They say people who love to eat are the best people. Every July, the Singapore Food Festival is celebrated by showcasing different Singapore cuisines. Like everyone, you enjoy eating in hawk centers or in restaurants all over the country. Just the aroma of the infamous Hainanese chicken rice makes your mouth melt and leaves you craving for this dish after your first bite. Or on a lazy night at your apartment, you are among the avid viewers of cooking shows where the contestants feature their own creative masterpieces.
You see them skillfully chop the ingredients and simultaneously put everything in the pan without breaking a sweat. They act so in control and you ask yourself what it takes to be like them. You get giddy and you gush – all for the love of food and cooking shows. If cooking is among the list of your things-to-do for 2016, you are in for a surprise with these easy starter guides for an activity that will make your stomach and heart full!
- Compile recipes
Start with the basics. Knowledge is indeed power. With today’s technology, recipes are just a click away. Assign a special folder in your computer for your recipes. Print-outs and magazine cookbooks are also good ideas. Initially gather recipes of your favorite dishes for inspiration and motivation. Bear in mind that something that you’ve eaten for nth times already will not be that hard to cook, right?
You, of all people, would know the right taste to your favorite food. Cooking is just like learning how to drive. Once you have taken the theory to heart, your cooking instinct will follow. Starting it right by having the proper knowledge will surely develop your cooking skills!
- Buy essential ingredients
After reading the compiled recipes over and over again, you will notice that certain spices are repeatedly used. There are basic ingredients which are ever present in cooking. Look up your compiled menus and check the common ingredients. Salt, pepper, onion, garlic – these are some of the most used spices. Be sure to stock handful of these in your kitchen.
Constantly seeing these will likewise motivate you to continue cooking meals after meals. It is also equally important to follow the proper storage of food items like meat and vegetables to ensure cleanliness of the food that you’ll be cooking and serving for yourself and your loved ones. Observing the Do’s and Don’ts in storing food will likewise maximize its shelf-life, leaving nothing to waste.
- Organize cooking tools
The pans that you will be using will depend on the kind of food that you will cook. You should know when to use casserole, pressure cooker or frying pans. The duration and the temperature of your cooking will be greatly considered in choosing the right cooking pan. The pan size must also be proportion to the amount of servings you plan to cook.
This will ensure an energy-saving and an efficient time for cooking. Measuring tools are part of your cooking tools. Even the professional chefs rely on these. As a beginner, organize your measuring spoons and cups. Familiarize yourself with the units of measurement indicated in the tools. It is also wise to keep a table of unit conversion for reference.
You might need to do unit conversions with what is indicated in the recipe versus what unit is available in your measuring tools. Be well-versed with approximation of volume per instrument. For instance, how many ml are there in one teaspoon? This should come easily once you are comfortable with the proper estimations. Ratio and proportion will also come in handy once you prepare dishes in bigger quantities in the future.
- Practice
Like in every activity, some first-timers have beginner’s luck in cooking. If you are fortunate, you might achieve desired taste on your first try. However, if you think you didn’t do well in your first try, do not be discouraged. Re-trace and review your steps if you missed something. Did the meat become too tender?
Is the dish too salty? Mistakes are stepping stones towards a more tasteful dish. Improvement in cooking will likewise be achieved through calibration. No one becomes a good cook overnight. Practice and take note of your previous lapses to prevent repeating the same mistake. Once you’re familiar with the ingredients, tools and recipes, nothing can go wrong!
- Garnish and serve
The one who cooks is as excited as the one who eats. Even if it is just an ordinary day of the week, always make sure your dish is presentable. Decorate and garnish the food. At the end of the day, cooking is all about labor of love and serving a hearty meal!
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