Mushrooms do double duty as both a seasoning and a vegetable in their own right. In fact, white button mushrooms contain umami, a natural flavor enhancer that boosts the flavor of any food that the mushrooms are cooked with. When choosing fresh mushrooms, look for those that are firm and slightly moist, with no signs of decay. They should be heavy for their size and smell like the woods. TO ensure freshness, check the gills on the underside of the mushroom. If they're tightly closed, the mushroom is young, mild-tasting, and will last longer; if they are open, the mushroom is more mature and will have a more concentrated flavor but will not last long once you get it home.

Use older mushrooms soon after purchase. If you can, choose so-called "wild" mushrooms, most of which are now cultivated. Though they're more expensive than other varieties, shiitakes, creminis, chanterelles, and other wild mushrooms have more intense, interesting flavors, and a little bit tends to go a long way.

For wild mushrooms, please note that only mushroom experts should pick or use fresh mushrooms from the wild. Identifying mushrooms in the wild can be very tricky, and some varieties are poisonous.

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How to make mushroom powder
Another way to use dried mushrooms without soaking them is to grind them into a powder that can be added to a recipe as a seasoning. Don't worry about grit this way, because any grit in the mushrooms will be ground so finely that it will be unnoticeable. Dried mushroom powder can be sprinkled into a sauce, a stew, or a soup. It will swiftly season a breading for fried chicken as well as the gravy that is served with it. Dried mushroom powder can be added to salad dressing or pasta dough or sprinkled into simmering rice.

To make mushroom powder, coarsely chop a few dried mushrooms, place them in the well of a mini food processor or other small-size food processor, and process in pulses until finely chopped (you can also use a clean propeller-blade coffee grinder). Then, process continuously until the mushrooms turn into powder. Store in a tightly closed container indefinitely.

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Dried mushrooms have intense flavor. Mushrooms are mostly water, so when all of the moisture evaporates, the flavor becomes highly concentrated. When choosing dried mushrooms, look for large pieces with a uniform, dark color, since darker dried mushrooms usually have more flavor. Avoid dried mushrooms with tiny hole in the flesh, which may indicate that bugs have been living there. If possible,m smell dried mushrooms before you buy them. They should have a deep and rich aroma.

Choosing from among varieties of dried mushrooms
The variety of dried mushroom you choose will, of course, depend on the dish, but here are three ideas to get you started. If you are making a cream sauce or a veal or poultry dish,m consider dried morels. These darlings of the dried mushroom world have wonderful earthy flavor and meaty texture. For Chinese dishes, consider dried shiitakes, also called black Chinese mushrooms. They have tough stems that should be cut off and discarded after soaking (or you can add them to stock for flavor).

Storing and preparing dried mushrooms
Always keep dried mushrooms in the freezer, where they will be safe from insect infestation, and use within 1 year. Soak each 1/2 ounce of dried mushrooms in half cup hot tap water for 30 minutes. Plug out the reconstituted mushrooms with a slotted spoon, leaving the liquid in the bowl. Squeeze the mushrooms with your fingers to release as much of the liquid as possible back into the bowl. The mushrooms will have given up much of their flavor to the soaking liquid, but you can chop them and add them to the recipe for texture. Strain the soaking liquid through wet cheesecloth or a damp coffee filter to remove any grit. The liquid will be highly flavored, especially when re-hydrating porcini mushrooms.

Whenever possible, add this mushroom liquid to the recipe, replacing other liquids in the recipe if necessary. Freeze any leftover soaking liquid to flavor sauces, stews, braises, and other food that requires mushroom flavor.

How to retain more flavor in dried mushrooms when soaking?
Rehydrate them in cold water instead of hot. It will take longer, but more flavor will remain in the mushroom. This re-hydrating technique is especially useful if you are using only the mushrooms, and not the soaking liquid in the recipe.

Saving soaking time for dried mushrooms
Use boiling water instead of hot tap water. Soaked in boiling water as most dried mushrooms will re-hydrate in 10 to 15 minutes. When you use boiling water, more flavor will be released into the soaking liquid, so be sure to add the soaking liquid to the recipe if possible. Otherwise, soak the dried mushrooms ahead of time in cold water, then store them in a covered jar in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

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Making Chicken Stock

Chicken stock is one of the easiest and quickest stocks to make and it can be used whenever a well flavored stock is required in a recipe. You will get the best flavor if you use a raw chicken carcass plus the giblets, but if you have cooked a roast chicken, you can use the leftover carcass from that instead. Include any uneaten pieces of chicken wing or drumstick in the stockpot; they will help to give the stock extra flavor.

