Tag: cooking tips

Some people view cooking as something that they have to do. But the lucky person views it as something that they get to do. If you need to do something, it’s always better to find ways to make yourself fall in love with the activity. If you can do that, then it won’t feel like a chore at all. It’ll be something that you get excited to do. So wouldn’t it be wonderful if you could fall in love with cooking?

When it comes to cooking, there are plenty of things you can do that’ll help you to become passionate about the activity. But perhaps the best approach is to simply make delicious meals. If you love your creations, then you’ll love being in the kitchen.

In this post, I’ll share some handy tips that anyone can use to ensure their meals are seriously tasty so that it will be easier to fall in love with cooking

Superior Ingredients

There can be a significant difference between two meals that, on the face of it, look exactly the same. If one has been made with basic ingredients, it’ll taste good. If the meal has been made with the best ingredients available, then it’ll taste great. That’s a big upgrade, and all you’ll have done is spent a bit more time sourcing high-end ingredients to use. Note that better ingredients don’t necessarily have to cost much more. But even if they do, on some occasions, it’s better to invest — they’ll help to make a big impression at a dinner party, for instance.

Here are a few tips on how to spot a superior ingredient:

• It is fresh: This is especially true with produce and spices.
• It has few preservatives: This is true of most foods.
• It is authentic to the culture that created it: Why buy Italian seasoning that’s “Made in China.” Buy Chinese spices from China!
• The color is vibrant: Fresh vegetables are brighter in color than those that are less fresh.

For more tips, check out this article on how to choose ingredients like a pro.

When your ingredients are better, it is a whole lot easier to enjoy your food and fall in love with cooking. In fact, you might find yourself seeking out new ingredients to experiment and get creative with!

Look Fresh and Inviting

Ingredients are important, but in reality, they don’t paint the full picture. A lot of the flavor of a meal comes from what’s added to the core ingredients, such as the sauces and so forth. When it comes to sauces, people tend to pick whatever’s easiest, which nearly always means whatever they can get in a jar from the store. But most sauces don’t require advanced skills to make at home. Take pesto, for example. You can buy it from the store. Or you read up on homemade pesto from lecremedelacrumb.com and make it yourself. I’ll let you figure out which one will taste better!

In addition to sauces, play around with garnishes, as well as how you create your meal combinations. For example, do you like your steak better with broccoli or asparagus? Or perhaps something else altogether! Falling in love with cooking is part science — getting the techniques right — and part artistry — creating your own personal flare.

Fall in Love with Cooking the Same Meals

Remember the first time you tried to do anything? You probably weren’t too good. Most people are not “naturals” at anything. You get good by doing the same things over and over. Oddly, this is an approach that most people don’t take when it comes to cooking. If you’ve found a meal that you like, then it’s worthwhile making it on a regular basis. You’ll find that, over time, you iron out all the kinks and eventually get to create the perfect incarnation of the dish. Practice makes perfect!

Part of your love affair with cooking can come from becoming masterful at preparing a single dish, single technique, single style, or even single cuisine. And mastery only comes after repetition.

Get Inspiration from Others

If you are looking for inspiration on which meals or recipes you want to try next then it might be worthwhile grabbing some cookbooks and having a look through those. You can find my cookbooks on Amazon, and cookbooks I’ve reviewed here on this blog.

Not all cookbooks (or even the recipes found within) will appeal to you but you might find something that looks tasty. Give it a try!

You could also follow blogs (like this one) or other social media online (including my Facebook page). These are great for surprising you with yummy new recipes that you might not have tried yet. Following someone like Manal Jishi, who hopes to bring out her own cookbook, will give you all the inspiration you need in the kitchen.

Get Feedback

Finally, you can step up the quality of your meals by getting feedback from friends, family, and anyone else to whom you serve your food. They might just tell you something that will really make a massive difference. As always, it’s best not to take constructive criticism personally — it’s there to help you to improve your meals, after all. And always keep in mind that you don’t have to take their advice. If the feedback is “add celery” and you don’t like celery, ignore it.

Align Your Cooking with Your Values

Cooking doesn’t have to be just about creating delicious meals. It can also be an expression of who you are and what you believe in. For example, I don’t cook with veal unless I can find a no-cruelty source. By choosing to cook with ingredients that reflect our ethical and environmental values, we contribute to a larger movement of mindful living.

For instance, using products from suppliers like Superior Farms, known for their dedication to sustainable practices, aligns with a commitment to animal welfare and ecological responsibility. When you cook with love and intention, using ethically sourced ingredients, not only does your food taste better, but it also carries the essence of your values.

