Most people view cooking as a daily chore; something that needs to be done in order to eat healthier and save money. While it is true that eating at home is often healthier and less expensive than eating out, cooking can turn into something more than a chore. The true cooking masters don’t live by the rules of cooking books. They put passion and dedication in their work. Above all, cooking can be a wonderful experience that allows you to explore various culinary universes. The process of eating should be more of a spiritual experience that feeds your body as well as your soul. Today we are going to discuss a few cooking tips that will help you in your journey of becoming a good cook.
1. Natural ingredients
A very good cooking tip is to always choose health in detriment of comfort or even taste. If you have the possibility try to buy bio products. Furthermore, inform yourself about the nutritional value of various foods in order to be able to be a good cook and create menus that provide the necessary daily nutrients. Use various techniques that allow you to preserve as much as possible of the nutrients. For example if you can’t find natural vegetables, choose frozen instead of canned and cook them as quickly as possible. Steaming and stir-frying are always better than boiling and deep frying. You will see that protecting the vegetable nutrients will also give your dishes more flavor.
2. Food portions
Another important cooking tip is to know the appropriate dish portions. For example a cooked meat serving should weight 3 ounces( 4 ounces raw). In order to serve a good and healthy meal split the plate in 4 quarters. One quarter should contain the meat, the other one whole grain and the rest of the plate should consist in vegetables. This concept will help you eat healthier and in the same time save money as meat is a lot more expensive than vegetables. You should also try to cook chicken and fish instead of pork and beef as they are both cheaper and healthier.
3. Spices, Seasonings and Oil
In order to be a good cook you need to pay extra attention to your seasoning and spices. It is always better to buy herbs, dry them and prepare your own seasoning. The packaged ones usually contain a lot of salt and sometimes even preservatives. You can also use lemon juice, citrus zest, chillies and wine in order to add flavor to your dishes. When it comes to wine never use any type of wine that you wouldn’t enjoy drinking. Most people try to save money by using cheap wine when cooking. However, this beats the whole point of cooking with wine as the cheap brands have a sour and unpleasant taste that affects the flavor of the dishes. Furthermore try to use top quality oil such as virgin oil. Coconut oil is also good but you should try to avoid as much as possible sunflower oil and palm oil.
These are but a few of the most important cooking tips. In order to master the cooking art you must remember that the real secret lies in the passion that you put in the process. As long as you enjoy the time you spend cooking it is impossible to ruin a meal. Taste the food and check it as often as possible and follow your instincts in creating original and healthy recipes.
