Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 4: Understanding basic cooking techniques
• Part 2 of 4: Plan and prepare meals
• Part 3 of 4: Improving flavors and textures
• Part 4 of 4: Perfecting specific cooking techniques
• Tips
• Warnings

In this article, we'll give you some tips that can be useful if you want to learn how to cook.

To step

Part 1 of 4: Understanding basic cooking techniques

1. Understand how cooking works. Boiling involves heating water until it reaches a temperature where it bubbles and turns into steam. The temperature at which water boils varies depending on the pressure in the atmosphere, but normally water boils around 100 ° C. Cooking food involves submerging food in boiling water until it is cooked.
   • Cooking is quite a tough preparation method, because the steam bubbles that move through the water can damage less firm products. That is why it is best to use this preparation method only for a number of specific products such as dry pasta and rice, and for boiling eggs.
   • Not so long ago it was common to cook vegetables in water, but nowadays most people don't do this anymore because during the cooking of vegetables a lot of water-soluble vitamins are lost from the vegetables, making them part of their nutritional value. to lose. Try to save some of the cooking liquid and incorporate it into the meal in some way to preserve its nutritional value.
   • Poaching is the most gentle way to cook in water and is a suitable method for cooking products such as fish and eggs without shells until tender. Poaching takes place at a temperature between 60 ° C and 90 ° C.
   • Simmer is probably the most common method of cooking products in moisture and is used for most sauces and stews. Simmering takes place between 87 ° C and 94 ° C.
   • Slow cooking is the term used for cooking in water before it has reached the full boiling point of 100 ° C. It is slightly more intense than simmering and takes place at a temperature of 95 ° C.
2. Sauté. Sautéing is a fast method of preparation in which the ingredients are quickly cooked in a small amount of fat in a pan over high heat. It gives a lot of flavor to the food and is ideal for preparing tender meat and vegetables cut into pieces.
   • It is very important that the pan you use for sautéing is of good quality. A good pan heats the ingredients evenly and reacts quickly to changes in temperature. A heavy stainless steel pan with a layer of aluminum in the middle and a heavy metal bottom works best.
   • As for fat, you can use both oil and butter. Sautéing is usually done in olive or canola oil. Butter gives a lot of flavor to the food, but it burns faster than oil.
   • The most important rule of sautéing is that both the pan and the fat must be heated to a high temperature before you put the other ingredients in the pan or the food won't cook properly - it will just absorb some of the fat from the pan and stick to the bottom of the pan. A good tip you can use to check if the pan is hot enough is to drop a few drops of water into the pan - if the drops sizzle violently and evaporate within a few seconds, the pan is hot enough.
   • Once the ingredients are in the pan, it is important to keep them moving. The word sauter actually means "to jump" in French, so keep tossing the ingredients into the pan while sautéing. This will ensure that the ingredients are cooked evenly and that the pan stays hot. To be able to scoop the vegetables properly, it is important that there is enough space in the pan and that it is not too full.
   • As for the types of ingredients suitable for sautéing, the answer is that it can be done with almost anything - except thick or chewy cuts of meat (such as shank or brisket), large meat or a whole chicken, or root vegetables. This is because such ingredients will burn on the outside before they are cooked on the inside.
   • But sautéing is a very suitable preparation method for all types of tender meat, cut into smaller pieces, as it is for most vegetables. Just make sure the meat or vegetable is chopped into even sized pieces to make sure the pieces cook evenly.
   • Certain types of vegetables cook earlier than others, even though the different types are cut into pieces of equal size - take this into account by either chopping the harder vegetables into smaller pieces, or cutting the vegetables that cook quickly into the pan later to do.
3. Understand how baking works. Baking is very similar to sautéing, because when baking the food is also cooked in a pan with oil. As with sautéing, it is very important that both the pan and the oil are hot enough before adding the other ingredients to the pan. Still, there are some essential differences between baking and sautéing, as well as different baking methods, and it is therefore important to know the differences between these two cooking methods.
   • Fry in the frying pan is very similar to sautéing. In both preparation methods you fry the ingredients in a pan using oil. Frying pan frying is usually only used for cooking larger pieces of meat - such as chicken breast, steak, chops and fish fillets - that do not need to be cut into smaller pieces. Frying in the frying pan is also done at a lower temperature than sautéing or stir-frying, to prevent larger pieces from burning on the outside before they are cooked on the inside.
   • Shallow frying is basically the same as frying in a frying pan, only you use more oil for shallow frying. With normal frying in the frying pan, you simply cover the bottom of the frying pan with a thin layer of oil, while with shallow frying, the aim is for the oil to reach about halfway to the outside of the ingredients to be prepared. This preparation method is used for dishes such as fried chicken, battered shrimps and aubergines à la parmigiana.