Every dish becomes a witness to your respect for nature and the well-being of its creatures, enhancing the cooking experience by imbuing it with deeper meaning and connection.

This is your kitchen and your love affair with cooking. You get to express your Kitchen Creativity your way!

Some people find the ideas of working 9-5, then coming home to cook everyone dinner a tad stressful. And, I’ll admit, on particularly long days, I’m one of those people! And even if you aren’t rushed around dinner time, making dinner after work can still be a bit chaotic. (Why do you think TV dinners exist?) However, it doesn’t have to be this way. Cooking should be enjoyable for everyone, regardless of time constraints. There are so many different recipes to try and flavors to experience that you should often be expressing your kitchen creativity and experimenting with your food. Yet so many people will prefer to stick a ready meal in the microwave and be done with it. Or, they have a small set of recipes they fall back on all the time. If you’re one of those people, then let this post open your mind to the possibility of hassle-free cooking and better eating.

Hassle-Free Cooking Idea #1: Get Everyone Involved

Obviously, if you’ve got really young children you might want them to stay out the way, but if you’ve got tweens or teens there’s no reason why they shouldn’t be helping you in the kitchen. Getting them excited about cooking can also help to keep you motivated in making good food rather than taking the easy option. Even if you just get help with the manual labor side of things such as chopping or peeling vegetables, it all takes a bit of the burden from you. Plus it is a great way of bringing all of the family together. If you do have younger children and want to try and get them involved then you could get them to help with the safer tasks such as sprinkling the cheese if you’re making a homemade pizza. They’re more inclined to try foods if they’ve helped to prepare it.

Hassle-Free Cooking Idea #2: Kit Your Kitchen Out

If you want to make cooking hassle-free, you need to have a decent modern kitchen. Of course, you could renovate and give yourself a brand new one — if you can afford it. Or you can make do with what you have, and fill it with the latest appliances. Something from Kitchenaid will literally aid you when it comes to fun tasks such as baking. (I LOVE their standing mixer!) It has so many capabilities, and they actually look really pretty, as well. They’re a tad on the expensive side, but worth it in the long run, since they are long-lived.

Another cool addition you could put in the kitchen is a food smoker. They give off that gorgeous smokey BBQ taste that you’d get from an outdoor BBQ, but without the hassle. If you’re stuck with deciding which one to chose, get help deciding here.

The one thing every kitchen needs though is a good oven. But what’s the one thing people don’t seem to have? A good oven. If you’re looking for something that’s going to make cooking hassle-free, then you should look into the price of a double oven. People’s biggest complaints are not having enough space when it comes to cooking, a double oven will solve all your problems. Frankly, I wish I had one for this Thursday! Luckily, I have two slow cookers and will be making three of my usually oven-made dishes in those!

Hassle-Free Cooking Idea #3: Safety First

Hassle-free cooking is safe cooking. Nothing creates more hassle than a sliced bloody finger leaking into you bolognese mix. So, you need to find ways to make your kitchen as safe as possible. Let’s start with the major issue that a lot of homes face, fire due to lack of fire safety equipment. We aren’t talking about a fire extinguisher in your kitchen, but a simple smoke detector could save the lives of everyone in the house, as well as your lovely dinner from burning too much. They don’t necessarily go off because your house is burning down, you could have just left the pie in the oven for too long. (Or you’re cooking bacon with all the windows open like I was yesterday and it goes off because there’s a little smoke in the air. Erg.) Keep in mind, that if you rent where you live, in many states it is against the law not to have a working smoke detector.

In addition to fire safety, you may need to think about making the kitchen safe for little ones. Make sure knives are well out of reach and cupboards are childproofed. The last thing you need is a child rummaging through your cupboards and ruining the contents.

Hassle-Free Cooking Idea #4:Cook What You Like

Hassle-free cooking is fun! You need to actually enjoy what you’re cooking. If you look forward to the meal you’re making, you’re less likely to consider the making part of it a hassle. But at the same time, it can be so repetitive making the same foods over and over again. Try and experiment a little and challenge yourself in terms of cooking. Don’t just go for the simple chili, switch it up and create a chili nacho cheese feast. Sounds good right? All you need is your normal chili con carne mix. Get an ovenproof fairly large dish and layer with nachos, top with the chili, add a layer of cheese, repeat until done. Microwave for 3 minutes to melt the cheese and you’re in for a treat.