Cooking can often be referred to as an art – it can take time to develop your cooking skills, however it can be an enjoyable and relaxing activity to do once you feel more confident. Everyone starts somewhere and cooking is a big part of everyone’s lives – therefore being great at it can not only benefit you, but others that you live with as well. You may be thinking, what defines a good cook? This can mean different things to everyone – from being able to make a meal out of a few ingredients, the ability to scale up quickly and prepare a large meal at short notice, or just being adventurous and fearless when it comes to recipes. Here are our following tips to become a good cook.
Use your fingers
Using your fingers is an underrated cooking skill and often one we may usually forget about, however your sense of touch can go a long way when it comes to cooking different foods. From pressing on a cake to see if it is cooked enough, to seeing how ripe a piece of fruit is. Make sure you are paying attention to how different foods feel, as this will go a long way.
Preparation is a must
When you begin cooking – or even better just after you have done your food shop, start by preparing all the ingredients that you are going to use for that meal. In the beginning when you first start cooking, you will need to measure the ingredients you are using, to make sure it’s the right amount. A recent survey found that 22% of good cooks don’t weigh ingredients, as they are confident they will be able to add the right concoction of ingredients without doing so. Work towards being able to cook from instinct, but if you are a beginner or in doubt always measure first.
Make sure you have the right tools
Having the right tools for each meal is essential, to save you time and energy – but also make cooking as safe as possible. Make sure you invest in high quality tools, from a good wok to kitchen knife set. Not only can this improve the taste of your meals, but it will also make cooking as easy as possible so that you can enjoy what you are doing!
Get used to multi-tasking
Getting better at multi tasking will make it so much more efficient, but also can improve the quality of your meals. Flipping chicken, whilst mashing some potatoes and keeping an eye on some boiling veg is all part of being a good cook – and a skill you need to be comfortable with.
Gather feedback from your family and friends
Asking friends and family for their honest opinion is always a great way to get constructive criticism, and gain a different perspective on the skills that you need to improve on to be a better cook.