   • Deep frying means that the ingredients are completely immersed in the hot oil. With this method of baking, you do not have to turn the ingredients halfway through the cooking time, because the ingredients are completely surrounded by oil and therefore cooked evenly on all sides. This method is used for making apple fritters and other battered ingredients, for example, and of course for French fries and oliebollen.
   • Stir-fry, a standard method of preparation in Chinese cuisine, is much the same as sautéing - the ingredients are cut into small pieces and cooked in a hot pan with oil. The only difference is in the pan you use; Stir-fry is done in a wok - a pan with a deep, spherical bottom and slightly sloping sides made of thin metal.
4. Understand roasting and grilling. Roasting and grilling are both dry preparation methods in which the ingredients are heated by means of an open fire. The only difference between roasting and grilling is that when grilling, the heat source is above the food, while when roasting, the heat comes from below.
   • In both grilling and roasting, the food is cooked by means of hot air produced by an open flame. However, air is actually not such a good heat conductor, so the food should be placed close to the heat source. This means that the ingredients cook quickly on the outside, which makes grilling and roasting a suitable preparation method for tender cuts of beef, chicken or fish.
   • Since both grilling and roasting are hot and dry cooking methods, the ingredients for cooking are often marinated first so that they remain juicy and tasty. Marinating involves immersing the raw ingredients in a spiced (and often sour) liquid for preparation. The purpose of marinating is to make the meat more tender and to add flavor to all kinds of ingredients.
   • Usually the grilling or roasting ingredients are placed on some type of rack or wire rack to allow the fat to drip out and to ensure that grilled or roasted products have such a beautiful grill pattern that is a classic feature of these preparation method.
   • To ensure that the meat, fish, or whatever you want to grill or broil is cooked evenly on both sides, turn the pieces once during cooking. It is also the intention that you leave the food on the grid quietly and do not move it.
   • Barbecuing is almost the same as roasting, except that when barbecuing, the heat is produced by burning wood or charcoal, which gives the food a slightly different, smoky taste.
5. Understand microwave cooking. Preparing food in the microwave is a very convenient method of preparation that requires very little cooking skills. The microwave works by means of electromagnetic waves that cause the water molecules in the food to vibrate. That vibrating produces heat that cooks the food. Most novice cooks will be at least familiar with the microwave, but there are a few health and safety aspects to keep in mind:
   • Use never metal utensils in the microwave. The electromagnetic waves are unable to penetrate the metal and can create electrical sparks that can damage your microwave. The same goes for aluminum foil.
   • Products with a skin or skin - such as potatoes and frankfurters - should always be pierced with a fork before cooking. If you don't, the steam in the food will create pressure and cause it to explode in the microwave.
   • You should always cover food with a microwave-safe lid during microwave cooking - this will prevent splashing and help ensure that the food is heated evenly.
   • Sometimes there are "cold spots" in the microwave, which prevents the food from cooking evenly. To avoid this, move or stir the food while heating or cooking - stopping the microwave from time to time to stir sauces, turn meat, or rearrange vegetables.
   • Contrary to popular belief, microwaving does not mean that a lot of nutrients are lost. Yet many people still prefer not to use the microwave for cooking, but only for heating or defrosting food, or for making microwave popcorn.
   • But if you're short on time, it's good to know that you can adapt most recipes to use the microwave instead of more traditional cooking methods.
6. Understand how oven roasting works. Roasting is a method of preparation that uses dry heat, in which the product is placed uncovered in a refractory dish or baking pan in the oven. This cooking method is usually associated with large meat - such as whole chickens or turkeys, lean cuts of pork, lamb or beef and fish fillets, but it is also a very suitable cooking method for vegetables.
   • When roasting in the oven, the focus is on the flavor of the food itself - and not the sauces or side dishes, such as in a stew or stew. The outside of the meat or vegetables should slowly turn completely golden brown during cooking, while the inside should remain juicy.
   • You should use a good baking dish or roasting pan and place it on the middle shelf of the oven. A convection oven is ideal for roasting, because an electric oven provides hot air circulation, which produces nicely evenly browned meat and evenly roasted vegetables.
   • Many cooks believe that the meat should hang slightly above the bottom of the dish while roasting so that it is not cooked in juices dripping from the meat. You can use a grill rack for this, or you can put the meat on a layer of vegetables that serve the same purpose but add extra flavor at the same time.
   • You should never cover a dish that is being roasted in the oven, as it will then be cooked in the steam that forms under the lid, rather than in the hot air of the oven. On the other hand, you also have to make sure that the meat does not dry out and therefore you may have to baste lean cuts of meat while roasting. Basting means that you baste the outside of the meat with butter, liquid from the shell or with another type of liquid or sauce.