Chicken Stock Recipe
Makes: 1 liter
Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 2 hours

Ingredients:
1 chicken carcass (raw or remains from a roasted chicken)
Chicken giblets, but not the liver, optional
1 onion, roughly chopped or sliced
1 carrot, roughly chopped or sliced
1 stalk celery, roughly sliced, optional
1 leek, sliced, optional
1 mushroom or a few stalks, roughly chopped, optional
1 bouquet garni
6 peppercorns

Method:
Bread up the carcass into several pieces and put it in a large saucepan. Add 2 liters of cold water and bring it to the boil. With a slotted spoon, remove any scum that rises to the surface of the stock, then add the vegetables and flavorings.

Half cover the pan, reduce the heat and simmer gently for 2 hours until the stock has reduced by half.

Remove the saucepan from the heat and strain the stock, discarding the bones and vegetables. Reduce the strained stock if necessary then leave it to cool before skimming off any fat that rises to the surface. Use the stock immediately or store it, chilled, for up to four days.

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Miso is often used for seasoning soups and sauces. It is a salty-tasting Japanese fermented soybean paste. During the fermentation process, a dark liquid rises to the top. Known as tamari, this dark liquid is a strong-tasting form of soy sauce. Miso is ordinarily sold in vacuum-sealed pouches or tubs. There are darker, stronger,and chunkier misos, and dozens of variations in between. Experiment and find the ones that you like best.

When choosing and using miso, keep in mind that the darker the color, the stronger, saltier, richer, and more robust the flavor will be. There are four basic varieties of miso, each with a different color and flavor. Aka (red miso) is dark reddish-brown in color and has the most intense, salty flavor. Shiro (white miso) has a gold color, a fine texture, and a mild, mellow, slightly sweet, less salty taste. Hatcho (dark brown miso) has a rich, mellow flavor.

To store miso after opening, seal tightly (in a separate jar with a tight-fitting lid, if necessary) and refrigerate for up to 2 years. Miso keeps well due to a very high sodium content. When using miso in heated mixtures, dissolve it first in a small amount of the hot liquid in a separate bowl (using 2 parts liquid to 1 part miso), then stir back into the entire mixture.

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Use a carousel, which will also speed cooking. Low-cost carousels or turntables are widely available; just make sure that the size fits the interior of your microwave oven. If you don't have one of these devices, turn the food twice during cooking. if you use your microwave oven often, it also helps to become familiar with how it distributes heat. Line the oven bottom with waxed paper, then cover the paper with pancake batter and cook on high power, stopping every 30 seconds to watch how and where the batter is and is not cooking. Use the hot spots and cold spots as a guide when arranging food in your microwave oven.

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To microwave foods faster, cover the dishes tightly which will trap steam for better heat penetration. Use glass dish covers, microwavable plastic, or waxed paper, and try to keep plastic wrap an inch or more above the food. It also helps to use room-temperature foods because they cook faster than cold foods. To warm foods to room temperature safely, take them directly from the refrigerator to the microwave oven, and microwave on medium power in 1-minute intervals until the surface loses its chill.

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To arrange foods for the most efficient cooking, arrange them in a circular or spoke pattern. Also, since microwave ovens cook hotter on the edges than in the center, arrange foods with the thicker or tougher portions toward the edges. Place the thickest ends of chicken breasts and drumsticks outward. For stalk vegetables such as broccoli, arrange them in a circular spoke pattern with the tougher stems pointing outward and the tender heads inward.

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To defrost food with a microwave oven, place the food in its wrapper on a microwaveable plate. If your microwave oven has a pre-programmed defrost cycle, use it. If not, defrost on medium power. Microwave in 5- to 8- minute intervals, turning the food between intervals, until the food is defrosted but still cold. When defrosting frozen blocks of smaller pieces, such as chicken parts, break them apart into individual pieces as soon as possible during the defrosting cycle to speed thawing.

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Ceramic, glass, or plastic containers are best for cooking with microwave oven. Make sure that any plastic containers are made specifically for microwave oven use; if not, they may melt. Also, use dishes that contain not traces of metal, including the trim and handles. If using plastic wrap or paper towels, be sure that they are clearly labeled as safe to use in a microwave oven.

