Cooking is an incredibly therapeutic and rewarding experience, not to mention the delicious dishes that you end up with at the end of each kitchen session. If you are an avid home cook who is always looking to fine tune your culinary skills, this is the article for you. In today’s article, we have a look at 6 helpful tips that are sure to help you step up your cooking skills, so read on to find out more!
Bake A Better Cake
Mixing cake batter and meringues by hand can be an incredibly tiring affair, which is why investing in a hand mixer is the perfect option for anyone who is looking to bake a better cake. Although you are more than able to whip up cake batters and cookie doughs by hand, an electric hand mixer almost always does a better job of incorporating air into your ingredients, thus resulting in a taller cake, fluffier souffle and better-aerated brownie batter. Do yourself a favour and get your hands on a hand mixer today (no pun intended)!
Learn To Balance Flavours
If you’re a lover of Thai food, then something you would probably already know is how Thai cuisine focuses on balancing flavours. You’ll never find a Thai dish that isn’t balanced in its elements of sweet, salty, sour and spicy to create some of the most delicious cuisines on the planet. Balancing a dish means knowing what tastes to boost or decrease if and when your recipe seems to be overwhelmed by a single flavour. If this is a concept that seems daunting or overwhelming, head to Cook Smarts’ Flavor Star to help you get started.
Start With The Best Ingredients
Most of us look for the best deal when heading to the supermarket, and who can blame us when the cost of living just seems to keep getting higher. With this said, however, starting with the best ingredients is almost always a one-way ticket to Flavour Town. Contrary to popular belief, high-quality ingredients don’t have to be expensive. Head to your local farmer’s market on the weekend to get a hold of some high-quality meats and produce that beat the stuff you get in supermarkets any day. Most markets run clearance sales towards the end of the day, or even offer bundles that you can purchase at a highly discounted price. You’ll truly be amazed at how much of a difference quality produce makes in your cooking.
Switch Your Salt
If you are using regular iodised table salt, be prepared to have your taste buds explode. While there is nothing wrong with using table salt in your cooking, you’ll find that switching to options such as Maldon sea salt, Himalayan pink salt or even Kosher salt will add more complex flavour to your dishes. These salts are also incredibly high in minerals such as potassium, iron and zinc that can help your body balance its electrolytes more efficiently.
Master Some Marinades
Ever wonder why that steak at your favourite restaurant just tastes so much better than the one you cook at home? Chances are the key missing element in your cooking is a good marinade. Creating a flavorful marinade for meats or even vegetables and being aware of how they affect the taste and texture of your food is key. For example, marinades with high acidity will toughen the proteins in meat, so be sure to avoid citrus-based marinades if you are after a tender steak.
Think Out Of The Box
Do you trawl through food blogs, magazines and websites all day long for tried and tested recipes? Recipes are great and everything, but if you’re looking to expand your culinary repertoire, it’s time to think out of the box. Cookbooks are the straightjacket of the kitchen for any chef that is looking to expand their skills, and many factors can influence the outcome of a dish. However, if you don’t experiment and get creative in the kitchen, you’ll never know what works best for you. In summary, learn to trust your instincts. Observe and experience your ingredients as they cook and learn to use a recipe as a guideline rather than an absolute rule.
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With a little creativity and love for experimenting, you’ll find that stepping up your cooking skills isn’t as daunting or challenging of a task as you imagined. We hope that these 6 tips have inspired you to further explore your culinary skills in order to make yourself a better chef.
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