   • The best way to determine if the meat has been roasted properly is to use a digital thermometer with a constant reading of the temperature on the display to check the temperature inside the meat. The ideal temperature inside the meat depends on the type of meat, and if all goes well, the recipe will indicate the temperature to which the meat should be heated on the inside.
   • When roasted meat is removed from the oven, let it rest for a few minutes before carving it. That way, the meat can continue cooking for a while and literally 'rest', making it easier to cut.
   • The following products can be roasted in the oven, each in their own specific way: whole chicken, turkey, vegetables, roast beef, lamb, duck, small potatoes, pork loin and chestnuts.
7. Understand how steaming works. Steaming uses moist heat produced by hot steam to cook the ingredients. It is a very gentle way of cooking, which makes it a very suitable preparation method for fish and vegetables.
   • The state of water changes when it boils, converting the liquid into steam. This means that steaming takes place at the boiling point of water - 100 ° C at sea level. Despite the high temperature, steaming is one of the most gentle ways to cook food because the ingredients are not shaken together in the bubbling water.
   • Steaming is also a very healthy preparation method, because, unlike cooking, braising, etc., the steam does not extract any nutrients from the products. As a result, it is possible that up to 50% more nutrients are retained with steaming than with other preparation methods. In addition, steaming does not use any form of fat as an aid, which results in a less calorie-rich end result.
   • You can use a traditional braided bamboo steam basket or a plastic steam basket that you put on the stove for steaming, but steaming is also very good by simply bringing water to the boil in a pan and placing a grid or a colander on top. where you can put the ingredients on or in. Most kitchenware stores also sell loose metal, collapsible or non-collapsible vegetable steamer that fit most pans.
   • Although water is usually used to steam vegetables, it is also possible to use other liquids when preparing, for example, fish and chicken and other white poultry to give the dish extra flavor. Chicken, meat and vegetable stock, fruit juices and wine are all tasty substitutes and you can also add an innumerable number of different combinations of herbs and spices to the cooking liquid to the liquid. The flavors from the cooking liquid will then penetrate into the steamed ingredients as the steam rises.
   • Steaming is a relatively fast preparation method, because it takes place at such a high temperature. Most vegetables will be cooked through in less than 5 minutes, while steaming fish and other white meats takes only 3-5 minutes, depending on the thickness.
8. Understand simmering. Simmering is a moist cooking method that allows you to transform larger, tough cuts of meat into a juicy, tender dish. Simmer is done by first searing the meat (or hard vegetables), after which you slowly simmer it in liquid for several hours.
   • Simmering is a very suitable preparation method if you are looking for a cheap and tasty dish that the whole family can enjoy with.The simmering process is very simple, but it does take several hours for the dish to reach the correct consistency, so it's not something to cook if you're in a hurry. On the other hand, you don't have to pay much attention to the dish while it is on the stove, so you can just let it simmer in the oven and do something else in the meantime.
   • To make braised meat, first sear the meat in some fat in a hot pan. As a result, the meat browns nicely on the outside, which not only looks good, but also gives the meat more flavor. Then you transfer the meat to a heavy, oven-proof pan or dish, in a cast iron frying pan or in a so-called slow cooker. You will need to pour a little wine, stock or other liquid into the first pan to loosen the pastes (small pieces of meat and / or fat) from the bottom. Add this liquid to the seared meat in the second bowl or pan, along with the rest of the cooking liquid that you will be using (usually a combination of stock, wine, or fruit juice), which should reach about halfway through the meat. Cover the pan or dish and place in a preheated oven (or turn on the slow cooker) and simmer for up to six hours, depending on the type of meat.
   • Simmering is best if you let the meat cook evenly very slowly at a relatively low temperature (around 150 ° C). Although you can also make braised meat on the stove, it is best in the oven because the heat in the oven can surround the dish from all sides, ensuring that the meat is cooked through and through.
   • Simmering works as a way to tenderize meat using different processes. First, the heat breaks down the connective tissue that holds the meat together by converting it into collagen. Then, under the influence of the heat, the moisture and more time, the collagen is converted into gelatin, after which it finally dissolves in the cooking liquid. While this is happening, the fibers from the muscles of the meat squeeze moisture and flavor into the cooking liquid. And after a longer simmer, the fibers in the meat will eventually settle down and will absorb the moisture from the cooking water again, making the meat very tender and the sauce full of flavor.
   • Meats suitable for simmering include: beef steak, brisket, lean or marbled beef cuts, ribs, as well as chops and pork or lamb cuts. All these meats are relatively chewy and fat. Lean meats have less connective tissue that can be broken down, making it a waste to make braised meat. You can simmer chicken bones and thighs, just like large, firm fish.
   • If you'd like to simmer vegetables, try the harder, more fiber-rich varieties such as celery, parsnips, pumpkin, leeks, carrots, cabbage and beets.
