26/04/2024
When your 9 Year Old says I quote " Practice does not make perfect but does make progress" it made me think. Like any skill, cooking is something you can get better at with time and practice. You start with the basics and slowly add new techniques to your arsenal, learning through trial and error as you go.
Though cooking is certainly a skill you can teach yourself, a little education goes a long way. That being said, you don’t have to go to culinary school to become an accomplished cook. From reading cookbooks to watching YouTube videos, there are countless ways to develop your knowledge base.
Here are a few tips, techniques.
1. Invest in the essentials.
Non Stick Frying Pan
2. 6-Quart Stockpot: This is a versatile kitchen tool for cooking a variety of dishes. It’s large enough to make soups, stews, sauces, and stocks for a family, but not so large that it takes up too much storage space. The larger capacity also makes it ideal for boiling pasta. The tall and narrow shape of a pot allows for liquids to circulate well, helping to evenly cook ingredients and develop flavours.
3-Quart Saucepan: This size of saucepan is ideal for cooking small to medium sized portions of food. It’s good for heating smaller volumes of liquids, such as soups, stews, sauces, and broths. It can also be used for cooking grains, such as rice or pasta, as well as making small batches of sauces and gravies.
Sheet Pan: One of the most common uses for a sheet pan is for baking but it’s also great for roasting vegetables, meats, and other foods. The large surface area of the pan allows for even heating.
4. Buy yourself a decent chef’s knife.
5. Read your recipes thoroughly.
6. Get everything prepped before you begin.
7. Taste and season as you go.
8. Bring your proteins to room temperature before cooking.
9. Use a meat thermometer and rest your proteins.
10. Understand the importance of acid.
A little salt can change the flavuor of a dish in an instant but it’s not the only way to take a dull dish up a notch. Adding a touch of acid from vinegar, lemon juice, or lime juice can breathe life into a dish.
11. Pay attention to heat levels.
Cooking With High Heat
Preparing a recipe should not be a race to the finish line—cooking your ingredients too quickly may prevent them from having enough time to develop the desired flavour. As you’re reading your recipe, pay attention to the recommended heat level.
12. Keep your knives sharp.
13. Use the proper pan.
While there’s no need to spend a fortune on cookware when you’re still learning the basics, it’s worth considering an upgrade as you progress. Don’t feel like you have to replace everything at once, either. It’s perfectly fine to purchase one high-quality pan at a time to work into your collection. The key is to learn how to use each pan properly.
Here’s how to use the most popular pans…
Skillet: Use for frying, searing, browning, and sautéing.
Griddle: Similar use case as skillets but with a larger surface area.
Dutch Oven: Perfect for soups and stews, it can be used like a deep skillet on the stovetop or transferred to the oven.
Saucepan: Use for preparations that require a lot of liquid like cooking grains, making sauce, or blanching vegetables.
