Start with the right stuff
I don’t believe in the adage,“A poor craftsman blames his tools.” Properly equipping yourself in the kitchen is crucial to not only making good food,but also having a good time while you do it. You don’t want to be searching for a tiny bowl for your onions when you could be drinking a glass of wine. Luckily,in the beginning,you only need a few key pieces:
- Work on a large cutting board. Small cutting boards are ideal for cutting proteins,since they’re easier to scrub down in the sink. But when it comes to all other prep,get the biggest board that will fit on your countertop. This allows you to chop all of your ingredients and have them on the board in neat piles,avoiding lots of little bowls and cleanup and keeping chaos to a minimum.
- Buy a knife you can sharpen. A knife’s only job is to be sharp. Most professional-level knives require significant skill to sharpen appropriately,and even the most expensive knives eventually dull. Steer clear of trendy celebrity-endorsed knives with bespoke handles or whatever your favourite chef uses,and work instead with an affordable knife,coupled with a knife sharpener or inexpensive whetstone,until you hone your sharpening skills.
- Get a heavy skillet. If you’ve been struggling to achieve a crackly sear on your rib-eye,evenly char a wedge of cabbage or develop a mahogany fond (the burnished bits left on the bottom of the pan that are packed with tons of savoury flavour),it’s not you,it’s your skillet. A heavy-bottomed skillet better retains and distributes heat,limiting hot spots and preventing big temperature drops when you add food to a pan. Opt for stainless-steel,cast-iron,carbon-steel or enamelled cast-iron,all of which are suitable for high-temperature cooking,unlike nonstick pans.
- Everybody needs a big bowl. You need plenty of room to groove when tossing a big salad or seasoning vegetables for roasting.
- A sheet tray is more than a sheet tray. It can do it all:Roast meat and vegetables,bake cookies and cakes,and dry-brine proteins in the fridge. Look for one with a rolled edge,which is less likely to warp over time. They come in standard sizes that easily nest together because you will want more than one.
Learn how to read a recipe
A recipe can be a jumping-off point for a meal,inspiring with its combination of flavours or techniques. In that case,you don’t need to read through it carefully. But when you’re starting out,reading the recipe before you start cooking and then precisely following it will ensure you learn something new and advance your skills.
The biggest mistake that new cooks make is forgetting to taste their food. You have to season in stages,throughout the cooking process,and remember to sample along the way. Sometimes,this means tasting things you might not want to,like briny pasta water,slick vinaigrettes and chalky spices,but it is the only way to ensure that your food is seasoned to the core,rather than superficially. It’ll also allow you to identify any flavours that could be going off the rails and get them in check before it’s too late.
Be nice to yourself
You can instantly find thousands ofrecipes for a roast chicken online,but the internet is also filled with curated photos and videos of perfectly plated dishes shot during golden hour. It’s easy to get discouraged when there’s so much to compare yourself with. When I started cooking,I had only a couple of cookbooks,most without photos:I didn’t know if the dishes I made were “correct,” which meant I could enjoy the stellar accomplishment of making myself a meal. If you end up with anything edible,that’s a win.
Don’t worry about plating or lighting. If you managed totransform eggs into breakfast,that’s magic. And if you didn’t,there’s always takeaway,and another meal to try again.