9. Understand baking. Baking is a method of preparation that uses dry heat. It is very similar to oven roasting, with the difference that roasting is usually done at a higher temperature than baking. Bakker is usually associated with batter and dough based products such as bread, biscuits, savory pies and cakes. Here are a few tips to remember when you're planning to start baking:
   • Do not mix or knead dough and batter for too long. One of the most common baking mistakes is mixing or kneading dough and batter for too long. If you mix or knead dough or batter for too long, the gluten in the flour will be activated, making the baking firm and chewy, instead of fluffy and crumbly. To avoid this, it is best to mix the batter with the mixer on the lowest setting or fold the dough lightly by hand, until everything is just mixed together. It is not a problem if there are still a few lumps to be seen - this does not affect the final result. Dough should be mixed or kneaded as little as possible - you should still be able to see traces of flour and bits of butter at the end.
   • When baking, avoid using cold eggs and cold dairy products. Cold eggs and cold milk products do not bind well, preventing air from entering the mixture. This can produce compact, flat cakes and muffins. To avoid this, always take the eggs and milk products out of the refrigerator half an hour to an hour before baking so that they can reach room temperature. If you forgot, warm the eggs in a bowl of warm water and cut the butter into small pieces, which you then put in the microwave for ten seconds.
   • Do not use measuring cups designed for measuring liquid ingredients to measure dry ingredients such as flour or sugar. If you are using a measuring cup designed for liquid ingredients to measure flour, you will need to press or cover the cup to level the flour and read the amount. Only you squeeze the flour that way, which gives you more than the amount the recipe prescribes, resulting in chewy, dry cakes and muffins. To avoid this, use a kitchen scale or a dry ingredient measuring cup with a flat lid, which allows you to scoop the flour into the cup with a spoon and then flatten it with a knife.
   • Examples of things you can bake are: cookies, cake, pie crusts or pastry, muffin and bread. See further: baked potatoes, fish from the oven, pizza and chicken breast from the oven.
10. Understand the meaning of commonly used cooking terms. There are many different cooking terms that you will encounter while reading recipes. It is important that you know the meaning of those cooking terms. Below we have listed the definitions of some of the most commonly used cooking terms for you:
    • To knock: Whipping or whipping a mixture involves stirring it vigorously with a whisk or electric mixer so that air enters the mixture, giving it more volume.
    • Grating: Some recipes use the outside of the citrus peel. To remove that outer layer of a citrus fruit, you have to "grate" it off with a special fruit grater by moving the grater back and forth over the sides of the fruit. You have to make sure you don't grind the white layer underneath the outside, as it can taste a bit bitter.
    • Kneading: Kneading is the term used for squeezing and folding dough with the mice of your hands. Kneading allows the gluten in the dough to develop, making the dough softer and more elastic. This technique is used to knead various types of bread dough and sometimes also to make scones and dough for sweet or savory cakes.
    • Fold: Folding is the gentle mixing of ingredients (such as when making cake batter) to prevent the volume from decreasing. This is best done in a bowl with a rubber spatula. You use the spatula to cut through the center of the mixture to bring the mixture from the bottom of the bowl to the surface. When folding, you are supposed to turn the bowl to ensure that an even mass is created.
    • Beating: Beating is loosely stirring or mixing ingredients with a whisk or fork. That way, air can get to the mixture, making it nice and light and fluffy. Beating is less intense than beating.
    • To pull: Drawing or drawing is the immersion of ingredients in water that has been heated to just below boiling point, so that the various flavors and colors can emerge from the ingredients (think of tea or stock, for example).
    • Notching: Notching means making shallow cuts in the outside of the product, usually in a diamond pattern. This is done to make the food more tender and to allow the fat to escape, to allow flavors to soak in, or simply for decoration.
    • Cooking al dente: The term al dente is Italian for something like "to the tooth" and is used to describe pasta that has been cooked gently but still has a little bit of resistance when you bite into it. This is how you make pasta officially hears to cook.
    • Boil down: Reducing a sauce means letting it cook quickly so that it partially evaporates, reducing the volume of the sauce as a whole. The sauce that is left behind, which is thicker and has more flavor, is also called the boil-in.
    • Greasing: Greasing means that you coat the inside of a pan, baking pan or oven dish with a layer of butter or oil before cooking or baking to prevent food from sticking to it.
    • Blanching: Blanching involves placing fruits, vegetables or nuts in a pot of boiling water and cooking them partially cooked to enhance their flavor and color. Then they are thrown into cold water to stop the cooking process. Blanching can also be used as a technique to remove the skins from tomatoes and almonds, for example.
    • Basting: Basting is rubbing a product with fat or another liquid during preparation to ensure that the dish becomes juicier and has more flavor. You can do this with a brush or with a special dropper.

