Cooking is something we all have to do. Whether you enjoy it or not, we all have to eat and eat several times a day. So, when cooking, why not make it a little bit more enjoyable (and potentially quicker) by improving yourself in the kitchen? You can improve yourself by learning to cook faster, you could improve yourself by learning to cook more complicated meals, or you could improve yourself by making different desserts. Whatever your reasons are to improve, there are plenty of ways to do so.
Improvements can happen by making various changes to how you cook. You can improve yourself in the kitchen by practising a recipe more times. Another way to improve yourself is by learning different types of recipes to cook. Using premium ingredients will also help you improve in the kitchen, as well as taking more time on what you cook.
Cooking is like everything you do in life. The more you do it, the better you will get, especially if you are trying to improve and are reading about it. To help give you a boost, we have put together a simple guide on ways to improve yourself in the kitchen.
Experiment with different recipes
When you are trying different recipes, you will be learning and practising different techniques as well as repeating some you already know. The more you experiment with different recipes, the better you will get in the kitchen, so try to cook various cuisines throughout the week. Try a new pasta dish and learn a new technique, and then learn another technique by cooking lobster – When cooking lobster, you will need to learn how to deshell a lobster.
Use premium ingredients
There is a huge difference when you use good ingredients, instead of the cheaper versions of the same thing, especially the own brand products (although, that being said, they can sometimes produce something good, it’s trial and error). When cooking, it may be more expensive, but when you are putting together a nice dinner, try to use premium ingredients as well as fresh produce.
A good example of this is to use fresh herbs, such as mint, instead of using dried herbs, which are in the glass jars. Fresh herbs are stronger in flavour and nicer to eat when in the dish. They are also useful when trying to add to the presentation of a dish as they add colour. Think about it this way, you would never go to a Michelin star restaurant and expect them to be using dried herbs within the dishes they bring out.
Try to learn about ways to improve
In life, when you are actively trying to learn, you will improve. The same goes for the kitchen. There are so many outlets which you can use to help you improve in the kitchen. For starters, you can watch YouTube videos on cooking – there are many videos which will help you improve.
You could also buy a chef’s book to help you improve, or read some blog posts on recipes, to inspire you to try something new. Ask a friend or family member who you know is a good cook for some pointers as well as any recommendations that they can make on how they improved themself in the kitchen. They will most likely say it comes down to practice and consistency.
Don’t be afraid to fail
Something that stops a lot of people from improving is the fear that they may fail. Don’t be afraid to fail and throw yourself into cooking. Don’t be afraid to pick up a cookbook and try something that feels out of your comfort zone, you never know, you may try it and it comes out perfectly. Alternatively, you may try it, and it doesn’t work out. This doesn’t matter as you will have learnt plenty whilst trying to make it, and when you make it again, we are sure you will do it better.
Give yourself plenty of time
Try to give yourself plenty of time when you are cooking and trying new things. When you are cooking, it’s good to have a little pressure, but sometimes, it’s also good to spend a lot of time on what you are doing. This way you can practise the techniques, not feel rushed and watch and rewatch any videos you may be following.
When you do have plenty of time, be mindful that the time to cook a recipe doesn’t change; therefore, have this in the back of your mind. For example, a chicken may take 30 minutes to cook, which means once it’s in, you don’t have all the time in the world to work on the next thing.
Read through the entire recipe
Something a lot of people don’t do is read the whole recipe. Don’t read a section, then cook. Instead, read the whole recipe several times to familiarise yourself with it. The more you read it, the more you’ll understand and the finer details which you will have to do whilst cooking it. You may also come across a few things you don’t understand, which will give you the chance to Google the answer, watch a video on it or ask a friend or family member to show you. We often find Instagram is also a good place to look, as people create short snippets which you can watch to help you learn about things in the kitchen.
We hope a few of our points have helped inspire you and point you in the right direction of becoming better in the kitchen. As mentioned above, the more you do something, the better you will get (practice makes perfect), which is why it’s important you are continuously trying to learn and better yourself.
What tips would you recommend to someone trying to improve in the kitchen? Which of the tips above did you find most useful? Is there anything missing in our guide that you think we should be adding? Let us know in the comment box below. We look forward to hearing from you.
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