If you’ve ever had to prepare your meal, you likely understand some of the basics of cooking. However, if you’re going to prepare your meals consistently, then you need to be ready to expand on those skills, especially if you want to be able to prepare exciting food. Learning how to cook can be an opportunity to try meals you don’t usually have access to, and you won’t have to go out looking for restaurants that serve it.
You can find many recipes online, like these Birria Tacos (recipe here), that you may never have heard of.
All skills take time and patience to improve, and cooking is no exception. Sometimes, a recipe doesn’t turn out like it’s supposed to, or you’re going to burn what you cook – it happens to all cooks. Make sure that small mistakes don’t stop you from trying again.
Experiment
If you already have some basic cooking knowledge, you need to find something challenging. Try out new recipes, and look for something you’ve never made. Using new techniques or methods to prepare a meal is a great way to expand your cooking knowledge, and you’ll also develop your palate in the process.
It’s not just your cooking that you’re improving, but your knowledge of what you do and don’t enjoy eating. If there’s something you’ve never tried before, there’s no way to tell if you would want it or not.
Try to recreate what you have enjoyed
Do you often eat at restaurants? Are there any meals that you have particularly enjoyed? There will likely be recipes you can follow to match those same meals but in your kitchen. Recreating recipes is a great way to adapt meals, but you can also learn how professional chefs prepare a meal and apply it to what you eat at home.
If an online recipe doesn’t work out like you thought it would, check out other similar recipes and see what people do differently. Everyone has their way of cooking something for some reason, and a slight change might be what you’re looking for.
Faster prepping times
Do you ever find yourself racing the clock while preparing ingredients? If you risk burning what’s in the pan while chopping vegetables, you’re doing something wrong. You’re starting too late or not preparing your ingredients properly. As a beginner, it could be a good idea to prepare some of your ingredients before you start cooking. Have your vegetables ready to go when the time comes.
You may be lacking a good technique if it’s taking you too long, either that or good cooking tools. A sharp knife is essential in any kitchen, as it can cut your prep time significantly. Check out how experienced cooks prepare their vegetables, and you may learn some faster techniques you can apply whenever you follow a recipe.
Once you get started, you’ll find it much easier to take on any recipe, you just need the practice.