Part 2 of 4: Plan and prepare meals

1. Consult different recipes. This is of course not necessary, but it is an advisable route for novice cooks. First consider roughly what you want to cook, then consult various cookbooks and recipes online to get an idea of ​​the different ways that exist to prepare the dish.
   • Before making a selection, carefully read the ingredient lists and instructions to get an idea of ​​the flavors and skills involved. This is important because there are recipes that don't explain the different steps for beginners as clearly, and some recipes just aren't right.
   • Ask friends and family for recipes of dishes you have tasted (and liked very much). The advantage of this is that if you don't understand something in the recipe, you can call him or her and ask for an explanation!
   • When looking for recipes on the internet, choose recipes that are positively rated or responded to positively. Look for dishes you've tried before (maybe a friend of yours made it once, or you ate it at a restaurant) so you can judge the taste and make a better judgment about the finer ones. aspects of the dish.
   • As you learn to cook better, you will experiment and make some discoveries yourself. You'll know you're officially a good cook when people start asking you "How did you make this? It's delicious!" Refine your cooking skills by experimenting with new ingredients and techniques and by writing down your own discoveries in your own recipe notebook.
2. Gather the ingredients. Once you have chosen a recipe, it is time to find the ingredients together. Some of the ingredients are probably already in your kitchen cupboard - such as herbs, spices, canned peeled tomatoes, and stock cubes - but other supplies will take you to do some shopping.
   • Do not use ready-to-eat, pre-processed, or frozen foods when purchasing your ingredients. Frozen foods can add significant amounts of fat, sugar, salt and calories to your meals. Instead, opt for standard, natural ingredients so that you can control the amount of fat, sugar and salt in your food. It may take a little more work, but it will significantly improve both the flavor and nutritional value of the meal you will be putting on the table.
   • When buying fresh produce, take the time to make sure that the texture, colors and quality of the products you buy are the best you can find. Always buy the best and freshest produce you can afford. This little detail can make the whole dining experience more intense and satisfying. Also, always try to only cook with seasonal products that are available at that time, because products taste the best at that time.
   • If you are just starting to cook, it is better not to replace ingredients with other ingredients. The unusual ingredient, in combination with the rest of the ingredients, can react in ways you didn't expect and spoil your entire meal. Once you have a little more experience, you will learn to better predict how a new ingredient will affect the cooking process and the final taste.
3. Prepare the ingredients for the cooking process. The habit of gathering all your tools and ingredients together and getting them ready for use is becoming by chefs mise en place and is considered an indispensable part of efficient cooking. You mise en place must be ready and have all of it at hand before turning on the stove.
   • Wash and clean the ingredients if necessary. Most ingredients need to be cleaned up in some way, and usually simply rinsing with water is sufficient. Products that you need to peel should be washed before peeling to reduce the chance of transferring chemical pesticides and dirt from the unpeeled area to the peeled area.
   • Cut the ingredients into pieces or slices of equal size so that they cook evenly. There are many different cutting techniques - chopping, dicing, dicing, slicing, slicing, julienne, etc. The larger the pieces, the longer it will take to cook. And to make it even more difficult, some ingredients cook faster than others; since zucchini cooks faster than carrots, for example, it is a good idea to cut the carrot into smaller pieces if you put them in the pan at the same time as the zucchini so that they are cooked at the same time.
   • Add salt, pepper, herbs or a marinade as directed in the recipe (or to taste). You can use as many herbs or spices as you like to enhance the flavor of whatever you are making. You can add the herbs or spices before or after cooking. Just add less rather than too much. You can always add something later. Be especially careful with salt; it is very difficult to save a dish that has turned out too salty.
   • Ferment. This is NOT recommended for beginners. Fermentation (like making sourdough) is a complicated technique that can produce great baked results, but it belongs to advanced (or at least semi-advanced) cooks who know how to control and guide the biological process. You have to be very precise with baking (until you know exactly how each ingredient and method works, and then you can adapt it to your own tastes and preferences), especially since you can't add anything to what goes into the oven.
4. Preheat all cooking appliances. A number of details are often overlooked in the area of ​​preheating.
   • Heat up the water. If a recipe requires you to poach, boil, or simmer something, heat the water to the condition called for in the recipe, whichever it is, and keep it at that temperature. Do not put a lid on the pan while poaching or simmering gently because the water could boil (too hard). Remove from heat if necessary if the water starts to get too hot.
   • Preheat the oven. Try not to get impatient, otherwise the cooking times are likely to be out of line, because in recipes they assume that the oven is already preheated. Most ovens take about 15 minutes to heat up to about 175 ° C, but every cooker is different. There are models that make a beep or other noise when the correct temperature has been reached, otherwise you can use an oven-safe thermometer to determine if the oven is already up to temperature.
   • Heat the pan before adding the oil. Heating the pan dry causes the metal to expand, opening very thin cracks that the oil can then penetrate. If the oil is poured into an already hot pan, the oil will also heat up faster, so that it has less time to break down. After you add the oil to the pan and cover the entire bottom of the pan with it, wait for smoke to come off before adding the other ingredients to the pan. If you put something in the pan before the oil is hot enough, the product will absorb the oil instead of being cooked in the oil.
     
     

