Publisher's note: We share these cooking tips, originally published in January 2021, to help ignite your feeling of confidence in the kitchen – regardless of the amount of cooking experience you might have.
Many things are missing on the pre-Pandemic world, but eating in restaurants is definitely in the first three. I bored to sit at the bar and sip a cocktail. I bored to share meals with friends and try food, I could never think at home.
However, if the pandemic had a large bright side, it is because many of us had to face by trying part of this restaurant creativity in our own kitchens.
I really loved looking at my friends and colleagues take a new hobby for the past ten months. My Instagram flow has changed overnight, photos of the restoration interiors burst to a multitude of daily successes in the kitchen at home. But despite all this new inspiration (although forced), not everyone can just turn on the stove and feel confident enough to concoct the recipe for the week this week.
The good news is that the practice makes it perfect. And you don't even need to go to perfection with regard to cooking (cooking is another story, but we will discuss it another time).
Some simple cooking tips and techniques will help make cooking faster, easier and more fun. Master the latter, and you can cook almost anything.
1. Read cooking books.
It is true – does not change through their pages for the recipe tonight. Keep them by your bed and read the attackers, the recipes that seem attractive to you and all the techniques' descriptions. I also recommend looking for chefs with sheets related to cooking books. Reading is just more fun when the author does not take himself too seriously. Six seasons: a new way with vegetables And The food laboratory are great places to start.
2. Watch kitchen emissions on Netflix and Youtube.
Difficult homework, right? The big British pastry show Maybe more than guilty pleasure. You can learn a lot of people who cook and cook more than you, the mistakes they make to their successes. Without forgetting, Paul and Mary generally have good advice and tips to share.
I also recommend watching YouTube and Instagram videos Created by cooks from different cultures. Many of us have been raised in the United States by parents who spent the 80s and 90s preparing very similar beige dishes with the same techniques. When you learn other cultures, you will not only discover new foods, but also new ways to cook.
3. Recreate your favorite catering meals.
I don't know about you, but I haven't been sitting in a restaurant for months. And I miss it… a lot. If you are looking for inspiration for a good salad or a weekly meal, look no further than the menu of your favorite restaurant. Look at the ingredients they use and guess the measurements. It may not be exactly the same thing, but it's a good practice and can help build your intuition. Do not forget to support restaurants with take -out dishes. We want them when this thing is over.
4. Do not compare yourself to others.
One of my best friends is an incredible cook. I mean, incredible. I will never be as good as it is.
I also hate cooking. I watch people make beautiful cakes on Instagram and I think, I should try this! So I do it, and it does absolutely nothing for me.
Food should bring joy and you should do things you and your loved ones like to eat. If you can do it, you can consider your dish as a huge success.
Despite being a fairly competitive person, I learned to let it go in the kitchen. I like cooking to be a release at the end of a long day, no other thing that adds pressure. Food should bring joy and you should do things you and your loved ones like to eat. If you can do it, you can consider your dish as a huge success.
5. Buy one or two good knives and sharpen them regularly.
Cutting the fruits and vegetables with a dull knife can make any cook want to flee the kitchen. You don't need a set of knives to be an excellent cook. A good chef's knife and a storm knife will allow you to pass most of the recipes. Others are simply additional (and honestly do not need to be expensive).
6. Store your kitchen.
Cooking is easier when you don't need to run grocery store every day. We like to have the following on the foot At any time, then when inspiration is hitting, we can cook. We like to buy most of that in bulk at costco.
Pantry: a lot of olive oil and canola oil, apple cider vinegar, balsamic vinegar, canned tomatoes, pasta, a variety of cannut / dry beans, garlic, onions, bread and tortillas, canned anchovies, potatoes or sweet potatoes, honey, salt and pepper red pepper, many dried spices, the whole button
Refrigerator / freezer: butter (refrigerated and room temperature), celery and carrots for soups, kalamata olives, a variety of grated / trenched cheeses, feta, lettuce, tomatoes, lemons
7. Learn to properly season your food.
Salt and pepper are your best friend in terms of cooking. You can prepare or break a dish with these two simple ingredients. Sub-assured food is bland, while overvalued items can have too salty taste. Do not forget these two tips: Taste your food while you cook it – not just after. And you can always add more salt. It is much more difficult to remove it from the dish.
8. Don't worry if you are F * CK Up.
The only way to become more confident in your kitchen is to make mistakes and learn from them.
In a very appropriate end to a disastrous year, the last thing I did in 2020 was a tiramisu. It took five o'clock and he was zero. But I now know what is wrong and I will no longer let it happen again. The only way to become more confident in your kitchen is to make mistakes and learn from them. This wealth of knowledge will be based over time, and before you know, you will amaze your friends and family regularly.
