Small Cooking tips that make a big difference.

Cooking is necessary, but it doesn't have to be a chore or tasteless, even if you are not a whiz in the kitchen.

Anyone can improve their cooking skills with the right help and persistent practice.

Read the advice in this article and try some small tips that make a big difference. 

You will improve your cooking skills and start to enjoy it more.

1) 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.

2) Make sure you store all of your spices in cool and dark places.

Make sure they are not over the stove. Humidity, light and heat, will cause them to lose their flavor. That will not make for a good tasting meal. Get a spice rack and store it in your pantry.

3) To successfully cook a meal you should always follow the recipe.

This will assure you use the correct amount of each ingredient. Cooking is a science and each ingredient has its job. Leaving out an ingredient, putting too much of something, or cooking for too long can turn your dish into a disaster.

4) Cook your pasta for one minute less than the box recommends.

Look at the cook time on your box of pasta and subtract a minute. If you are including the pasta in a dish, it will cook the rest of the way when you are cooking it with the sauce.

5) The best thing that you can do when you are making hamburgers is to engage in trial and error.

Instead of guessing that the meat is cooked well, make a small patty and taste it yourself. This will allow you to adjust your level of seasoning and cook your burger more if it needs it.

6) Pizza has a lot of flavor to begin with depending on how you cook it but adding olive oil can help bring out a vibrant aroma. The next time you are making pizza, cook with olive oil to instill a rich flavor in the dish that you make for optimal satisfaction.

7) After you have cooked a piece of food in the oven, you should give it several minutes to rest before serving.

The last thing that you will want to do is serve any part of your meal that is too hot, which will ruin its overall quality for the person you are serving.

8) Herbs and spices have a powerful impact on the quality of your cooking.

To preserve these important, expensive ingredients, keep them in a cool, dark place with minimal humidity. All too often spices are left near ovens and sinks. The heat, light and moisture in such places leach the flavor out of high-quality spices.

9) One fun part of learning to cook is showing off your new-found skills.

If you are cooking for someone special, though, leave the experimentation for another day. Do not try new recipes or new ingredients (or, worse, both at the same time) when you are cooking a meal for someone you really want to impress.

10) Check what you have at home and bring any new recipes with you when you go to the store.

When you have the recipe with you, you'll have a handy list of what you need to buy. If you don't check what you already have, you may ending up buying more than you need. If you don't bring the recipe, you may forget something that you won't be able to cook without!

If you need help in the kitchen then use the tips you've just read to improve your skills and make cooking more enjoyable.  Anyone can do it with the right advice and a lot of practice.