Part 3 of 4: Improving flavors and textures

1. Season your food well. Season your meals with salt and pepper is the least, the simplest, but the most important thing you can do to improve the taste of the food you have cooked.
   • A pinch of salt and pepper can really bring the flavors of a dish to life and bring out the best in every single ingredient.
   • If you are unsure about the quantities, or if you are concerned that it will become too salty, the best thing to do is taste the food! Add a little bit of salt, taste, add a little more, taste again ... and so on, until it tastes good. That's how professional chefs do it.
   • The best types of salt are kosher salt for cooking and sea salt for the table. When it comes to pepper, it is best to use freshly ground black pepper.
   • Sprinkle some salt on larger cuts of meat or on a whole chicken before roasting or broiling and add a little salt to stews and sauces while cooking. Do not forget to add enough salt to the water in which you want to cook pasta, rice or potatoes.
   • Don't be afraid to spice up, and you'll never want anything else.
2. Use butter when cooking. Butter gives dishes a wonderfully creamy, slightly nutty flavor and should be used generously in all good quality dishes and baked goods.
   • You can use butter as a shortening, for example for sautéing, where it not only complements but also enhances the natural flavors. You can also use it as a base for sauces, to give your sauces a wonderfully smooth, creamy texture, or you can use it for baking, to make beautiful, fluffy baked goods that melt on your tongue.
   • If possible, use unsalted butter for cooking. The only reason why salt is often added to butter is to make the butter last longer, but if you use butter often, that shouldn't be a problem. Using unsalted butter ensures that you don't add more salt to the recipe than the amount strictly necessary, which is especially important when baking as too much salt can make the pastry tough.
   • The only downside to using butter as a baking product is that it has a lower smoke point (130 ° C) than other types of fat, such as olive or safflower oil, which makes it difficult to use oil at high temperatures. For this reason, clarified butter is often used (pure butterfat from which the milk solids and water have been removed), because those milk solids cause ordinary butter to smoke.
3. Use sauces. With a good sauce, you can turn a boring, flavorless dish into something much tastier and more interesting. By learning to prepare a few basic recipes for sauce, you can ensure that your reputation as a chef will rise quite a few levels with little effort.
   • Béchamel sauce: Béchamel sauce is a white, creamy sauce that forms the basis of many dishes, including vegetable au gratin dishes, cheese soufflés and a myriad of pasta sauces.
   • Velouté Sauce: This is another simple sauce made by combining a roux with stock with a particular flavor. Depending on the taste of the stock, you can adjust this sauce and serve with chicken, fish or veal.
   • Marinara Sauce: Marinara sauce is a bold tomato sauce that is widely used in Italian and Mediterranean cuisine. There is a combination of fresh tomatoes and canned tomatoes, onions and various herbs, which makes the sauce very suitable on a pizza and in various pasta sauces.
   • Hollandaise sauce: This butter and lemon sauce is the perfect accompaniment to seafood, eggs and vegetables. Hollandaise sauce is made by forming an emulsion with clarified butter, egg yolks and lemon juice.
