Cooking isn’t always an easy task and can be somewhat difficult (or even scary) for someone who doesn’t have must experience with it.
3 Easy Tips – Cooking For Beginners
Not everyone can match Chef Gordon Ramsay’s famous recipes, and heck, some of us can’t even cook scrambled eggs! But, just like most other skills out there, anyone can learn how to cook.
Cooking techniques don’t change from dish to dish, so as long as you have the basics down pat you’ll be in good shape. Sure, some recipes might require you to do a few things in a slightly different way, but for the most part you can use what you have learned over and over again to create a variety of different unique dishes that can impress even the most stubborn of critics.
We have gathered a few basic kitchen tips that any beginner cook should know about. Learn these basic cooking techniques and you will be well on your way to becoming an expert in your kitchen.
How Does One Make Pasta?
Pasta is a fantastic dish to cook. You can use many different types of pasta with some of the most intricate sauces out there. There truly is no limitation as to what you can do with pasta and your favorite sauce. The best part is that the pasta itself is very easy to cook.
Pasta usually doubles in size when you cook it, so get the right size pot for the amount of pasta you are planning on cooking. Fill the pot about two-thirds of the way with water and leave the rest empty. Adding too much water will cause the pasta to stick to your pan, so keep an eye out for how much water you are adding to the pot.
Next, you want to add about a teaspoon of salt to the water and put the pot onto a stovetop which is set to high. Cover the pot and wait until the water boils.
Once the water has boiled you may add the pasta and set a timer for about eight minutes. As the pasta cooks, you will need to stir it occasionally. Do this gently and be careful not to tear any of the pasta apart.
As soon as the timer hits eight minutes, you will need to taste one of the pasta pieces to make sure that it is cooked “al dente,” which means that the inside of the past is nice and soft, while the outside is firm and intact.
If the texture is still a bit too hard then you want to cook the pasta for another minute or two and perform another taste test. Repeat this process until the pasta is perfectly to your liking. Once you are happy with your results, go ahead and drain the pasta using a colander.
At this point, depending on the type of sauce you are planning to use, you can either transfer the cooked pasta to a serving dish or return it to the original pot and add the sauce.
Using this simple process, making pasta can be simple, easy, and also super delicious.
Knife Skills Are A Must
There is no tool in the kitchen which you will use more than a knife, so chef’s knife is an irreplaceable tool in the kitchen. You will use it for chopping, cutting, slicing, crushing, dicing and many other things. The effectiveness of your knife wielding skills will depend on your abilities and how well the knife is suited for you.
At first, you will probably be a bit clumsy at using a knife in the kitchen, but we can give you a few tips to set you on the right path.
Choosing the right knife is very important. You want a knife which has a blade running all the way through the handle. You can see this if you look at the top side of the handle and see the metal blade running all the way to the end of the handle.
Knives like this will most likely have three rivets along the side holding the handle to the blade. We suggest a high-carbon stainless steel knife, about 8 to 12 inches in length.
This metal is very hard and will last a long time. The only small drawback is that it might be a bit harder to sharpen. You will also need to make sure that the knife sits snugly in your hand. The grip should be flawless with no awkward angles or textures. You are looking for comfort and control since you might end up working with your knife for a long amount of time or with items that are relatively difficult to cut.
As far as the cutting and chopping skills go, these are pretty simple and will improve with practice. We prefer to use the claw method for our off hand, which looks kind of like a bear claw tucked into your palm a little.
This will keep your fingers safe as you feed whatever you are cutting, slicing, or dicing towards the blade. Again, make sure you have a firm grip on your knife and you are in full control.
Sautéing Meat In The Right Pan Is The Key!
Cooking meat in a pan can be very rewarding, but before we dive into the actual cooking we must first choose the right pan. Always try to go for a larger sized pan with a heavy bottom. The last thing you want is to run out of room when cooking meat. Stay away from non-stick pans, because they won’t work well with meat.
For most meats you want the heat to be set around medium high. Give the pan a few minutes to heat up before adding your meat. You can check how hot it is by moving your hand about two inches above the surface. If you can only keep it there for a split second then you are good to go.
Needless to say, do not touch the pan. We are cooking meat, not your hands! At this point, add some oil of your choosing and give it about a minute to heat up. While the oil is heating up, make sure the meat is nice and dry. Excess moisture will prevent the forming of a good golden crust.
Add the meat to the pan when ready and cook on one side until you see a nice browning around the edges. Once you see a nice color on the outside, go ahead and flip the meat and do the same thing on the other side. That’s all! You can take it a step further by adding some chicken broth or half-and-half to the pan after you have removed the meat and creating some nice, creamy sauce to add to your dish.
These are just a few basics, but they should be more than enough for a beginner to start their journey in the kitchen. Once you have learned and mastered these few tips, you can move on to more difficult tasks one step at a time. Just remember to be always aware of your surroundings and use common sense.
