Cooking at home is one of the essential life skills that every adult should have, even if you're preparing simple meals or experimenting with new recipes. Your mom won’t always be there to cook for you, so knowing your way around the kitchen is a must. In this article, we have collected 14 essential cooking skills that will help you build confidence and make delicious homemade meals with ease. From proper knife techniques to mastering basic cooking methods, these tips will set you up for success in the kitchen.
Storing food safely
Knowing how to store food safely is fundamental to avoiding food intoxication. According to the US Food & Drug Administration, appliances should be kept at the right temperatures, food that should stay in the freezer should never be left outside for more than two hours, and storage directions should always be checked on labels.
Using a knife
Using a knife is fundamental to staying safe in the kitchen. From dicing to mincing, there are plenty of techniques a good chef should learn. Make sure you have a good grip on your knife and that your utensils are well-sharp.
Simmering
Learning how to use heat properly is fundamental when cooking. Simmering, for instance, is the act of boiling a liquid at extremely low heat to enhance flavors. You can use this technique to create several dishes. If your soups are often boring, it is because you’re cooking them too fast instead of simmering.
Deep frying safely
Deep frying can be dangerous if you don’t know how to do it properly. According to the US Department of Agriculture, different oils have different smoking points. Ideally, you want to use types of oils with a high smoking point when deep frying. Some of these include olive oil, peanut oil, and sunflower oil.
Sautéing
This dry-heat cooking method can elevate most of your dishes. It consists of pouring a small amount of butter or oil into a hot pan and then adding your favorite ingredients. You can use this technique to cook fish, meat, and veggies.
Cleaning your wooden utensils
Wooden spoons need to be oiled to last through time. Apply a small amount of oil to a cloth and rub it on your wooden utensils. You can leave it for the night and rinse the excess oil the following day.
Taking care of your pans
Baking soda is a great ally for turning every old pan into a brand-new kitchen tool. This ingredient works like a charm on a variety of materials, such as stainless steel, cast iron, and ceramic.
Scrambling eggs
Nothing is better than scrambled eggs on toast for breakfast. However, cooking eggs this way required a bit of practice. The key? Lots of patience! Add butter to a pan and then crack your eggs inside. Stir from time to time and make sure to keep the flame extremely low, no matter how long it takes.
Steaming
While in the West this technique is not super popular, steaming has been used in Asian cuisine for centuries. This cooking method makes food easier to digest and it’s super healthy compared to others requiring ingredients such as butter.
Using spices
Regardless of the country in which you’re currently located, you’ll surely have access to plenty of spices to elevate your dishes. These should be added at the beginning of your recipe so that the food can absorb all its flavor over time.
Cooking your stock
Why buy stock when you can easily make your healthy version from home? Throughout the week, instead of throwing away your food scraps, such as broccoli stems and onion peels, keep them in a bag in the freezer. During the weekend, you can bring everything to a boil in abundant water and let it simmer for some time before sieving everything.
Stir-frying
Here is another popular Asian technique to elevate your dishes. Stir-frying consists of cooking your ingredients in a wok with a small amount of very hot oil while stirring continuously. The difference between this cooking method and sautéing is that the former usually involves higher heat, needs more oil, and requires constant tossing of the ingredients being cooked.
Cleaning
It may sound crazy but cleaning is one of the most important steps of cooking. Clean up as you cook, and try to prevent your kitchen counter from getting too cluttered. A messy kitchen will turn into a disastrous meal. Keep your kitchen clean, and your brain will also be clear and focused on making a great meal.
Master Pasta
Cooking pasta is one of the easiest things a home chef can make. All that it entails is boiling water! Always add a sprinkle of salt to your pasta water to give your noodles a little bit of bonus flavor that will really enhance the dish. Make sure you check the cooking time on the box as every shape of pasta cooks differently.
This article was first published at Spatula Desserts.
Leave a Reply