   • Other sauces you can experiment with include barbecue sauce, garlic cream sauce, chili sauce, sweet and sour sauce, cheese sauce, and chocolate sauce.
4. Include contrasting textures in your dishes. Some of the tastiest dishes feature a combination of different structures that complement each other and work together to make eating the dish a more enjoyable experience.
   • Consider, for example, finishing a pasta or vegetable dish from the oven, such as macaroni with cheese, or aubergine à la parmigiana, by sprinkling some breadcrumbs or breadcrumbs over it. The crispy crust formed by the breadcrumbs will provide a pleasant contrast to the softness of the other ingredients.
   • You can also stir some finely chopped shallots or celery into mashed potatoes to add a surprising yet pleasant explosion of texture and flavor to the dish.
   • Other ingredients that can add structure and spice to many dishes include roasted nuts such as cashew and walnuts, pine nuts, crumbled cheeses such as feta, goat cheese and blue cheese, and ingredients such as water chestnuts, seeds and croutons.
5. Experiment with herbs and spices. Herbs and spices can give a dish a different flavor all by themselves, giving it the character of a dish originating from Greek, Italian, Mexican, Chinese, or another world cuisine. Herbs and spices add flavor and color to the food, making both the preparation and the eating of dishes more interesting. Below is a description of some of the most commonly used herbs and spices:
   • Basil: Basil is widely used in Mediterranean cuisine in particular and goes well with tomatoes. You can also mash basil with pine nuts in the pitcher or with a mortar and pesto to make pesto.
   • Parsley: Parsley has a light, fresh taste and is very popular in Western cuisine. Parsley works well in soups and sauces, or simply sprinkled over a dish as a garnish to give it plenty of color.
   • Fresh cilantro: Fresh cilantro is very popular in Asian and Latin American cuisine. The raw leaves give a surprisingly fresh flavor to cooked dishes, while the roots are used to make Thai curry pastes.
   • Coin: Mint has a refreshing taste that makes it a great ingredient in summer salads and refreshing drinks (such as a mojito). It is also used in tasty dishes native to the Middle East and North Africa.
   • Rosemary: Rosemary is a woody spice with a strong flavor that goes well with oven-baked chicken, pork, and other roasts. Rosemary also tastes great in soups and stews, but use it in moderation.
   • Cinnamon: Cinnamon is a sweet, fragrant spice that is widely used for baking, especially in apple pie and oatmeal cookies. It is also widely used in Indian, Moroccan and Mexican dishes.
   • Paprika powder: Paprika gives dishes a beautiful red color and a nice spicy taste. It is used in a wide variety of Hungarian dishes but is also very popular in the Spanish and Portuguese cuisines.
   • Cumin: Cumin is a popular spice that is mainly used to add flavor and color to curries. It is used in Middle Eastern, Mediterranean and Asian cuisine.
   • Coriander: Coriander is the pleasantly sweet seed of the coriander plant. It has a nutty overtones and is often used in chili con carne and curry dishes. Coriander is very widely used in a large number of dishes from the Latin American and Indian cuisine and in dishes from the Middle East.
   • Ginger: Ginger is a very versatile spice. Fresh ginger can add a sweet but spicy touch to stir-fries, dishes with curry and roast meats. Ginger powder is often used for baking, for example in ginger biscuits.

