It is common knowledge that humans require food in order to survive. But there's more to life than merely surviving. There is more satisfaction in eating delicious food when it is something you have prepared yourself. Following these tips will improve your cooking skills.

For fried foods, use ketchup in the batter. Not only is ketchup good for dipping food into after they're cooked, it's also good when you dip food into it before putting them in breadcrumbs. Adding ketchup or another sauce will add more flavor to your recipe.

Always make sure you measure the cooking oil! It will be easier to control how much oil you consume by measuring instead of pouring "enough" oil into a pan. Measuring your oil instead of estimating allows you to closely approximate the fat content in your dish.

If you're feeling stressed at the idea of making dinner for the family, consider doing much of the prep work the evening before cooking. Cut up veggies, marinate your meat or make a sauce the night before. With far less work left, you'll be eager to pick up where you left off at dinner time.

It can be used on food other than meat. Blended seasonings add a delicious flavor to any food, from pumpkin seeds to scrambled eggs. People will wonder on what the secret ingredient is!

Fix cracks in the crust of your pie. Dough that has been overworked can develop cracks when you roll it out. To make them disappear, sprinkle a few drops of cold water onto the spot, then using your fingertips, smooth the dough back together. Ripping or tearing of the top crust can be more difficult to repair, but can be easy to hide by covering the crust in little brushed-on milk or beaten egg white, and then lightly coating with sugar before placing the pie in the oven. After it gets baked, the crust will be beautifully glazed and the cracks will be hidden.

When chopping fresh herbs, try shaking a small amount of salt on your cutting board first. This should add flavor to the herb as well as keep them in place. If you add the salt to your cutting board, reduce the salt in the recipe by the same amount, so that you don't add too much salt to your dish. The salt will stick to the herbs, adding some extra flavor to your dish.

You should try a small portion of the meat you are cooking when seasoning meats. A lot of dishes require you to season the meat with care. Don't cook the entire meat directly after seasoning it. Instead of this, you should make a small patty, and cook that first. After trying the piece, you can cook the rest of the batch or adjust the seasonings that are needed.

Twice a year, you should buy all new spices. Quite often, spices pass their sell-by-date before you use them up, losing their flavor. If you don't use a spice very often, and it will go bad before you have to replace it, give some to family and friends.

Learning to cook can be as much fun as eating. Follow these tips, and then add a little of your own flare. Your friends and family will enjoy your new hobby as much as you do.