When people talk about what makes a good chef, they will almost always refer to things like having a good sense of taste and smell, having a traditional cooking background, and the decades it can take for someone to master this field. While this is definitely true, though, many chefs also have another trait that can be easily ignored; confidence. Confidence is a key element of cooking, with those who feel confident in their own abilities often performing better than those who are worried about what they can make. But how exactly can you build confidence with cooking?
Starting Small
Diving right in and making a difficult meal as your first attempt at cooking is never a good idea. While you may have the skills to handle this, it will be much easier to make mistakes when you’re cooking something complex, and this makes it a good idea to start off small. The way that you approach this will depend on your goals. If you’re learning to cook a whole meal, for example, you could start by cooking each of the elements on their own. As you master each one, you can slowly work towards bringing them together for the final dish. Of course, though, you could just look at cooking simpler meals altogether.
Make It Unimportant
Inviting people over to enjoy a big meal when you’re cooking it for the first time will always be risky. Not only will you feel pressure to perform, but you also won’t have any time to refine and perfect your recipe. This can make it a good idea to spend some time cooking new recipes when you don’t have anything important coming up. Not only will this take away a lot of stress, but it will also give you the chance to make mistakes and build your confidence naturally. With each successful attempt, you will feel more and more sure that you’re able to cook the meals you’re trying.
Following Someone Else
People have been cooking for thousands of years, and this has given humanity a lot of time to perfect the meals being made. Even if you think you know exactly how to cook something, there will always be someone else who has more experience, and using their knowledge can be a great way to fuel your own confidence. Following a meatloaf instant pot recipe will be much easier than making the meal by yourself, giving you the confidence to push yourself and make things you have no idea how to make. There are loads of recipe websites available, and many of them offer their own take on traditional foods.
Cooking is one of the truest joys in life. Not only do you get the enjoy the process of making the food, but you also get to enjoy eating it and watching others enjoy it at the end. Of course, though, you need to feel confident about the food you’re making if this is going to be successful, and a lot of people struggle with this.