Part 4 of 4: Perfecting specific cooking techniques

1. Make scrambled eggs. Scrambled eggs are one of the most basic but important things you'll need to learn to make while on the way to becoming a great chef. Basically, if you can learn to make perfect scrambled eggs, you can learn to make whatever. Knowing how to cook an egg is also very helpful.
2. Boil rice. Rice is an excellent accompaniment to a wide variety of dishes from a wide variety of cuisines, so knowing how to properly prepare it is important. Too mushy, too hard, too sticky - all are common problems, but they can also be solved very easily. The same goes for pasta.
3. Grill a chicken. If you can roast a whole chicken, you will be able to prepare a meal that a whole family can eat. If you do it right, no one will ever doubt your cooking skills again.
4. Grill steak. A perfectly grilled steak is one of the simplest yet tastiest dishes you can prepare. Serve such a steak with a green salad and some fries and you will be very successful.
5. Steam vegetables. Steaming vegetables preserves the color and nutrients of the vegetables, making steaming the healthiest way to prepare vegetables. Perfectly steamed vegetables add a lot of color to your meal and also ensure a higher nutritional value.
6. Bake a cake. Whether it's for a birthday, a fundraising event, or just because learning to bake a cake is a valuable skill that you will enjoy for a lifetime and that you won't forget. Experiment with chocolate cake, vanilla cake, mocha cake, lemon cake and red velvet cake.

Tips

• Don't worry if you mess up a recipe once. We all sometimes make mistakes when cooking. In such a case, just use your common sense to determine whether the dish is salvageable or not.
• Start small. Don't try to prepare a Christmas dinner complete with roast turkey right at your parents house the first time. Start with something small, such as biscuits or scrambled eggs. The first time you try something, don't expect to be completely satisfied with it. Cooking is simple and complicated at the same time, and it can take a while to be satisfied with the results.
• Have fun. Not everyone likes to cook, and it's meant to be fun. So if you notice that you don't really like it, then cooking might not be for you.
• Try out different types of dishes. Find out how to make the dishes you like and compare the result with the way someone else makes those dishes.
• Experiment. Once you have learned a little more about how different ingredients behave, you can try ingredients, herbs or combinations that you have not tried before. That way you will learn more about complementary flavors and produce surprising results. Don't worry if it turns out to be something terrible at times, you'll get better at it along the way!
• A cooking thermometer is particularly useful for novice cooks to determine whether (large) meat and other dishes are hot enough on the inside.
• Look for a cooking class to take, someone to teach you how to cook, a television cooking show, or a cookbook to read.
• At high temperatures, the outside is cooked through, while at low temperatures the food is cooked through and through. Therefore, use high temperatures to sear the outside of a raw steak or to give bread a thicker crust, but use lower temperatures (and longer cooking times) if you want a well-done steak or a softer crust.
• Stay in the kitchen during the preparation of the dish. Running away can result in a burnt mess on the bottom of the pan.
• If possible, try your dishes regularly during cooking (except for raw or semi-cooked fish, meat or eggs, because of the risk of food poisoning). That way you can check whether you have used the herbs in the correct ratio. In addition, you will learn better how the flavors develop during cooking.

Warnings

• Always take the necessary safety precautions when heating something. Anything hot enough to put your food in can be hot enough to hurt you. You may need to use oven mitts to handle hot pans and dishes.
• Be aware of food allergies and always ask yourself if something might be inedible or poisonous before trying to prepare it.
• Always cook meat, fish, chicken and eggs thoroughly. Use a cooking thermometer to see if the food is cooked.
• Be careful to avoid splashing whole oil on your body.
• Be careful when chopping up ingredients. If you do cut yourself, immediately put your hand in cold water and wrap it in a napkin. Later you can put on some ointment (if it continues to burn) and put a band-aid on it.
• If the pan burns during cooking, turn off the heat and immediately cover the pan with a metal lid, a damp tea towel, or a fire or fire blanket (or smother the fire with baking soda or baking soda). Never try to extinguish burning oil with water or use a fire extinguisher - both can cause the fire to spread further. Leave the pan alone for at least half an hour to cool.