Cooking is fun! (Home Cooking - Helpful Hints and Tips)

Member Name: Leolover

Product:	Home Cooking - Helpful Hints and Tips
Date:	23/04/02 (571 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: satisfaction, fun, yummy food

Disadvantages: occasional disasters

I have loved cooking ever since I made my first batch of crispy cornflake cakes in Brownies, aged seven! Since then I've graduated to slightly more taxing creations, but the pleasure I get out of producing something delicious (and occasionally nutritious!) for other people to eat is exactly the same.

Good home cooking is not something you can pick up overnight. It's a learning process and it takes a lot of practice. It helps if you love cooking, as I think the enthusiasm bubbles over into the food and it actually tastes better. A weird theory but I stand by it!

There are some things you can do to get the best out of your cooking, and I've included some of the things I've learned.


**** INGREDIENTS

Wherever possible, buy fresh ingredients, as they really do taste so much better than tinned or frozen ones. This is particularly important when selecting fruit and vegetables - the fresher the better.

Make sure you always have a good selection of herbs. Herbs can be used to subtly alter the flavour of food and draw attention to different flavours and textures. Again, fresh is best, but dried herbs are often more practical as they keep for months. Most cookery books explain how different herbs can be used, and you can learn more through experimenting, but here's a brief guide :

Coriander - great for flavouring soups or curries.

Parsley - good with chicken or fish.

Mint - use to flavour boiled potatoes, or in soups or salads.

Basil - perfect for pasta and for flavouring sauces.

Thyme - Goes really well with roast lamb.

Rosemary - Another one that goes well with lamb, I also like it with fish and steaks.

There are certain things that no good cook should be without, make sure you always have these ingredients in your storecupboard or fridge :

Tinned tomatoes - can be used in a thousand different ways - soups, stews, currie
s, casseroles.

Onions - as above, also good for salads and in sandwiches

Mushrooms - again, so versatile ? and delicious!

Eggs - omelettes are great if you're pushed for time, and they're also needed in baking

olive oil - the only oil to use in my opinion!

plain and self raising flour - for baking
cornflour - for thickening

black pepper - for everything!


**** EQUIPMENT

Make sure you invest in good quality equipment for your kitchen. It will save you time, as the better quality stuff is easier to clean and maintain, and will save you money in the long run - a good set of saucepans can last up to ten years.

When it comes to kitchen equipment, it's quality not quantity that counts. You don't need all the latest gadgets. In fact, the following is more than enough to get you started:

- A good set of saucepans (4 of different sizes)
- A stockpot
- 2 or 3 casserole dishes
- a wok
- a set of good baking trays
- a roasting tin
- a good set of knives (carving, filleting and chopping)

You'll also need cake tins and baking sheets if you intend to do any baking - and it's well worth it. Nothing beats the smell of freshly made cookies and cakes wafting around the house!

**** VARIETY

...It really is the spice of life! Don't feel bound to cook the same old things day in and day out. There is a temptation to stick with what you know works, but try and adapt it - if you make a fantastic spaghetti bolognaise one day, use the same filling for a pie a few days later.

You don't have to be vegetarian to enjoy veggie food! Quorn and tofu make great casseroles and curries, and it makes a change to chicken or beef.

If you tend to fall back on potatoes most evenings, try incorporating pasta, rice or cous cous into the dish instead - a slight change can really make a difference.

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**** HYGIENE

We all know it's important, but it's easy to overlook basic hygiene rules that could result in food poisoning or infection.

Make sure you store raw meat away from other staples in your fridge. Wash your chopping board thoroughly after using it to chop meat or fish. Wash your hands after touching meat of any kind.

NEVER leave uncovered food in the kitchen - at the very least cover it, and it's better to store it in the fridge if possible.

Inspect your fridge for food that's out of date or starting to smell at the end of each week. Be ruthless - if you think something's 'on the turn', your instincts are probably right.


**** RECIPE BOOKS

Invest in some really good recipe books. You don't have to stick to the recipes. I always try to adapt what's in the books to suit my own tastes.

I recommend Jamie Olivers books for some good ideas on meat and fish dishes. Nigella Lawson's 'How to Eat' has some great salad and dessert ideas, and you can't beat Rick Stein for fish recipes.

Avoid Keith Floyd - I think his recipes are fiddly, overly rich and difficult to adapt. I don't like Gary Rhodes' recipes either, but that's really down to my personal tastes. Hunt around for some books that appeal to you, and then experiment with what you find inside.


**** THE COOKING PROCESS

Make sure you plan what you're going to cook before you start actually cooking it. Get all your ingredients out and make sure they?re easily accessible. If you need to preheat your oven, do it before you do anything else.

Try and wash up as you go along, as it makes things easier later. You often find there are gaps in the cooking process, so thins is possible. If you can't, stack all the washing up in one big pile so you know what you're dealing with.

Check what's in the oven regularly,
but take care not to open the oven door too often, as the heat is lost quickly and will prolong the cooking time needed.

**** HAVE FUN!

The most important thing is to enjoy yourself. You're bound to have a few disasters - I've had some memorable ones myself! You?ll find that the successes make it all worthwhile, so don't be too hard on yourself.

Happy cooking!

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