6 Simple Steps To Becoming A Masterchef at Home

Do you love to cook?

I do. Now I haven’t gone to culinary school, taken any courses or even worked in a restaurant but I do love trying new recipes and different kinds of food.

For some cooking is intimidating and they convince themselves that they will burn it all or other wise fail miserably even before they’ve thought of what they’re going to make.

Cooking nice, tasty, and fresh meals for yourself or your family doesn’t have to be a big deal. Following the simple steps I’m sharing here might just help you find the confidence you need to break out the frying pan, casserole dish and ramekins.

1. Get yourself organized. If cooking isn’t your idea of fun or making dinner frequently involves a phone then this first step will be super important. Get organized. Know what you’re going to do before you get started. Make sure you have enough time to get through the whole preparation and cooking. Check the fridge, pantry and cupboards to make sure you have all the ingredients you need. If you don’t take time to get organized you’re setting yourself up for failure … and you haven’t even started yet!

2. Get a good recipe. If beef bourguignon or chicken a la king sound impossible think again. Finding a good recipe is 75% of the battle. Look for a recipe that has all the ingredients needed (obviously) but also has well written, step by step instructions on how to prep, cook and serve. What also helps a lot are pictures. If you can see what things are supposed to look like along the way you’ll feel a lot more confident as you proceed through the recipe. One recipe site that I love and I’ve spoken about here on Serene Journey a few times is allrecipes.com. If you haven’t checked them out yet I highly suggest you do. I have yet to think of a recipe that is not in their database. Awesome!

3. Get good ingredients. No matter how prepared you are or how good the recipe is if you don’t have fresh, good tasting ingredients the end product will leave much to be desired. If you still have the herbs that came with the spice rack you bought 5 years ago now is a good time to change them out. Same goes for sauces and other condiments you might have in your fridge. If you can’t remember buying them then it’s probably a good idea to start fresh.

4. Have the right tools. Cooking can be fun but with sub-par tools it can be a real pain. Dull knives, flimsy cutting boards, and one small pot certainly won’t make you fall in love with cooking. Get a good set of knives, a garlic press, a food processor whatever you will use on a regular basis and will get the most use out of. Having the right tools can make your cooking experience all the more pleasurable.

5. Learn a few common terms. If you don’t know the difference between sauteing and searing or fondue and frying then now would be a good time to learn a few common cooking terms. Epicurious has a pretty exhaustive dictionary of cooking terms. When you have some time you might want to poke around and see what’s what.

6. Dress it up. When you’re done and dinner’s in the oven don’t stop there. Use garnishes to dress up your meal and add the finishing touches. Chop parsley, drizzle gravy or add edible flowers. Whatever it is, take time to make the presentation amazing after all you just spent all this time preparing a fresh and tasty meal it should be presented that way.

Cooking shouldn’t be intimidating I truly believe anyone can do it. Just approach it with a positive attitude and a willingness to experiment and you’ll amaze yourself at what you can produce.

So with that I want to know what is that one dish you’re going to make that you’ve been too intimidate to try … until now?

See also:

Quite Possibly The Best Homemade Crusty Bread Ever

A Simple and Effective Meal Plan In 3 Easy Steps

A Friday Night Out – At Home

Photo courtesy of: Krstnn Hrmnsn