While there are plenty of simple tips for cooking better, it really comes down to knowing and understanding when and how to cook what. Cooking is science, it’s essential chemistry. Once you crack that code, you can truly have the potential of cooking food that tastes just as good as the chefs do it in restaurants. The benefits of improving your cooking skills are numerous. Cooking for yourself and your loved ones is one of the most rewarding things you can do in life. It’s a skill that has been used for thousands of years and it never goes out of style.
Learning to cook well will give you the freedom to eat healthy, delicious food on a regular basis. You’ll save money by cooking at home instead of eating out or ordering delivery all the time, and you’ll have more control over what ingredients are going into your food. So, here are some tips to help you improve your cooking skills.
Tip #1: Understand When to Use Different Cooking Methods
Different cooking methods have different uses and while they may seem similar at first, it is important to know the difference between them. Each of these methods of cooking will definitely have an impact on how good your food is going to taste.
Baking: This is a dry-heat cooking method that cooks food from the outside. It heats up the air around it and creates a crust on the surface of your food. It is best for bread, cakes, cookies, pies, pastries, and other desserts.
Boiling: This moist-heat cooking method cooks food from the inside out. The water boils and turns into steam which transfers heat to your food. It should be used for vegetables or other foods that need to be cooked thoroughly but don’t need browning on the outside such as eggs or pasta.
Deep frying: This method uses oil at a very hot temperature to cook the surface of the food. Usually, you’re going to want to either coat your savory food in something such as bread crumbs or ensure that there is yeast if you’re making breaded items such as a doughnut.
There are still other methods of cooking as well such as grilling, fermentation, roasting (similar to baking), standard frying, dehydration, and so much more. They all have a way of making food taste completely different. Nowadays there is even the great air fryer, where you can make wonderful recipes such as air fried potatoes.
Tip #2: Know Different Techniques for Sauces
Sauces can seriously make a world of a difference in what your food is going to taste like. There are many different techniques for sauces, and each technique has its own unique benefits. A few sauces that will definitely impress your dinner guests are: Béchamel sauce, Mornay Sauce, Velouté Sauce, and Creamy Horseradish Sauce. Mastering an impressive sauce is a great way to expand your cooking techniques and try out new flavors.
These are just a few ideas, but don’t be afraid to play around to see what you can come up with.
Tip #3. Try Different Cooking Oils
Even the oils themself can have a major impact on what you’re cooking. Whether you’re opting for water, butter, coconut oil, olive oil, or anything oil is going to be vital. Olive oil is a type of vegetable oil that is made from the fruit of the olive tree. It has been used for cooking since ancient times. It has a low smoke point, which means it will break down and create free radicals when heated to high temperatures. This is why it’s not recommended to use this oil for frying foods.
Vegetable oils are made from plants such as nuts and seeds and have a higher smoke point than olive oil. They are often used in frying foods at high temperatures because they don’t break down as easily as olive oil does when heated. These all can make a pretty big difference in how the food is going to turn out!
