Cooking is a form of art. Though the main reason behind cooking is survival, we have long ago discovered other purposes for getting into the kitchen and preparing a meal.
We bake a cake to commemorate an important occasion, roast a turkey to show gratitude, and make homemade pasta to impress our family. Long story short, we cook because we love doing it!
Naturally, the art of cooking is filled with recipes, formulas, tricks, and tips. Mastering them all is a never-ending adventure, but learning most of them is an attainable goal that’s worth achieving. Therefore, here we share the top expert cooking tips and tricks that you can implement.
Onion First, Garlic Last
When preparing a dish that requires cooking a variety of vegetables, there is always an order to strictly follow: onions first, garlic last. Sweating vegetables is not a matter of throwing in every ingredient simultaneously. You want to do it carefully, step by step.
So, the first step is to sweat the onions to ensure the flavor is adequately established. Once the onion earns its golden, translucent color, then you can add the garlic. That way, the dish will have a strong garlic flavor that would otherwise be missed.
Find Alternatives
More often than not, following a recipe thoroughly is of paramount importance. Nonetheless, in the world of cooking, there are rules that are meant to be broken. After all, cooking is not always a matter of strictly following instructions. Sometimes, experimenting and finding alternatives pays off well.
Consider also that acquiring every ingredient that the recipe demands is not always possible. Usually, you’ll need to get by with what you have in your fridge or pantry. Luckily, there are hundreds of cooking substitutes you can incorporate to obtain original results, such as switching out brown sugar with honey and coconut sugar or using olive oil or mashed bananas instead of butter. Quite often, taking a different approach may even turn out better than strictly following the recipe.
Use your imagination. Take risks. Ruin a dish or two. What’s important is that you learn and improve upon your cooking techniques. Find alternatives and substitutes every week and stick with those that turned out great.
Do Not Peel Everything!
Tropical fruits, like bananas, pineapples, or watermelons, need to be peeled, no matter what. However, there is a good deal of vegetables and fruits that are better left unpeeled. For example, cooking potatoes with their peel on not only leads to a delicious dish but also one with nutritional benefits.
The same applies to zucchini and eggplants which store an abundance of nutrients in their skin. Instead of wasting time peeling vegetables, cook them with their skin on. You can try the method every once in a while to achieve different results and surprise your guests. Gradually, you’ll realize that peeling is a waste of time and nutrients.
Cooking is like any other field in life. You must read, practice, fail at it, and practice again before succeeding. Some dishes are harder to prepare while others are a piece of cake (literally!). As long as you don’t lose motivation and you remain determined, you can be sure you’ll master the art of cooking flawlessly.
