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If you have always wanted to get into cooking, but never really known how to go about it, it can be a bit tricky. You know the theory of it, and picture yourself as the next master chef, but somehow it doesn’t turn out quite right. If this is you and you are looking to expand your kitchen culinary skills, then look no further for we have put together some great top tips to get into cooking…
Stock up on the staple ingredients
When it comes to cooking, you will want to stock up on staple ingredients. This way, you know that when it comes to making a meal, you don’t have to head to the supermarket for a long list of things each time. Staple items include pasta and rice, tins of tomatoes and herbs such as basil, paprika and rosemary. You will want to have items like salt and pepper, flour and butter too.
Taste your food as you cook
It can be tempting to just cook and see how it turns out. This could lead to a potential disaster as you won’t know if it needs more seasoning or if the sauce has the right balance of flavors. Avoid this by tasting bits of the food as you go along. This way you can adjust it as needed and will guarantee the result you want at the end.
Start off simple
One thing that can put people off cooking is if they try to make something too complex. Until you have mastered the basics, cooking can be stressful. Instead, start with the simpler recipes such as making basic sauces from scratch like a tomato-based pasta sauce. Once you have mastered these, you will be able to transfer these skills into more complicated dishes and it will be easier to cook these.
Use ingredients and flavors that you know you like
If you know you already like certain flavors or ingredients, then why not start cooking with these? You could bake with craft coffee, or if you know that you like spice, you could learn to make simple curry sauces. These will all make cooking much more enjoyable. As time goes on, you can get more experimental and you might find that you like certain dishes that you used to hate if they are cooked in a way you like.
Prepare ahead of time
If you are cooking for guests, or just want to make the process simpler, it is a good idea to prep everything ahead of time. This could be chopping your vegetables and weighing out your ingredients into bowls. Once you have done this, you can put it aside or in the fridge, then when it is time to cook, you know everything is ready to go!
These are just a few top tips to get into cooking that should get you started. By following these you will soon have a lot more confidence in the kitchen and might be surprised at your newfound skills!