10 Tips For Kitchen Beginners

… a good reminder for the rest of us.

        These 10 kitchen tips are crucial for beginners and a great reminder for the rest of us.  Keeping these concepts close when cooking any recipe will ensure that you produce delicious items that you will be proud to serve to friends and family. Before you know it, the phrase “can I get the recipe for this” will be the norm!

1.     PLAN AHEAD

This is crucial for newbies in the kitchen. The last thing you want to be doing is rushing around at the last minute. You will be stressed, you won’t have any fun, and you will make mistakes. Do yourself a favour and give yourself weeks’ notice before you plan to make something you haven’t made before and two weeks when entertaining. This will give you the time you need to really plan things out, get what you need and get cooking with plenty of time to spare.

2.     READ, READ, READ

If I had a solar panel for every time I heard someone tell a story of a massive recipe blunder caused by failure to read, I could power a small country. One of the seemingly obvious things to do when planning ahead in Tip #1 is to read the ENTIRE recipe. I can recall times early in my own cooking history when I began my recipe in earnest hours before a meal only to find out halfway through that the dish needed to marinate, rest, rise, cool or freeze before moving to the next step. Egad! Read your recipe from beginning to end and make sure you have all the tools, ingredients and time needed to have success!

3.     SIMPLIFY

Keep your level of skill in mind when you are choosing a recipe or menu to avoid a great deal of un-needed stress. While “Baked Alaska” or “Crème Brule” might sound like exactly what you want in theory, when it comes time to working through some of the more challenging elements in these recipes you might be pulling your hair out. There are many millions of recipes available to choose from on the internet alone. Many have been reviewed and have extremely detailed instructions. Choose something that sounds delicious but that uses the KISS theory. Keep It Simple Student!

4.     CHOOSE WISELY

As discussed in Tip #3 there is no end to the number of recipes available for your kitchen adventures. The last thing you want to do is choose recipes that are not tried and tested. Get recipes from friends and family, as a host or hostess at your next event or use sites that you trust like Mealscool, or that have review and rating systems like ALLRECIPES or EPICURIOUS. These sites will give you an indication how many people enjoyed the results of the recipe as well as any challenges they had or changes they made that might make sense to you. Choose a recipe that you trust and you chances are much greater that the end product won’t disappoint.

5.     MISE EN PLACE

I first heard this term used by my French Chef and teacher while taking restaurant management classes in college. The Oxford Dictionary defines mise en place as the preparation of dishes and ingredients before the beginning of service.  It is a French phrase literally ‘putting in place’.  Here at Mealscool we like to think of it as “Get Your KIT Together” a less profane but equally memorable version of the much known expression. Basically we are talking about getting everything you need out and ready to go. This includes all of the ingredients, tools and dishes you will need to complete the dish. This helps to reduce stress while you are cooking, keep important timed elements on schedule and acts as a “final check” that you have everything you need before you get started. It usually helps you to read through the recipe this one last time as well and avoid surprises.

6.     MEASURE TWICE DUMP ONCE

We have all heard the expression measure twice, cut once with reference to woodworking but the same concept can be applied in the kitchen. When you are doing your “mise en place” and measuring out the components of the recipe, read the measurement, measure it out, read the measurement once more, and then add it to the dish. The extra check has saved many of us from adding 2 tablespoons of salt instead of 2 teaspoons to our favourite recipe a mistake that could be disastrous!

7.     USE PROPER TOOLS

Buying your measuring spoons at the dollar store may seem like a good idea at the time, but this is a choice that can often have a less than stellar outcome. Buy your kitchen tools from a reputable kitchen store or ensure that if you are picking them up at a neighbourhood yard sale you verify their accuracy. The same holds true for all tools and kitchen appliances. The adage you get what you pay for holds more truly in some places than others and the kitchen is one where it matters. The last thing you want is to be in the middle of blending a pureed soup, with your guests walking through the front door and your $5.00 blender decides to retire. Well-made tools make all the difference.

8.     TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS

You may be new to the kitchen but you aren’t a fool. If a 6 serving recipe of soup calls for a cup of crushed garlic, your “spidy senses” may start to tingle. This is good. If something doesn’t add up or make sense there is a possibility of an error or a typo. You have options. One choice is to start with a small amount of some ingredients and taste before adding more. When the chemistry of what you are cooking is crucial as is often the case when baking, you would do well to look at other similar recipes to confirm your suspicions or do what many of us have done when come upon a situation like this – call MOM!

9.     MAKE AHEAD

One of the best things rookies can do when cooking is pick dishes that can be made ahead of time. Many soups, dips, marinades, sauces and the like are even better when given a day for the flavours to mingle. This is a great way to ensure that you have confidence when entertaining. Having the ability to complete and taste your final product is a relief. If things don’t work out and you want to try something else or get take out instead, you can make these decisions without the embarrassment of your company’s involvement. The ability to visit and socialize with your guests when they arrive instead of being in a panic in the kitchen is much more enjoyable as well!

10.    TASTE BEFORE SERVING

Our final tip is another one that may seem obvious to many of us but inexperienced cooks (and occasionally the experienced ones too!) can make this mistake in the rush to get it all done. Make sure you taste what you are serving to others before you serve them, ideally before it’s on their plate! Simple adjustments to seasonings and herbs can often take a dish from deadly to delightful in seconds. If there has been some sort of gross oversight you definitely want to know it before you are sitting around the table. Following the tips above will help to ensure that you don’t make big mistakes, but if you do, you will have time to remedy them before serving.