Make sure to keep your spices and herbs sealed in airtight containers, protected in a dark, cool place. Heat, humidity, and light will all weaken your spices' flavor. In general, herbs and spices that are ground will retain their flavor for up to one year. Whole spices may keep their flavors, possibly, three years or longer. They'll remain fresh longer if stored properly.

When making dough for cookies, set your sticks of butter out at room temperature for a while so they are softened and avoid going further than adding sugar if the butter has been melted. Melted butter can be re-hardened by putting it in the freezer for a few minutes. Alternately, go ahead and mix all the ingredients and then refrigerate the dough. Utilizing dough with a lower temperature will prevent cookies from spreading out.

You can cut cinnamon rolls very easily. After preparing a cinnamon roll, cutting it properly can be a challenge. Instead of using a knife, cut the dough with a piece of strong thread. Place the thread underneath the roll in the location where you desire to cut. Thread around the sides, then cross it at the top, then finally pull its ends at opposite directions. This will help you to cut those rolls to perfection!

There are several different methods you can use to heat tortillas. One way is to bring the oven temperature up to 350 degrees, put tortilla right on rack, and then let cook until you have the desired crispness. You can also crisp your tortilla on the gas burner of your stove-top. Just turn the flame on low and place the tortilla on the burner above the flame. Watch it carefully! It only takes a moment! Either method will result in a fresher, tastier meal!

Take care to not overfill your pan when you are sauteing. The moisture that the extra food volume adds will cause the food to steam, which means it won't be as crispy as intended. Also, make sure that this is done at a temperature that is low.

The ideal way to cook a pumpkin is to first place the pumpkin upright on the cutting surface. Cut the pumpkin in half, then down the middle. Lay each half on it's own cookie sheet with the cut side facing down. Add a touch of water to each sheet before putting it in the oven. You will want to bake this for approximately an hour at 350 degrees.

Cooking with brine is a smart cooking idea. Any poultry can be put in a brine for roughly an hour, to greatly improve the flavors in your meal.

Choose the correct potatoes according to your recipe. Potatoes can be waxy, mealy or all-purpose. Mealy potatoes tend to be dry and crumbly, which is ideal for mashing. Russet potatoes are considered mealy. For a popular all-purpose potato, there is Yukon gold. Waxy potatoes are great for steaming or boiling because they keep their shape well when heated. The common white and red potatoes are examples of a waxy potato.

It is not unusual for us to add too much salt when cooking a dish, but this problem can be rectified! Peel some raw potatoes, chop them up, place them in the sauce and allow them to simmer for approximately 15 minutes. Those potatoes will absorb all the extra salt. If the recipe involves tomatoes as a base, you can throw in more to reduce the salt.

Never add garlic, salt or any other seasoning until your beans have softened. These spices could cause your beans to not become softer when they cook, particularly if you have old beans to begin with. You should also hold off on adding seasoning until the beans are partly cooked. This will give you the desired texture.

Even professional chefs can learn new techniques and enjoy experimenting with food. Many new cooks need as much help as they can get as they attempt to master their culinary skills. Use these tips and you will soon see how much fun cooking can be and how comfortable you will become in your kitchen.