The time to cook has come. Whether you are preparing a meal for yourself or for the entire family, you have put in the effort to get to this point. But before you get started, you should add a few more crucial weapons to your arsenal. As a cook, it becomes extremely crucial to handle all the tasks well that come with cooking a meal be it the preparation to the actual cooking. Being smart and mindful will definitely help you a lot as your efforts will be directed in the right direction and the results of your cooking will definitely be wonderful. Here are some tips and tricks to becoming a great cook.
1. Master The Time
Timing is one of the most crucial skills to learn, whether you're cooking for immediate consumption or planning meals for the week ahead. Timing is more than just how long it takes to cook a dish. Timing refers to the entire process of preparing, marinating, cooking, resting, assembling, and serving a recipe.
2. Use Both Cooking Techniques
Knowing the difference between active and inactive cooking is built into the importance of timing and becoming an intuitive cook. Understanding the distinction elevates multitasking to a whole new level.
Active Cooking is usually used on the stovetop for recipes that require frying, sautéing, steaming, searing, and stir-frying. It is applicable to any recipe with a shorter cook time that requires the cook to actively attend to it.
Inactive Cooking is any dish in which the majority of the cooking takes place in the oven, slow cooker, Instant Pot, or any stovetop cooking that takes 30 minutes or longer to complete, untouched. This includes braising, roasting, baking, and low and slow cooking techniques. As a result, less active cooking occurs during the cooler seasons.
Therefore, when cooking make sure to use both techniques simultaneously with the given dishes that you are preparing to ensure the minimum time you spend in the kitchen.
3. Prep And Prep
It's all about what you can do before you start cooking to set yourself up for success. Throughout the entire process, there is a direct line of preparation that pulls you forward. Preparation for menu planning leads to preparation for grocery shopping, which leads to actual food preparation, which leads to cooking and a meal on the table.
4. Clean Simultaneously
Cleaning while cooking is more than just a hint. It saves time, especially during inactive cooking moments like waiting for meals to come out of the oven. It also serves as a "freak-out" saver. Do you know those moments (usually when entertaining at home) when you return to consciousness to see mountains of dishes and clutter across the kitchen? Cleaning as you cook is vital, even if it is just stacking dirty dishes, returning ingredients to their proper places, or wiping countertops.
5. Learn How To Store
The cooking is finished, and there may be leftovers. Now it's time to put stuff away. Learning how to store different food items is very crucial as not storing them properly could lay waste on the hard work you went through to prepare that meal. Study how to store the food items to ensure they remain fresh, healthy and as tasty as they were when you prepared them.
