When you season a piece of meat, try it out before you start to cook it all. Items such as burgers, meatballs and other meat dishes need deliberate, specific seasoning. After you add your seasoning, don't cook the whole thing. You should cook a smaller patty first, so that you can make sure that the seasoning is delicious. After you do this you can either completely cook it or add more seasoning as you see fit.

If you have decided that you might like to cook more food at home, look for a great book that can help you. These books can be found in many places: the library, online or even a family member. Be patient, and try several recipes. Like any skill, cooking can take practice.

To maintain nutrients and color in your vegetables, quickly steam them until just crisp-tender. If you slow cook your vegetables, they will lose their nutritional value. Speed cooking vegetables also retains the best texture and nutrition. Learning to cook them for the minimum necessary time is the key to better vegetables.

When you are cooking, it is important to remember that a fresh ingredient is always better than a frozen or dried ingredient. Use fresh foods any time you can, as they bring out the best flavor of the dish, and can be real money-savers too.

If you have made sauce, put the leftovers into an ice cube tray and freeze. For a quick and easy sauce on another night, simply remove as many cubes as you need and reheat in a pan. Freezing the sauce into cubes in the trays is safe and convenient!

If you want the cooking process to be both faster and easier, prepare as much as you can ahead of time. Read your recipe and note which steps you can complete in advance without compromising the dish's quality. Lots of prep work can be completed the day before cooking. You can turn a fancy meal into a fast, fun meal that can be cooked in a flash!

Garlic is a great ingredient but it can leave a strong smell on your hands and utensils. To get rid of this odor, or any other strong cooking smell, rub your hands on the inside of your stainless steal sink. Hands will then be clean, and odors will not be transferred on.

Prepare your own stock to enjoy dishes that are more flavorful. Extra stock can be stored in the freezer and used later. If you do this, you will never be short of stock for soups, stews, and other such dishes. If you make your own stock, it will not be full of preservatives.

Make washing dishes part of your cooking routine. Keep one side of the sink full of sudsy hot water and use the other side to rinse clear. Since the easiest time to clean bowls and other implements is right after you have finished with them, you will save yourself a lot of time and effort since you won't have to scrub them so much.

These little bits of advice can go a long way toward improving your kitchen creations. Experiment with each of these ideas at least once. Remember that the more you practice, the more proficient you will become. You should be whipping up tasty dishes in no time using these tips.