My friends often ask me for advice when cooking.  The following 4 things are what I am asked about often.  I hope you find them helpful.

· Cheese:  Cooking with cheese adds instant flavor.  To keep it from being stringy and tough cook at lower temperatures and add at the end of cooking.  Cut it up or shred  o belt better melt and blend easier.  To make soft texture cheese easier to grate use the larger holes.  Use lower settings on the microwave to melt cheese.  Low fat cheese doesn’t melt as well.

· Beans:  When cooking beans add any extra ingredients at the end of cooking.  Acid makes beans firm.  Don’t add seasoning until they are soft.  If you do it will affect the cooking process.

· Vegetables:  Cut into same size pieces.  If steaming only a little water works best.  Heat to medium high heat and let water boil gently in the bottom of the pan.  Cover pan and let steam.  Add water as necessary.  They are done when you can put a fork into them.  You want them to be tender not mushy.

· Meats:  Refrigerate at temperatures between 32 °F and 39°F.  Meat should be put in your refrigerator as soon as possible.  Bacteria will begin to multiply after two hours.  Try to keep all prepackaged meat in the wrapping it came in.