Basics of Great And Tasty Food - Rice, Beans And Potatoes!

Creating great and tasty food is not a problem even if one is on a limited budget. Three inexpensive foods, potatoes, rice and beans are not expensive and easy to prepare. Once these staples are cooked they are easy to improve with just a little imagination.

Preparing rice is very easy. Put a cup of uncooked rice into a pan or rice cooker insert and rinse it two or three times with cool water. Drain it as well as possible and add two cups of fresh water to it. If a rice cooker is available just put it in the cooker press the on switch and forget about it. When it finishes the cooker will automatically turn off.

If no rice cooker is available add the rinsed rice to the pan, add the water to the rice and bring to a boil. At that time put on the lid and reduce the heat as low as possible. After fifteen minutes remove the pan from the heat and wait an additional fifteen minutes before removing the lid. It is important not to get curious and remove the lid while it is cooking as the steam which is cooking the rice will escape. If there is no usable cup to measure the water, simple put a finger in the water and add rice to the first knuckle. Add water to the top of the third knuckle and that will work fine!

Beans are also cheap and easy to prepare as well. Pinto beans, black beans and almost any bean will work well and also have great possibilities to be transformed into a great tasting dish. The secret in making beans is patience. Take a bag of dry beans and soak them in a covered pot overnight. This is important as the beans will absorb a bit of the water and will soften somewhat. When ready to cook, discard any bean or skin that is floating on top of the water. Drain the beans and put into a pot and add enough fresh water to cover the beans by two or three inches. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to a slow boil or simmer and let cook for a few hours until the beans are soft to squeeze.

Last are the potatoes. There are many different ways to prepare potatoes but for the purpose of this article the easiest way is to boil them. If cooking them with the skin on is preferred then clean the potatoes under running cool water with a plastic sponge. If skinless is the choice then use a paring knife or potatoes peeler. Either way is simple. Put the potatoes in a pot of water and boil them until the are the desired tenderness. The easiest was to do this is by sticking them with a fork until they are prepared.

And that is the first lesson in cooking food that is not expensive and has great potential in creating a great dish! For cooks and people who have experience in the kitchen these are all simple ways of cooking but for the new cook it should be helpful. The next articles will be simple lessons to enhance these staples!