more tasty, sprinkle each layer with grated cheese. Such a dish is cooked for about 45 minutes in the oven at a temperature of 180 degrees - an excellent option when there are leftovers in the refrigerator that are not enough to prepare full-fledged dishes.
2. How to boil eggs in five minutes
It would seem that the eggs are boiling fast enough, usually ten minutes are enough for the yolk to completely harden. However, some housewives prefer to speed up this process even more, and therefore use … a frying pan for cooking. You need to pour a small amount of water into it so that it covers the bottom, and as soon as the liquid boils, lower the eggs into the container and cover tightly. After five minutes, soft-boiled eggs will be ready, and after eight - hard-boiled.
3. How to prevent pasta and cereals from sticking together
Everything is very simple here. If you fry cereals or pasta in hot oil just before cooking, a shell will appear on them, which will prevent them from sticking together during the cooking process. This method is suitable for rice, buckwheat, bulgur, quinoa, and any kind of pasta. The main thing is to constantly stir the contents of the pan so that nothing burns. As soon as the cereals or pasta acquire a pleasant creamy shade, gently pour boiling water over them so that the liquid barely covers them. Add water as needed, but be careful when opening the lid to avoid scalding yourself with the steam.
4. How to roast vegetables without grilling
In 90% of cases, we use a toaster for toasting bread, which later acts as the basis for sandwiches. But this device is great for other culinary purposes as well. You can roast sweet potatoes, eggplant, zucchini, potatoes, and even hard bananas in the toaster. The most important thing is that the thickness of the products is about five millimeters - this is the best indicator if you do not want the vegetables to burn or, conversely, remain raw. Before sending the future side dish to the toaster, grease the food on both sides with oil and lightly salt.
5. How to use the egg cutter for other purposes
We all know that the egg cutter does an excellent job of its direct responsibilities. However, if desired, it can also be used to grind other foods. So, it is useful for slicing strawberries, kiwi, avocado, mushrooms, apples, tomatoes with thin skin. Any perfectionist will be delighted with the result, because the pieces will be smooth and neat, like in the best restaurant.
6. How to make a universal sauce
If mayonnaise does not suit you as a dressing anymore, we suggest making a universal sauce that suits almost everything. We are talking about the classic bechamel, which can be put in pasta, combined with vegetables, fish, chicken, seafood, salad dressing, etc.
Making a delicate sauce is easy enough. Put three tablespoons of butter in a preheated pan, melt it, and then add two tablespoons of flour and stir well. The next step is to gently pour two cups of preheated milk into the pan, stirring constantly to prevent lumps from forming. Once the sauce has boiled, it will need to be boiled for two minutes for it to thicken. Season with salt and add some nutmeg to enhance the flavor. Voila - the universal sauce is ready.
7. How to shorten the cooking time of legumes and cereals
The easiest way is to soak rice, buckwheat, beans, lentils, etc. This procedure will allow you to kill two birds with one stone: first, you will get rid of phytic acid, which is contained in many cereals and legumes (it is not absorbed by the body and prevents the absorption of nutrients), and secondly, to reduce the cooking time. In order not to waste time, soak food overnight by filling it with cold water and covering the container with a lid or cling film.
Please note: If there is a little ready-made cereal left after lunch, you can freeze it, and use it if necessary. For example, buckwheat will be an excellent ingredient for cutlets. Place any remaining cereal in a bag or plastic container and then place it in the freezer. When you need an ingredient for a dish, remove the cereal from the refrigerator, transfer to a plate, add a small amount of water and defrost under running water.
8. How to cook the original scrambled eggs
Who doesn't love sausage and eggs for breakfast? Simple, fast, and most importantly - very tasty. But the usual way of cooking can get bored over time and want to make a more original dish. Especially for such a moment, we offer our recipe.
You will need two eggs, two slices of cooked sausage, one bunch of dill, two teaspoons of canned corn, a pinch of salt, and oil for frying. First, the eggs need to be washed in water and baking soda so that no contamination remains on the shell. Next, drain the liquid from the corn and set aside the required amount of product in a separate container. Remove the casing from the sausage, cut off two circles and squeeze out a part of the sausage in the center with a small glass. Preheat a skillet, brush the bottom with oil and fry the sausage on both sides until golden brown. Next, beat one egg at a time into the center, salt and fry until tender. Hearts can be cut out of the leftover sausage using a cookie cutter and added to the finished dish. After placing the eggs on a plate, garnish with corn and dill to simulate a mimosa blossom.
And we propose to adopt 9 cool tricks for housewives who dream of achieving something more in cooking