In an era of many restaurants, processed foods, microwaves, delivery pizza and Chinese take-out, the art form of cooking is becoming a lost art. Yet anyone who wants to eat healthily, cheaply or just at home can learn the science of food preparation. This article has some pointers for anyone who wants to better in the kitchen.

Change from ordinary table salt when cooking, to sea salt or kosher salt. The latter will add a much better flavor to the recipe. While it is important not to over-salt food for health reasons, leaving salt out of a recipe altogether can result in a meal that tastes bland. So seek a middle ground when using this seasoning.

For a delicious take on pie crusts, bake them for longer than the recipe calls for. Your objective is to cook them past the point of being pale blonde, to the point where they become a golden caramel color. The color on your pie signifies that the caramelizing process is complete in your crust, yielding a scrumptious dessert.

Make soup stock in large quantities. Soup stock can be used in many different recipes. If you make a large portion of it once, it is easy to store for later use. Just put it in baggies that can be sealed. Put it in the freezer and thaw it out when you need to use it.

Always taste a cooked sample of you dish before cooking the rest of the meat. Many foods, like hamburgers, meatloaf and meatballs take careful seasoning to taste great. You should not cook the whole dish after it has been seasoned. You should cook a smaller patty first, so that you can make sure that the seasoning is delicious. You can then either leave as-is, or adjust your seasonings according to your tastes.

Your cake can be ruined if the baking powder is too old. In most cases, you don’t remember when you bought the box you have just found in the cupboard. Don’t gamble with it, test it. Put one tablespoon of baking powder in one third cup of water. If it fizzes, it’s good to use. If not, throw it away and buy a new box because what you have is too old.

An electric mixer is a blessing when you have to make your dough, but even this relatively easy task can turn into a nightmare when the dough sticks to the dough hook. To avoid the sticky mess, spray the hook with vegetable cooking spray and your dough will never stick to your mixer again.

Save your butter and margarine wrappers to use when baking. The wax paper that butter and margarine is wrapped in just happens to be the perfect size for greasing pans or rubbing onto a potato before popping it in the oven for baking. Save wrappers butter-side to butter-side in a closed storage container, so it stays fresh for your baking needs.

Preparing delicious, healthy dishes and meals for one’s self or guests and loved ones does not have to be troublesome. Apply the advice in this piece for success in the kitchen. Use the knowledge here to feed yourself and those around you with delightful meals sure to bring full bellies and smiles to faces.