Casserole Making Tips and Techniques

Casseroles are great for large groups of people, and are generally easy on the finances. Incidentally, they are also easy to prepare. The good thing about casseroles is that leftover meats, vegetables and starches like potatoes and rice are just as appropriate to use when making them, which in turn saves you money. Casseroles are usually served in the dish in which they were baked, and that means avoiding extra cleanup. Without any doubt, this is one versatile dish, both in cooking, in serving, and in cleaning.

During preparation, it is best to dice your meat, fish, and vegetables into equal portions so they will cook evenly. Also make each cut part small enough for the flavors to absorb into one another. For the sauce, instead of using the usual stock as a liquid, why not add in some wine? If your casserole calls for chicken, fish or any white meat, white wine would be the best complement. If you're using red meat, incorporate some red wine. Other ideas for liquids include using vegetable juice, milk, beer, cider, wine vinegar and lemon juice. Cheese, particularly cheddar, will naturally become crispy if you cook the casserole with the lid off. But there are other ways of adding crispy texture. You can top your dish with pecans and other nuts. You may also top with cubed bread pieces and crackers.

Meat Casseroles

Casseroles are usually cooked in large amounts and after eating a portion, the leftovers are refrigerated or frozen so that the remaining can be eaten another time. To freeze the casserole, you should consider a container that will easily fit inside a standard oven or a microwave oven to save time and trouble in defrosting and preparing. If the casserole is still warm, allow it to cool down fully before putting it inside the freezer. After covering it tightly with an air-tight lid, you will be able to enjoy your casserole for two to four weeks without compromising the taste. Remember to defrost it in the refrigerator or allow for extra time in the oven when reheating.

When you'd like to use the stored casserole, just place the casserole back into a baking dish. Reheat in the oven with the same temperature indicated when you initially baked it. You may have to extend baking time to assure the entire dish is completely thawed and heated through. From time to time, use a skewer or knife to check if the whole casserole is hot enough.

Casserole Making Tips and Techniques

Casseroles are true comfort food. We have put together a collection of delicious casserole recipes that will satisfy the hearty appetite; and that can be served for holidays, special occasions and everyday dining. Find the perfect casserole recipe from our growing selection of appetizers, side dishes, and entrees.

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A Few Great Cooking Techniques For Cooking Rice

Rice is a very versatile food which can be a meal in itself, can be eaten cold as a salad, hot as a pudding or it can be served as a meal accompaniment. Use online recipes to get the most out of your packet of rice and experiment with different rices - long grain, short grain, arborio or risotto rice, pudding rice, brown rice, wild rice and basmati rice.

Here are 4 ways to use rice:-

Meat Casseroles

1. Boiling rice - Rice is a great accompaniment to curry, chilli, casseroles, meat in sauces etc. and can also be used to make rice salads. You can purchase rice cookers or microwave rice steamers which are worth buying if you make a lot of rice.

To boil rice in a pan, first measure out rice and water. A mugful of rice will easily feed two people as a main course accompaniment and you will need twice as much water as rice, two mugfuls of boiling water. Either boil the water in a pan or use a kettle and then pour the water into a medium sized pan. Once the water is boiling, add the rice and a little salt. Bring back to the boil and then turn down to a simmer, place a lid on and leave to cook for about 15 minutes. Different types of rice will take different amounts of time so check the packet. If there is still liquid left after cooking, simmer for a bit longer, until it has been absorbed and serve. Some people like to place their cooked rice into a sieve and pour boiling water over it to rinse it, but this is not necessary.

2. Fried rice - Fried rice can be eaten by itself or as an accompaniment to Chinese dishes. It is a great way of using up leftover rice.

Boil the rice in the usual way and then let it cool. Beat 2 eggs together in a bowl and season. Heat some oil in a large frying pan or wok over a high heat and add the eggs when the oil is hot. Stir constantly until the eggs are softly scrambled. Add rice and some soy sauce or oyster sauce. Cook until the rice is hot and everything is combined.
For variety, you can fry chopped onion in the pan before adding the eggs and you can also add cooked chicken or cooked, peeled prawns when you add the rice.

3. Risotto - Making a risotto is easy but it does need your constant attention. Look for risotto rice or arborio rice in your supermarket.

Sauté chopped onion in a large, deep frying pan and then add uncooked rice with some mushrooms. Coat the rice in the hot oil and then start adding liquid such as stock or white wine or a mixture of both. Add the liquid a little (a ladle full) at a time and add more when the liquid has been absorbed by the rice. Stir regularly to stop the rice sticking. Once the rice is cooked and creamy (to your taste) add a knob of butter, some grated parmesan cheese and serve.
For variety, you could also add cooked chicken, sausage or prawns, frozen peas or sweetcorn - experiment.

4. Rice Salad - Making a rice salad is a good way of using left over boiled rice and is a great dish to serve at BBQs or to take on a picnic.
You need to either boil some rice and then let it cool, or use leftover rice. Make it the night before you need to serve it so that the rice takes on the flavours of the other ingredients.
Mix the cold, cooked rice with sweetcorn, chopped peppers, chopped chillies, olives, olive oil, crushed garlic, lime or lemon juice and then, just before serving, stir in some grated cheese. You can also do rice salads with chopped pineapple, tuna, beans and pulses, and cashew nuts. Look for rice salad recipes or make your own up.

A Few Great Cooking Techniques For Cooking Rice

Roger Wakefield is an ethusiastic amateur chef and writer who works for 'The Recipe Collection' internet site. If you want to impress your family with your culinary skills, and want to prepare and substantial rice recipes, then you should investigate 'The Recipe Collection', a collection of recipes which covers rice and paella recipes, (amongst many others). You will find a rice recipe there to delight the whole family.

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