Some people find successful cooking to be virtually effortless, while others consider cooking to be an elusive art. Becoming good at cooking isn’t difficult if you educate yourself a little and persevere. Learning to cook is an extremely useful skill to have as everyone has to eat! This article includes some great tips for the beginner cook and for the experienced cook, as well.

If you are wanting to make a good sandwich, make sure you put the mayonnaise on from corner to corner. You don’t want to rush this step. Doing it this way will ensure that every bit is full of flavor. This will make the whole sandwich that much more tasty.

Cook your pasta one minute less than the package suggests, then finish cooking it in a pan with sauce. Your pasta will absorb more of the flavor of the sauce without having an over cooked texture. This can be a quick and effective way to prepare a pasta meal.

When you are chopping herbs before your meal, a tip that you can follow is to throw a little bit of salt on the chopping board. This will give you extra friction so that you can maximize your cuts. Quality cuts of herbs will lead to a great meal when everything is complete.

Use a collapsible steamer basket to make the best steamed vegetables. These devices are available widely and cheaply. They can slip into almost any pot you already have and can be used for almost any vegetable you would like to enjoy. Be sure to watch your cook time to avoid getting mushy vegetables.

To save on fat when cooking, use applesauce instead of butter. A cup of applesauce is equal to a cup of butter. This will reduce fat and calorie contents of your dessert recipe. It will also make your recipe moist and delicious. Most people won’t even be able to tell the difference.

A granite surface is great for thawing frozen foods, usually taking less than half of the time necessary for typical counter top thawing because granite absorbs the cold (and heat) of items placed on top of it so granite literally “sucks out” the cold from your frozen foods. Granite is also an amazing surface for pastry preparation when dusted with a little flour. If you can’t afford to redo your kitchen in granite, check out a granite dealer for scrap pieces or have a smaller piece cut and polished for a fraction of the cost of remodeling your kitchen.

Cooking a big meal? Do the preparations the day or night before! This way, you will have less to do on the day you are going to make your meal. For instance, if a salad will be part of your meal, make it the night before.

As stated previously, cooking isn’t all that difficult, especially if you arm yourself with some knowledge. Improving your cooking skills can be very rewarding in numerous ways. Just imagine the compliments you will receive from your friends and family as you serve that new dish you created yourself. By using some of the ideas presented in this article, you’ll be well on your way to becoming the kind of cook you’ve always wanted to be.