Ways to Improve Your Cooking

With the world being hit by COVID, many of us are spending more time indoors, trying out new things. This is the perfect time to brush up on your cooking skills to become a better home cook. Whether you like cooking homemade meatballs from scratch or enjoy the odd steak with dauphinoise potatoes, there is always a way you can improve. It could be by adding more seasoning or taking your time and not rushing certain elements. No matter your ability as a chef, there is always room for improvement and new ways to do something. Below are five ways you can improve your cooking. 

You Can Use More Seasoning In Your Meals 

Seasoning your food correctly is one tip a lot of professional chefs will always recommend. Most home cooks will put too little seasoning in their food or pour a lot of salt onto the dish once it’s cooked. Instead, make sure you season throughout the meal, tasting the recipe throughout to see if it needs more. When cooking pasta, always add salt into the water as this flavors the pasta nicely – make sure it’s a generous portion. 

Take Your Time 

If you rush things, you usually get them wrong; that’s very much the case when cooking. Make sure you take your time and don’t rush through the steps. As tempting as it may be to go quicker, this could ruin the meal all together as things may get missed. Try and write each step and practice regularly. When you rush, you may think the recipe is more challenging than it is, but you can get to grips with it easier when slowing down.

Ingredients Matter 

When making the recipe, it can be tempting to skip certain ingredients if you don’t have them in. This can really change your meal’s flavor profile, causing it to taste completely different from how it’s meant to. You wouldn’t do this if you were a chef at a restaurant, so try not to do it at home. Try and plan your meals in advance and make a list of all the ingredients; this way, you can get them in your weekly food shop. You could always go for a day out and pick your own vegetable or fruits for your meal. 

Enroll in a course

You may not have thought of enrolling in an online cooking course, but they can really help improve your cooking ability. No matter your ability, there are cooking courses that can help even the most experienced chefs. Sometimes it the small tips they teach you which you may never have thought of, another way could be a whole new skill that will help you drastically. Courses don’t have to be expensive; in fact, some courses can be watched on Youtube for free. The challenge is finding the best one for you. If you really get into cooking, a course may allow you to train within the profession and help with a career change. 

Experiment

Buy a random set of ingredients out there and try a few recipes. This is a good time to expand your palette. With the new ingredients, experiment and taste them raw, steamed, fried, and grilled. 

This method takes a little on the budget side but will expand your food knowledge.

Follow recipe books or magazines

The more knowledge you have, the better cook you will be. Make sure you are regularly reading recipe magazines or books to brush up on your knowledge. There are always new techniques to be learned and other ways of doing something. Some celebrity chefs will share their knowledge, which you can take in and apply when you are making your next dish. You will also come across new recipes that you can try out and perfect, ready to impress your guests when they next come round.  

Whatever tip you apply, you are going to become a better chef and more confident in the kitchen. Try using one or two of the tips above and see what works for you. If you are looking to really develop, an online course is a great way to take your ability to the next level. Plus, you can keep progressing to higher-level courses once you completed the initial course. 

If you live with someone else, why not cook together and see if you have any tips for teaching each other. You could always enroll in the course together to make it easier for you. Why not split the cost of a magazine subscription 

What tips do you have for an aspiring chef? Is there anything that you have been taught that can be passed on? What tips would you have liked someone to tell you when you started out? Let me know in the comment box below; I would love to hear from you.