It probably sounds easier to buy microwaveable plates Malaysia and microwave your own meal of Diet Monsta for an immediate meal, but cooking your own food such as meats can be a rewarding experience. Cooking meats takes time and correct measures if you are actually serious in making them delicious for tonight’s dinner, but the end result will be worth it when done right.
Whether you are cooking lamb, chicken, beef or even others like venison (assuming you can find them for sale), the methods you apply when preparing or cooking meat are more or less similar, minus a few alterations.
Use a meat thermometer
Generally when cooking meat, as long as you are following the directions of your recipe, your meat should be cooked when both sides are brown in color. Leave them cooked a little longer and soon they are ready to be eaten.
If you are new to cooking meat or you still fear that you might overcook the internal meat too, go ahead and buy a meat thermometer. With it, you can check if the meat reaches the temperature needed to be done cooking. Whole beef is finished when it internally reaches 145 degrees Fahrenheit or 62 Celsius. The same goes to pork and ham while poultry needs 165 degrees Fahrenheit or 73 Celsius for safe consumption.
Meat thermometers are also very useful when you are cooking meat to a certain level of doneness, such as medium well or medium rare. Do keep in mind that even after being removed from the heat, meat continues to cook for a while.
Marinade early
Marinating meat is the main way of adding flavor prior to cooking them on a grill or so. Marinades are a mixture of spices, oils, sauces, juices and other ingredients. The idea is to soak them in the solution by hand or in a bowl full of it, then leave it for hours, preferably overnight.
This not only ensures that the flavor is already spread throughout your meat, but marinating will tenderize it too.
Get your hands dirty
Getting your hands dirty by making physical contact with your raw meat is a surefire way to prepare them, whether you are cutting or marinating. The latter is especially important as rather than using a brush or whatnot, your hands will work better in spreading the flavor.
So don’t be afraid of touching raw meat. You can always wash your hands later, and you will thank them for making your meal enjoyable.
Kitchen hygiene, however, must never be forgotten, so always wash your hands first before and after handling food. Cooking surfaces must be cleaned and sanitized to reduce the risk of contaminations.
Quit stabbing
Stabbing or poking your meat is not a proper way to flip your meat over. Doing this often will reduce the tastiness of its protein and make it drier. In other words, you will lose some or a lot of the flavor when making holes through the meat while cooking.
Use a spatula or tongs to flip. Or use something like a wooden spoon or so if you have neither of the ingredients. Alternatively, buy a spatula, tongs, or both first prior to grilling your meat.