Cooking Tips 101

If you’re not a natural in the kitchen but are passionate about cooking and want to increase your cooking skills, you’ve come to the right place. Simply continue reading to discover a few basic cooking tips which will increase your skill as a home cook.

Cooking Tips 101:

Opt to use fresh, local ingredients:

If you choose to use fresh, local ingredients your recipes will turn out a lot better. So it’s a great idea to search for seasonal recipes which boast ingredients which are in abundance, during each season. For example, the best time to prepare bruschetta in during summer when tomatoes are ripe, full of flavor and readily available. If possible, avoid purchasing ingredients which are imported from other countries.

Always use luke warm water to activate your yeast:

If you require fresh yeast for a recipe such as a bread recipe, be sure to use luke warm water to activate your yeast. As water which is too hot can actually kill your yeast and can prevent your bread from rising properly.

Always make sure to slice beef against the grain:

If you want your cuts of beef to be tender and succulent be sure to get into the habit of slicing your beef against the grain. If in doubt, simply slice your beef perpendicular to the muscle fibers in your beef.

Don’t ignore instructions to chill specific ingredients:

If a particular recipe tells you to chill certain ingredients, be sure to place them in your fridge over night. So that when you start cooking they are the right temperature for your recipe.

Use an ice cream scoop when you bake cupcakes or cookies:

One way to create evenly sized cupcakes and cookies is to use a basic ice cream scoop to scoop out your cookie dough or cupcake mixture. If you’re sicking of trying to use spoons to create perfectly sized cupcakes and cookies, you’ll love implementing this simple yet effective tip.

Crack your eggs on a flat surface:

While you may have been taught to crack your eggs on the side of a bowl, as a child, it’s a better idea to crack your eggs on a flat surface. As when you crack eggs on flat surfaces, you get fewer cracked shells that can end up in your mixture.

Preheat your oven:

You may have wondered why most recipes instruct you to preheat your oven, the answer is that if you place your food into an oven which is still heating, your food is likely to be badly burnt and inedible. So do yourself a huge favor and listen to the instructions to preheat your oven. Ideally you should preheat your oven before you start cooking in order to give your oven 15-20 minutes to heat up properly.

Throw out herbs and spices that are over 2 years old:

While many herbs and spices don’t have expiry dates, after 2 years herbs and spices lose their flavor and aroma. If in doubt, simply sniff your spices. If you can no longer smell a distinct aroma, throw them out.

So if you’re not a natural in the kitchen, there’s no need to become discouraged. Instead work on increasing your skills as a home cook by following all of the simple yet effective tips which are listed above!