When you come home to our houses for rent in Owasso tired from a long day of work, it can be hard to work up the motivation to cook up a homemade meal. In today’s busy world, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by cooking at the end of the day, which is why knowing how to create delicious meals that are super simple is such a beneficial skill to have! With some tricks up your sleeve, you can be excited about dinner, without having to put in a ton of work to get it on the table.

Do you know anyone living in our Tulsa homes for rent who could use these tips just as much as you could? Be sure to share this post with them once you’re done the reading! For now, read on through these easy tips for improving simple meals at home.

Turn Up The Heat

A common mistake people make when cooking is not getting a good sear on their meats and veggies. Higher heat can be intimidating, but most stoves should be set to medium-high or so to make sure you’re getting a crispy, flavorful sear on your grilled foods.

That nice sear is important not just because it looks appetizing, but also because it’s the source of a ton of additional flavor that really makes grilled foods shine. The browning of meats, veggies, and other foods is called the Maillard reaction, and it’s responsible for a lot of flavorful compounds that can take a simple meal from bland and boring to packed with flavor.

To further promote that delicious sear, avoid over-stirring or over-flipping foods while grilling. In general, vegetables and meats can stand to sit in a hot pan with a little oil for a few minutes before they need to be stirred or flipped.

Use Fresh Ingredients

Using fresh ingredients can make all the difference in the world, especially when you’re working with a simple recipe. As often as you can, use fresh, not frozen ingredients, and make sure your spices, cooking fats (like butter and oil), and other pantry items aren’t past their best by dates.

In the case of spices and other seasonings, the freshness of the ingredients can make a particularly big impact. Dried herbs are convenient because they keep for longer, but fresh rosemary, oregano, or sage can transform a dish visually as well as in flavor. Fresh parsley or basil can be added just before serving for additional flavor and color.

Season At Every Step

Speaking of seasonings, it’s important to season at multiple steps in the cooking process in order to ensure you’re getting the flavor payoff you want. A generous amount of salt should always go in water used to boil pastas and grains or poach eggs, chicken, or veggies. Salt and pepper are the essential seasonings for meats before they go into the pan or baking dish. Hardy herbs like rosemary can be added early on, while citrus or vinegar is an excellent tangy addition that should be saved for the end.

Whenever possible, taste your meal as you go and add seasoning to taste. Not tasting as you go is the easiest way to end up with bland, boring meals without knowing where you went wrong.

With these tips in hand, we hope you’re feeling excited to whip up some simple but delicious meals at home in our houses for rent in Owasso! If you enjoyed this post, be sure to bookmark our blog page for easy access to future posts. Before long we’ll have another blog post up, but in the meantime, make sure you’re following Legacy Living on Facebook so you never miss our special events, promotions, and community updates!