Easy Steps to Awesome Cooking that are Actually Helpful
I love to cook! Cooking has taught me patience and focus are vital to preparing a good recipe. Let me share some of the things I've learned.
I have always had a passion for cooking. I enjoy the process of cooking.
Cooking forces me to clear my mind and think of nothing else save for preparing the recipe. And I find that strangely relaxing.
Not a Professional
I am, by no means, a great cook or chef. There are many things I do that expose my amateur cooking status. Yet I try to make something special, if not once a week, then once a month, as a fun way to challenge myself and see if I can pull it off.
I made some minor attempts at cooking when I was a kid—inspired by the Food Network when it first appeared in the 90s. Introducing me to a world of Emeril Legasse, Bobby Flay, Giada De Laurentiis, Alton Brown, and his Good Eats, and many more.
I have read Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential and watched him travel the world and wax poetic about the dishes he was trying. Through him, I strived to one day become a foodie while wanting to try my hand at cooking.
I made a few attempts in college. My first complex recipe was when I made empanadas for one Latino Literature class. The response my professor praised me after he snarfed down a few of them more or less encouraged me to keep at it.
I have not always made great meals. I made many faults by not following the recipe, missing an ingredient, being too impatient, etc.
Cooking has taught me some fundamental things I didn't realize I was missing. There is a saying in the military: "Attention to detail." I have learned that this is a vital part of cooking.
Read the Entire Recipe
This might sound self-explanatory. But there were a few times when I saw a recipe I wanted to try. I focused on ensuring I had the ingredients only to realize I was missing some equipment or hadn't considered it a two-day process. I learned this the hard way when I made my first pizza dough. I was following the pizza dough recipe required the dough to be left in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours. So, no pizza for me that night. I would have to wait the following evening to bake my first pizza.
Read the entire recipe twice or three times. Make sure you understand every step before committing. Then take stock of what ingredients you need and don't need. Ensure you have all the equipment and the time to complete the recipe.
Mise en Place
Set everything up. Make sure you have all the ingredients you need laid out and organized. Make sure you have all your tools ready to go. Ensure you have paper towels and/or any towels nearby so you can clean up any mess you make as you go along.
Plan
When you read the recipe, figure out how best to plan. Some recipes will guide you to boil your pasta first and then work on sautéing your mushrooms. But you can do both. Sometimes you can switch things around, so they make more sense to you.
It took me a while to figure out a better pizza-making strategy at home. Having my toppings, cheese, and pizza sauce ready to go before I shape the dough into a pizza.
Also, sometimes, part of a recipe requires ensuring something is at room temperature. I have forgotten to take my pizza dough out of the fridge to thaw before making the pizza. I had to deal with chilly and tough pizza dough that wasn't playing nice when trying to get it into shape.
Patience & Focus
This part requires focus. But have patience while cooking to see the whole thing through as the recipe recommends.
I sometimes put on headphones and play music to help me zone out from everything else. Sometimes, I can be a bit moody cooking wanting to have the kitchen to myself.
The fewer distractions, the less likely I will miss something or forget to do something. You might not need this level of focus as me, but it works for me.
I clear my mind of nothing else other than the recipe. The only things in my head are the ingredients, the technique I need to try, and the steps I need to follow. The oven's temperature needs to be, the water needs to boil, and the pan needs to heat at medium with a tablespoon of olive oil.
Find Many Recipes for the Same Dish
This is a trick I stumbled upon by searching for a recipe and finding different options. Sometimes, I'll see one thing I like in a recipe and another in another. So, I'll combine what I want and see how it goes.
The great thing about cooking is that it can be very forgiving. Especially if you mess up. You try not to repeat the same mistake the next time you try to cook the same recipe.
Learn, if Possible, About Your Chefs
One of my favorite chef's recipes I like to try is Kenji Alt-Lopez. He always provides a lot of detail, background, and description in his recipes. But he also uses a bit more salt than to my liking.
When cooking, I have figured out what taste satisfies my pallet. So, I'll use half a tablespoon of kosher salt when I follow Kenji's recipe, which calls for a tablespoon. Taste the recipe as I cook it and see if I want to add more salt or leave it as is.
Taste While You Cook
On top of learning a little about the author of the recipe's possible taste preference, you need to know yours.
Taste while you cook. Keep tasting and seasoning how you like. Always treat the amount of seasoning a recipe suggests as a guideline and not the source of all truth.
Taste at the beginning, middle, and end before you serve. That way, you ensure the recipe is tasting how YOU like it.
If you follow my simple instructions, you will find yourself a better home cook. Cooking is not hard. Anyone can do it. Getting to a final product takes patience, reading, and humility.
Now go and cook to your heart's desire!