Cooking is a skill that can be learned, and the first step to becoming a great cook is to have some basic information. In this article, we’ll discuss some tips that will help you get started with cooking — no matter how much experience you have.
Start with some basic recipes.
Cooking for yourself can be a daunting prospect, but the first step is getting used to your kitchen.
Start by making some easy recipes that you know how to make and will take less than an hour from start to finish. This will give you more time to focus on learning a few basic cooking techniques and mastering them at your own pace. After all, it’s hard enough learning how to make something new without also worrying about timing yourself or being afraid of messing up!
Once you’ve got the hang of things, start adding in some more complicated recipes or dishes so that we can see what awesome things YOU can do with those basic techniques!
Don’t get too fancy right away.
If you’re just starting out, it can be tempting to jump right into making more advanced recipes. But before you do that, try some basic ones. You’ll have a better idea of how to cook and what ingredients work well together when you start experimenting with new flavors.
Once you’ve gotten comfortable with the basics, then try something more adventurous next time!
Read recipes before you start cooking.
To learn how to cook, you need to start with the basics. If you’re just beginning your cooking journey, it’s important for you to read recipes carefully and follow them exactly as written. Your first few efforts will be less than perfect—but that doesn’t matter!
The key is that you learn from your mistakes and try again, eventually getting better each time. So read through the recipe all the way through before starting to cook; make sure you have all of the necessary ingredients and equipment; check for any special instructions or warnings; and see if there are any steps where doing things ahead of time will save time later on (this might include chopping vegetables early so they can sit in ice water).
Do a little research.
It’s important to do some research before you begin cooking. There are so many different recipes online, and some of them look pretty complicated! If you want to ensure the best results, it’s best to learn a little bit about each ingredient and how they affect your dish. Look up some blogs or websites that talk about cooking (like this one!) so that you can learn more about how things work together in the kitchen.
Ask for help.
If you’re a beginner, you may want some help learning how to cook. You can ask for help from friends, family members, the internet and even books. If you really want to make sure that everything is done right, it may be a good idea to take a class or ask someone who knows what they’re doing (like a professional chef) for some extra tips.
Prep ahead of time.
If you’re not a seasoned chef and are still learning how to cook, the best thing you can do is prep as much of your ingredients in advance as possible. This will save you time and make cooking less stressful. Get chopping!
Preparing vegetables ahead of time is a great way to save both space and energy (and, if you’re anything like me, prevent cutting yourself). Store chopped onions or garlic in an airtight container on your countertop for up to two days or longer if frozen. If your recipe calls for peppers or tomatoes in pieces, slice them now and store them separately too! You can also slice meat, fish or poultry before starting the recipe so that all it takes is throwing everything into one pan later on.
If there’s no time left before dinner starts cooking but all these delicious ingredients have been waiting patiently in the fridge since earlier in the day!
Use the right equipment.
Great cooking starts with using the right equipment. This is especially important for beginners because it’s easy to be overwhelmed by buying too many tools and gadgets, which can lead to confusion and frustration.
Here are some of the basics every cook should have on hand:
- A good set of knives. Keep your knives sharpened, or invest in an electric knife sharpener if you don’t have time or a skill set for doing it yourself. You should also have an array of different-sized knives so you can use them for chopping, mincing, slicing, dicing and other tasks.
- A cutting board (and plastic/silicone mats). Cutting boards come in many different materials including plastic, wood and bamboo; but one material that shouldn’t be used is glass—it may look pretty but its slippery surface makes it unsafe when working with sharp objects like knives; plus glass cutting boards are prone to shattering if dropped! If you want something pretty though then go ahead and get one made out of ceramic instead since this material doesn’t dull blades as quickly as others do either…but keep in mind that these types tend not last long either before needing replacement due their fragile nature (so much so we wouldn’t recommend investing money into one unless there’s something specific about its design that attracts interest).
Follow your taste buds.
To be a great chef, you must learn to trust your own taste buds. Taste as you go and don’t be afraid of making mistakes. If it tastes bad, start over!
Don’t try to follow the recipe exactly (unless you want to). Instead, use it as a guideline for cooking times and ingredients. For example: if the recipe says “1 cup water” then add enough water so that there are no dry spots when stirring in all of the flour at once. This will prevent flour from being lumpy or clumpy in your gravy or sauces later on down the road which usually happens when too much flour has been added because someone forgot about it while cooking dinner!
Get to know your grocery store.
The first step to improving your cooking is getting to know your grocery store. If you don’t know how the store is laid out, or where things are located and what they’re called, then it’s going to be difficult for you to find anything. Here are some tips:
- Learn the names of items. It sounds obvious, but knowing the name of an item can help you find it quickly when looking at aisles or in a crowded fridge/pantry. For example if you know that carrots are called “carrots,” then scanning through the produce section will be much easier than trying to find something called “orange vegetable.”
- Know which aisle has what kind of product (i.e., meats vs vegetables). This one might seem like common sense but having an understanding of where different types of foods are located makes shopping more organized and efficient because now instead of wandering aimlessly around looking for something specific like “tomatoes” without knowing whether they’re next door by dairy products or over near seafood/deli meat area!
Know what you are looking for before going to the store. This one is crucial as it can save you from wasting precious time wandering around aimlessly wondering where everything is located. For example if your fridge and pantry are almost empty then don’t go shopping without knowing what kind of foods you need to buy; otherwise this could waste a lot of time.
Try cooking new foods and you will be surprised how good even basic food can taste
Try cooking new recipes, try new ingredients, try new cooking methods and techniques. Try marinades and oils. You may be surprised at how good simple food can taste when you experiment with different spices and herbs or different cooking methods or even just a bit of salt and pepper on your chicken breast!
Cook things you’re excited about.
If you’re just getting started with cooking, start with something you’re passionate about. Cooking is a fun activity in and of itself—and it can be an excellent way to express yourself!
If you like food and want to share your passion for cooking with others, then make sure that your first few dishes are the ones that excite you. You’ll find the process more enjoyable (and maybe even learn a thing or two) if you’re working with ingredients or techniques that grab your attention. If there’s something new or different about the recipe as compared to what’s been served before, then this is definitely the direction to go!
Cooking is fun and can be easy, even if you’re just starting out!
Cooking is fun, and it can be easy even if you’re just starting out. Cooking with family and friends is a great way to spend time together, and there’s no need to follow recipes exactly. You can improvise and make your food taste delicious!
Cooking is a great way to get into the kitchen and start learning about how food is made. You’re going to have some fun, messes will happen (hey, it happens!) but don’t let that stop you from trying something new next time.
Stuck on a recipe? Keep trying over and over and not achieving the quality you’re looking for? Submit a Critiq request to Tanya Holland; she can help you perfect the technique or flavours of any recipe you’re working on.
Featured Expert
Tanya Holland
Professional Chef | Restaurateur | Podcast Host | Cookbook Author
