Ever wondered what makes a good cook? If you ask me, I think it is somewhat an innate sense of spices and cooking ingredients, that makes a good cook. However, if you are passionate about cooking and love to prepare something on your own, then you can definitely become a good cook. If you love cooking, innovation can come naturally! There are many culinary institutes which teaches you the ABCs of cooking. You can even specialize on baking, ice creams, continental, or oriental dishes. Some of the best chefs in the world, do not have formal culinary education.
Here are the top 10 tips for becoming a good cook:
# Be creative and think what can you prepare with a particular vegetable, spice, fish, or meat. In the initial stages of cooking, a lot of errors and mess ups are common. Don't be scared. Cooking in an art and one can master this art by trial and error. So, don't get disheartened if you have messed up a recipe.
# The more you cook, the more you'll become familiar with different ingredients and come up with some extraordinary dish. Invite your friends and take their opinion, however inedible your recipes are. In this way, you'll know where you are missing out.
# If you travel a lot, try learning some of the exotic local recipes and taste some of the best recipes of that place. In this way, you will come to know a lot of facts about food and flavors. Sampling local food will definitely raise your standard of taste. Try to understand the aroma of the different food that you eat.
# Read good cookbooks. A nicely written cookbook can make you a good cook in no time at all. Start with selecting easy to prepare recipes and then try out the harder ones. Once you are confident in experimenting with different recipes, you can cook with natural ease. There are cookbooks on every kinds of cuisines imaginable.
# Have a well stocked kitchen, if you want to become a confident cook. Keep all necessary ingredients handy, so that you find what you need. For example, keep sugar, white flour, wheat flour, beans, rice, canned soups, dried pastas, cereals and spices in one shelf. Keep the freezer stocked with vegetables and frozen meats. In short, have a pantry that is well organized and easy to access.
# Buy the correct cookware. It need not be costly and the finest. A basic pans and pots set will suffice. A proper cookware set helps you in cleaning quickly and uniform heating. Also, install a good utensil rack in your kitchen so that your pots and pans fit in properly. This way, it will free up the cabinet space. You will also need a good set of knives for cutting and chopping. A good cutting board and cooking gloves(if you do a lot of baking and grilling) are also necessary for any kitchen.
# Have fun when you cook. Don a chef's hat and wear an apron. This will give you confidence and help you prepare meals in a fun-filled way. Jokes apart, wearing a chef's hat and apron will save your hair and clothes from oil and heat.
# Take cooking classes from a well-known culinary institute and also watch a lot of television programmes on cooking. Write down the recipes and try to make them at home.
# Be aware of the newer trends of cooking. Know about the different spices and herbs and think how you can use them in your daily cooking. Pay attention to details.
# Be Internet friendly. If you are good with the internet, you can pick up a lot of cooking terms, ethnic and royal recipes, shopping lists and even Q&A sections, from where you get your questions answered by culinary experts.
Tomorrow is that much anticipated day! Halloween, the night of ghosts, haunted houses, trick or treats and costume parties is here at last. Halloween is a holiday celebrated on the night of October 31st. There are Halloween parties held in several homes across Ireland, the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, and the United Kingdom.
