Glorious Gourmet – 5 Ways to Take Your Cooking from Good to Great
Photo by Patrick Browne on Unsplash
Heaven forbid that I question your skills in the kitchen; I know how hard you all work to put delicious, nutritious meals on the table day after day. However, are you feeling a little flat in the kitchen? Has your regular menu become a little stale? Perhaps it’s time to expand your repertoire and experience new ways to invigorate your cuisine while simultaneously slaying the taste buds around your dining table.
Upgrade Your Tools
Don’t let your old, worn pots and pans slow you down. By investing in the best cookware, you can confidently cook meals day in and day out knowing the equipment is there to back you up. With high quality non-stick cookware, your food will cook evenly without fault and relieve you of overloading the cooking oil. A chef is only as good as their tools, and you will be amazed at the difference that superior quality cookware will make to the ease and quality of your cooking.
Prep for the Future
No we aren’t talking about stockpiling your bunker for the zombie apocalypse! Some things just taste so much better from scratch, but we don’t always have the hours to slave around in the kitchen to prepare every meal. A great solution is to prepare some home-made staple ingredients in advance when you have some free time and then utilize them over the coming days or weeks. For instance, instead of using sodium-loaded canned chicken stock or flavored cubes, try making a stock from poultry pieces and vegetable off-cuts you’d otherwise throw in the trash. Prepared dough, bean bases, and herbs from your garden are all things you can prep and save for later with handy portions in the freezer. Time savers like these can really come in handy for those weeknights you’re short on time, but hungry for flavor.
Quality Ingredients
Eating high quality food is critical for the health and always makes for more vibrant tasting dishes. Learning how to pick the right kind of meat, fish and vegetables for your culinary creation is an essential skill every master chef needs to have. Discounts are great, but sometimes it’s worth the extra investment to take your meal to the next level. If the price of high-quality or organic produce gives you hot flushes, consider growing veggies or herbs in your garden or even on your windowsill.
Seasoned Professional
Most of us gravitate towards the same trusty handful of favorite spices and herbs when we’re busy in the kitchen. However, by trying out new seasonings, unfamiliar herbs, and different bases, you can expand your food palette to discover brighter tastes and aromas you couldn’t otherwise achieve with your original seasoning arsenal.
Timing is Everything
Have you ever been frantically stressing over that one sauce that is taking forever to reduce while all other elements of the meal are ready to roll and hungry natives are growing restless and impatient for their meal? Not only do you find yourself dealing with a “Hangry” family, but the quality and visual appeal of your food may suffer from sitting too long on the sidelines. To avoid this dilemma, it’s helpful to learn how to time dinner just right so everything task is completed at precisely the right time. Organization and timing are two of the most crucial keys to making beautiful tasting food.
By keeping these simple ideas in the forefront of your mind, you can lift your already impressive cooking abilities to another level that will leave everyone smiling over their empty plate.
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