Avoid using the following containers in a microwave oven: polystyrene (such as foam coffee cups and take-out dishes); glass bottles; cans; metal pots (or anything metal, for that matter); wooden bowls; mugs or ceramic ware with glued-on handles; and plastic storage containers that are not specifically intended for microwave use.

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Microwave Cooking
Microwave ovens emit short, high-frequency electromagnetic waves to make food vibrate at a spectacularly rapid rate, causing the food to heat up quickly. For accurate timing, it's essential to know the wattage and size of your oven, as timing varies according to these details. If you are unsure of how long to heat a food, lean toward caution. You can always continue to heat the food if it is not quite done.

To cook successfully in a microwave oven, follow the recipe directions exactly. The size and shape of the dish will affect the timing, as will the amount of food. By doubling the ingredients, you may need to double the cooking time. Also check the recommended oven wattage. Timing will need to be adjusted if you are using an oven with low wattage of less than 700 watts.

To convert recipes for low-wattage ovens
Most recipes are developed for a 700-watt microwave oven. If you have a 600-watt oven, add 10 seconds for each minute called for in the recipe. If you have a 500-watt oven, add 20 seconds for each minute called for in the recipe.

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Except for its shape, meat loaf is similar to meatballs in every way. It's usually a blend of ground meat, eggs, bread crumbs, onions, and seasonings. To make tender, moist, and juicy meatloaf, use a blend of beef, pork and veal. Using ground beef alone makes a dry, bland meat loaf. This mixture is often available in supermarkets, sold as meat loaf mixture. Make sure the beef isn't too lean; it should be at least 15 percent fat. Also, mix the ingredients with your hands until just combined. Avoid overhandling.

To make meat loaf with a greater portion of browned crust, shape the meat directly on a parchment-lined, rimmed baking sheet rather than patting it into a loaf pan. Meatloaf can be cooked faster if we skip the loaf pan and form meat loaf on a parchment-lined roasting pan, making the loaf as long and narrow as possible, which allows heat to penetrate into the center of the loaf faster.

When adding flavor to meatloaf, replace the tomato sauce in your favorite meat loaf recipe with bottled barbecue sauce, both in the meat mixture and for the topping. Wrap strips of bacon around the shaped loaf before baking to add more flavor and moisture. Meatloaf flavor and moisture could be sealed in by using a clay pot casserole. Soak an unglazed clay casserole in water for 10 minutes, then add the meat loaf. Cover and place in a cold oven, then follow the baking time instructions that come with your pot.

Fats can be reduced from the meatloaf by placing it on a rack over a roasting pan to drain excess fat. Or, replace half of the ground beef in your recipe with ground turkey or chicken.

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Similar to meat loaf, meatballs are versatile and easy to improvise. Meatballs are made from a seasoned mixture of ground meat, often including beef, veal, pork, lamb, or a combination. They can be cooked by practically any method: grilling, braising, poaching, or baking. In order to shape meatballs, wet your hands with cold water to keep the meat from sticking. Pinch off a small amount of the seasoned meat mixture and roll it gently into a ball between your hands.

To make evenly sized meatballs, form the meat mixture into a cylinder with a diameter equal to the desired diameter of the meatballs. Cut the cylinder crosswise into equal-size pieces and roll each piece into a ball. If you prefer tender and light-textured meatballs, handle the meat as little as possible. Overhandling makes for tough meatballs.

You can also prepared stewed meatballs that are crisp and browned crust. Just saute the meatballs until evenly browned before adding to the sauce. Or, broil the meatballs, turning frequently to brown completely. To help fried meatballs brown without sticking or crumbling, dredge the meatballs with flour before frying.

Meatballs can be prepared ahead of time. Put uncooked meatballs on a baking sheet and freeze them uncovered. Once frozen, transfer to a zipper-lock plastic bag. Defrost just the number of meatballs that you need in the refrigerator before cooking. Or freeze cooked meatballs. After cooking, cool them to room temperature, then freeze and store in the same way.

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Place unmeasured ingredients to the left of your work space and move to the right as they are measured. It also helps to count out loud while measuring. To keep track of the number of eggs you've cracked, move the exact number of eggs you need to one side of the egg carton and proceed to crack. Or, if the carton is full when you start, it's easy enough to keep track by the number of emptied cups.

