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The culinary world is diverse, exciting, near limitless, and populated by voices all with their own opinions and preferences. That latter point can be challenging for the home cook who just wishes to learn the basics, as depending on who you get advice from, your perspective and methods can change. It’s why some budding chefs will risk everything to work with particularly experienced masters in the field.
But learning to cook doesn’t have to feel like some arcane art that you can only learn when the moon is in the right position in the night’s sky. Simple, effective methods are often best, and can be passed down with ease. Maybe you’ll take those lessons yourself, or give them to your son or daughter who may wish to move to college accommodation, with the need to cook for themselves for the first time.
In this post, then, we’ll discuss how to simplify your cooking in the best way. Over time, that should give you the space necessary to thrive.
Learn One-Pan Recipes
The beauty of one-pan recipes is that they offer simple cooking (you can easily use a single plug-in hot plate to cook them outside of a conventional stovetop), the cleanup is limited, and the recipes are still delicious and nutritionally dense. For instance, this one-pan caprese chicken recipe is utterly delectable, can be created easily, and even refrigerated for meal prep later on. But if one-pan recipes don’t stoke your fancy, one-pot recipes that offer easy stewing or slow cooking can also be a wonderful addition to your easy cooking repertoire.
Learn How To Prepare A Basic Ingredient
When you feel comfortable with an ingredient, you can then use it forever depending on the suitability of the dish. For instance, those who know how to use mozzarella well can enhance any dish, and get the most out of it. Learning the basics of basic ingredients, like sautéing diced carrots, roasting sliced carrots, or even using them as snacks (learning capable knife skills can help) will give you a range of meals. And all thanks to your comfort using that one ingredient. Preparation takes a little time to learn, but will save you so much time so the effort is truly worth it.
Invest In A Robust Set Of Cookware
Even the best chefs can’t work their magic without good-quality cookware. Thankfully, you don’t have to pay an arm and a leg for the benefit of owning some good tools. A good kitchen knife, a stainless steel pan, and a pot or dutch oven can make a big difference here. Make sure that you invest in a good, sturdy chopping board too. And a peeler, and mixing bowl are a good idea. An oven tray with a wire rack should come with your oven. If it doesn’t, pick one up at the right size. These essential elements can help you in learning to cook basic meals, like the previously mentioned one-pot or pan recipes, is much more possible.
With this advice, you’re sure to make the learning experience easier to get to grips with. Just take it step by step, and don’t pursue perfection straight away.
Happy Cooking!
