Social media scrolling can make us feel inadequate when it comes to our culinary skills. If your feeds are packed with delicious plates of food, but you’re not an enthusiastic or accomplished chef, mastering essential skills is a great place to begin. Here are the basics to get you started.
Essential Skills To Master In The Kitchen – Boiling Pasta and Rice
Many of us rely on pasta and rice dishes for quick, easy, and nutritious lunches and suppers. Although cooking rice and pasta may be simple, there are pitfalls, which can have devastating implications. The first thing to consider when rustling up any pasta dish is the type of pasta you’re cooking.
Fresh pasta only needs a few minutes in boiling water while dry pasta can take up to 10-15 minutes. Follow the cooking instructions. To save time, you can boil the kettle first. The second point to think about is personal preference. Some people prefer pasta al dente with a bite while others opt for softer pasta. Taste before you drain to make sure you’re happy.
Rice has a tendency to go sticky or mushy if it’s overcooked, but if you don’t cook it for long enough it can be equally unpleasant. Check the instructions, make sure the water is boiling before you add your rice and taste it during the cooking process. If you want to really amp up the ease factor, consider a rice cooker.
Essential Skills To Master In The Kitchen – Making a Perfect Barista-Style Coffee
Making a perfect barista-style coffee at home is one of life’s great luxuries. Not only can you save a fortune on coffee shop trips by mastering this skill but you can also enjoy serious flavor and depth in the comfort of your own home. Learning how to brew stovetop coffee properly will help you eliminate the need to buy coffees on the go while ensuring the drinks you consume at home are top-quality.
Key steps include choosing the right blend, allowing the stovetop to boil until all the water has passed through the coffee beans to the bottom chamber, and adjusting the finished article to suit your preferences. Some people love a punchy, intense flavor hit, while others prefer a slightly softer, silkier coffee with added milk. Take my husband, for example. He loves super dark roast, while I find its flavor too intense. Give me a good medium roast and I’m a happy gal.
Essential Skills To Master In The Kitchen – Roasting and Baking
Roasting and baking give you access to a raft of dishes ranging from simple tray bakes to Sunday lunches with all the trimmings. From meat and poultry to fish and vegetables, you can create nutritious, tasty dishes with minimal effort. Key factors to consider include temperature, cooking time, and seasoning.
Set your oven to the right temperature, check the cooking time, keep an eye on your dish and add seasoning to intensify the flavor and add depth. You can follow recipes using books and blogs and get ideas online, but don’t be afraid to modify dishes to cater to your taste buds.
Additionally, you might want to chop and change ingredients or add different spices, herbs or sauces, for example. If you’re cooking meat or poultry, it’s also beneficial to include resting time. This is essential for enhancing tenderness.
Social media gives us the impression that everyone is an incredible home cook, but this isn’t the case. If you don’t have much time for cooking, or your repertoire is limited, don’t panic. Grasping basic skills will help you simplify and save time on cooking, enjoy delicious meals at home, save money and effort, and develop more confidence in the kitchen. From brewing the perfect coffee to rustling up bowls of pasta that are bursting with flavor, these basic steps are a great place to start.