Always ensure that you do not spill ingredients into a mixing bowl. Never measure over the mixing bowl. Instead measure over a piece of paper towel, parchment, or waxed paper, so that you can pour any spills back into the ingredient box or container. And to measure salt without spilling all over the counter as this always seems to happen with those metal spouts. To catch spilled salt, hold a larger measuring spoon under the spoon into which you are measuring. Any overflow will cascade into the larger spoon. Or, if you tend to measure a lot of salt, store it in a lidded container or salt box so that the pouring dilemma is eliminated. All you have to do is dip in with a spoon.

Preparation time could be saved too when measuring. Eyeball your measurements. Except in baking, where the structure of the finished product is dependent on an exact ratio of ingredients, precise measurement is not always essential in most recipes. Experienced cooks learn to approximate small measurements, such as teaspoons and tablespoons, by eyeballing them, a practice that is worth learning because it can greatly speed up the assemblage of ingredients.

To learn to eyeball measurements, measure a teaspoon of salt or sugar and pour it into your hand. Observe it and try to remember its shape and mass, feel how much it weights, and notice what area it takes up in your palm. Now, try pouring that much salt directly into your hand from a container. Test your accuracy by pouring the contents of your hand back into a measuring spoon.

When measuring flour and sugar, you can save time by keeping a 1/2-cup measure in the bin. That way, you'll always have an easily multipliable measure ready. For measurements of less than 1/2 cup, use spoon measures.

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While measuring ingredients may seem simple, the working of some recipes can be confusing and the best technique for measuring ingredients may not always be clear.

To measure liquids-
Always measure liquids by volume, expressed in teaspoons, tablespoons, cups, pints, quarts, and gallons. The number of fluid ounces of volume is the same as the number of ounces in weight. Place a clear glass or plastic spouted measuring cup on a flat surface and bend down so that you're at eye level with it (holding the measuring cup up tends to make the liquid slosh around). Pour in the liquid until it rises to the appropriate mark. For spoon measurements, hold the measuring spoon flat and pour in the liquid until it just reaches the top. Use liquid measuring cups for thick liquids such as honey and molasses too.

To measure viscous, sticky liquids-
To accurately measure honey, molasses, corn syrup, maple syrup, or jelly, lightly oil the measuring cup or spoon first. Or, if the recipe calls for oil, measure the oil first in the same measure. Then, every drop will slide right out.

To measure dry ingredients-
Use a metal or plastic dry cup, or graduated measuring spoons. Rather than dipping the cup or spoon into the ingredient, which compacts its volume, spoon the dry ingredient (such as flour, sugar, cornmeal, or baking powder) into the cup or measuring spoon until it's overflowing. Then, level off the ingredient with the flat side of a knife or a spatula. If the dry ingredient seems packed down in its container, fluff it gently with a spoon before measuring. Ingredients such as rice and nuts can be leveled off with your fingers instead.

To measure brown sugar-
Gently or firmly pack the sugar into a dry measure according to the recipe directions. Then, level it with a straight edge. Brown sugar should hold its shape when emptied from the cup or spoon.

For absolute accuracy with dry ingredients-
If the recipe lists both weights and volumes, go with the weights and weigh the ingredients on a kitchen scale. Dry ingredients have a different weight-to-volume ratio than liquid ingredients. For instance, 1 cup of flour may weigh as little as 4 ounces or as much as 6 ounces, depending on how much flour is compacted into the cup.

To properly interpret recipe measurements-
In an ingredient listing, any instruction that follows the comma should be done after measuring. For example, if a recipe calls for "1 cup sifted flour," sift the flour before measure. If it says "1 cup flour, sifted," measure the flour first and then sift it. If the recipe uses weight instead of volume, it doesn't matter when you sift. Six ounces of flour will always weight 6 ounces whether it's sifted or not; only the volume will change.

To easily measure sticky solid ingredients-
Use the displacement method. That is, if you need half cup peanut butter, fill a 2 cup liquid measure with 1 cup water. Add enough peanut butter to the water for the liquid level to rise to 1.5 cups. Pour off the water before using.

To accurately measure both wet and dry ingredients-
Keep 2 sets of measuring cups and spoons: one for dry ingredients (such as baking powder) and another for wet ingredients (such a vanilla extract). This saves time washing and drying as you assemble your ingredients. If you have only one set of measuring cups and spoons, measure dry ingredients first. Once a measuring vessel is wet, dry ingredients placed in it will stick to the cup or spoon, making it useless for accurate measurement.

To accurately divide doughs or butters into equal parts-
Use a scale to measure the total weight and then, accordingly the divided weight. For instance, to divide a dough into thirds, measure the dough's total weight, divide by 3, and divide the dough into 3 parts with equal weight.

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