Learning to cook is a skill that will come in handy no matter what career you choose. It’s also something that comes more naturally to some than others. If you are someone who struggles with learning new skills and techniques, here are a few ideas for how you can learn better ways of cooking. Cooking is an art that requires practice, so if you struggle with it now, that doesn’t mean you won’t be able to master it later on. With the right tools and techniques, anyone can improve their skills in the kitchen. Here are some tips for learning better cooking techniques.
Learn the Basics of Cooking
When people first start cooking, they often try to jump in and start skipping steps or skipping entire skills. If you realize you’re missing some of the basic cooking skills, you might want to start there first and then work your way up to more advanced techniques. If you can’t even cook an omelet, you’re going to struggle with more complicated techniques. Learning the basics of cooking will help you in two ways. First, it will help you avoid burning yourself, which is a very common problem for new cooks. Second, it will help you to become more efficient in the kitchen so that you can save time and energy.
Master One Tool At a Time
If you’re just starting to learn how to cook, you might want to focus on mastering one cooking tool at a time. For example, if you’re just starting out, maybe you want to try cooking foods you like in the microwave first. Then, once you have some skills there, decide what options will come next.
If you try to learn more than one tool at a time, you’re going to confuse yourself and make it harder to learn. If you’re having trouble with a particular tool, don’t be afraid to go online and look up tutorials or advice on how to use that tool. Most good cooking tools come with instructions, but they might be written in a way that’s hard to understand.
Hire a Chef to Teach You Tricks
If you’re learning to cook on your own, you can hire a chef to come over to your house and teach you some tricks. Having a chef come over to your house and teach you something specific, like how to make a certain type of sauce, is a great way to learn quick tricks without having to invest a lot of time.
According to Pacific Coast Palate, a company of private chefs in Los Angeles, “if you hire a chef to come over to your house, make sure you let them know what you’re interested in learning. That way, they know and can set up in a way that promotes learning.” If you’re learning to cook with a group of friends, one of you can try to teach the others. Cooking is a skill that’s often passed down from one generation to another, so if you have friends who are already good at cooking, they might be able to teach you a few tricks.
Read the Recipe Carefully Before You Start
When you’re first learning how to cook, you might want to start by working with recipes that are easy to follow. If you’ve never cooked before, you’re going to have a hard time coming up with your own recipes, and you’re also going to make mistakes. You don’t want to make mistakes when you’re first learning how to cook because they can be dangerous. Start with easy recipes and work your way up to more complicated recipes as you gain more experience. Read the recipe carefully before you start cooking so you know exactly what you need to do. If you’re working with a recipe that has multiple steps, try to organize them in the order that you’ll be doing them.
Watch How-To Videos
If you want to learn cooking techniques that aren’t often covered in recipes, you might want to look up how-to videos on cooking. There are a lot of cooking websites out there that offer recipe videos, so you should be able to find one that teaches the technique you’re most interested in learning. While video tutorials can be helpful, they aren’t quite as good as in-person instruction. Some things are hard to understand unless you see them being done. If you find a video that’s helpful, you might want to watch it a couple of times until you feel comfortable with the technique. When you’re first learning a new cooking technique, make sure you practice it a few times so you know how it’s supposed to go. There’s nothing worse than getting halfway through a recipe and realizing you’re doing it the wrong way.
Try Using a Timer While Cooking
If you’re having trouble following recipes and knowing when your food is supposed to be done, you might want to try using a timer while you’re cooking. Chefs use timers all the time, and they’re a great way to keep track of how long your food has been in the oven or on the stove. There are lots of kitchen timers out there that are easy to use, and they’re often times inexpensive. If you’re having trouble keeping track of how long your food has been cooking, try using a timer to keep track of the time. If you’re just starting out cooking and you have a hard time following recipes, start with easy recipes and try to practice with those until you feel more confident.
Start with the Basics, Then Learn Until You Master The Skills You Want
Do not feel the need to be the master of every cooking skill out there. Instead, master what you want or need to learn to be able to eat the foods you love most. Then, see where those skills take your flavorful journey from there!
