New to cooking? Only know how to make one or two easy dishes? We’re here to help. Here are some tips to boost your cooking skills as a beginner whether you’re that young college student out there or just a rookie in the kitchen.
Cooking Ware
First things first. If you want to boost your cooking skills as a beginner, you should invest in some proper cooking ware.
You don’t need to blow a bunch of money on top-of-the-line equipment but get a decent non-stick frying pan and some different sized pots.
It will make life much easier having the right pot for the right occasion, and a good non-stick pan ensures you won’t be peeling your food off the pan whenever you cook a meal.
You’ll need that non-stick coating if you ever want to make an omelet instead of scrambled eggs.
Also, get a sharp chef’s knife if the only knives you have at home are dull. It will make prep-work easier and reduce the risk of injury, contrary to what you might think.
If your knife is dull it’s more prone to catching then slipping toward a direction you weren’t intending.
Just be sure that you take care of your new cooking ware when do you get it. Don’t put your pans and knives in the dishwasher if you have one, never use metal utensils on your non-stick pan and learn how to use a knife steel to keep your new knife sharp.
Basic Meals
Next on this list of tips to boost your cooking skills as a beginner are some basic meals you can practice your skills with.
For the meat eaters out there, it’s time to give cooking meats like chicken, beef and fish a try. They might seem intimidating to cook given the dangers of undercooking, but once you can confidently make them it will greatly broaden the dishes available to you.
It will take time to know when a meat is cooked solely by experience so start out by using a meat thermometer.
If the center/thickest part of the meat has reached the correct internal temperature, you will know for certain you properly cooked it all the way through.
Just make sure you familiarize yourself with the proper internal temperatures for the type of meat you’re cooking.
It varies between chicken, beef, etc., but there are plenty of charts online noting these proper temperatures.
For some vegetarian or vegan options, try your hand at stir fry. Pan frying vegetables is easy and you will be surprised how good they can taste with a little store-bought teriyaki sauce and noodles.
Recipes and Seasonings
Finally, if you want to boost your cooking skills as a beginner, get a variety of seasonings and find some basic recipes to follow.
Seasonings like salt, pepper, garlic powder and various combinations of the three will go a long way when adding flavor to your meal.
For recipes, there’s no shortage of beginner-friendly meals and recipes online. Simply hop on Google or buy a basic recipe book and find dishes that sound good to you.
It might take some failed attempts and ruined food, but with a little practice you’ll improve your cooking skills in no time.
