Learning how to cook is not only functional, it can be fun, creative, and even empowering. It’s the ability to feed oneself without relying on someone else to prepare their meals. It puts the menu in your hands each and every night, and it is nearly universally admired. Men, women, and everyone in between or off the spectrum entirely, enjoys a well-made home-cooked meal. Whether you’re just starting out, or you’re looking to take your cooking expertise to the next level, there are a few easy tips and tricks that you can utilize in your everyday cooking that will elevate your cooking skills.
No matter what level of cooking experience with which you’re starting, there’s always more to learn, and something new to try. An important part to conquering any recipe in the kitchen is the equipment that you’re using.
Improve Your Cookware Selection
If your cookware is worn-out, warped, or simply out of date, it’s not going to deliver delicious meals. Similarly, it won’t offer a very consistent cooking experience either. This is because the cooking experience is so reliant on the status of the cookware itself. If you’re using old and outdated cookware, the first thing to do is upgrade and improve your pot and pan selection. If you’re a true beginner and you don’t even have your own set of cookware, now is a great time to get your own set of high-quality steel pans.
There are a lot of different options on the market when it comes to cookware. From different brand names, to different types of materials, picking a set of pots and pans can go from a simple task to an overwhelming experience fueled by information-overload.
One of the main things to understand about cookware is that the materials with which the pots and pans are manufactured greatly influences various features and attributes of that piece of cookware. This ranges from maximum-heat-recommendations to maintenance and care, and even influences the types of dishes that will cook best in that pot or pan, as well as the compatible cooking environments.
For instance, cast iron cookware is notorious for its durability and its versatility. As one of the few materials designed to withstand a direct-flame as a heating environment, cast iron is compatible across your stove-top, in your oven, on your grill, and yes, over a camp-fire or coals as well.
Many modern cookware options on the market, however, offer a combination of materials in their manufacturing and design in order to optimize the cooking and consumer experience, both. These pots and pans are considered to be hybrid as they utilize stainless steel and non-stick finishes layered over a core of magnetic aluminum. The stainless steel offers easy clean-up and is even dish-washer safe, while the high-quality steel can withstand oven temperatures up to 500 degrees fahrenheit, and to top it all off the non-stick surfaces are totally free of any toxic chemicals.
Ultimately, what you’re cooking with matters.
Take a Cooking Class
You may be looking to up your kitchen-game even further after seeing the difference that new and improved cookware brings to your meals. As such, a cooking-class could be the perfect next step for you.
Cooking classes are an easy way to meet people, especially in a day and age that is dominated by the virtual work-environment and a digital experience landscape, and they’re an easy way to be introduced to new kitchen-projects. Cooking classes come in a variety of shapes and sizes and can even be a fun thing to do with a partner or spouse.
Pick a New Recipe Every Week
Another fun challenge for chefs who are eager to learn is to simply pick a new recipe to try each and every week. There’s no limit to the resources available. If you’re a ‘write-in-the-margins’ type of person, investing in some cookbooks that peak your interest could be a good place to start. Or, if you prefer to operate digitally, the internet is a limitless pool of information and you can find a recipe for just about anything online these days.
Even if you just watch a cooking show and pick a recipe to follow along with, you’re bound to learn something. No matter where you’re getting your recipes, this can be a fun way to test out a variety of cooking techniques and dishes.
A Little Research Goes a Long Way
In the same vein as researching recipes online, researching the techniques and tips and tricks that publishers suggest on those recipes can save you a lot of time in the trial and error phase of preparing dishes. Or, if you’re using a cook-book, look up the similar recipes online and see if there are any other aspects you want to try folding in.
You don’t need to reinvent the wheel to get in your car, and you don’t need to reinvent scrambled eggs to serve a beautiful breakfast.
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