10 Essential Cooking Rules Everyone Should Know
The kitchen is far from an intimidating place to be, that is along as you follow some basic cooking rules. Cooking food for yourself, or even others, is not a hard and daunting task. While it can seem so, with the multitude of sharp pointed edges, stove tops and ovens with varying temperatures and the undeniable mess of dishes that will need to be washed, cooking can save you a lot of money, can be healthier for you and can allow you to whip up a meal in a matter of minutes.
Something that can aid your kitchen journey is this list of cooking rules that everyone should know. They are essential, after all, and will ensure you make it out of that kitchen content and in one piece.
1. Watch The Temperature
While it is acceptable to start off your cooking process by heating a pan on high heat, it is almost always deadly to leave it at that heat. Leaving it at the same high temperature will only leave your food burnt from the outside and uncooked from the inside.
To fix the issue with this cooking rule, lower the heat to medium when your pan is warmed up. Wait a couple of seconds before you add your ingredients to make sure nothing jumps out at you from the heat of the screeching hot pan.
2. Let It Cook
Once you do put your food in the pan, leave it alone! The worst thing you can do is move things around when they’re not ready to be. This can lead things to be tough or fall apart because they’re not ready to be flipped around. Follow this cooking rule by letting things cook. In most cases, when the edges are starting to brown, you can flip it over.
3. Prep
Preparing all your ingredients before you start cooking can make the actual process a lot easier. You’ll have everything measured and around you so you can easily incorporate ingredients into your dish as its time comes.
4. Season As You Go
While a lot of recipes call for specific amounts of seasoning, don’t be afraid to change things up by adding more or less of a seasoning. You should check the seasoning in the beginning and end of the cooking process and adjust to your liking. After all, you’re going to be the one to eat it!
5. Sharpen Your Knives
Having sharp knives is crucial when it comes to cooking. Dull knives are guaranteed to make your life harder because you can’t cut much with dull knives. This will only elongate the process and frustrate you. The moral of the story, sharpen those knives!
6. Basic Knife Skills
Speaking of knives, it’s also very important that you have basic knife skills. It’s not very hard to learn, just watch a couple of videos. Having these knife skills will ensure you get the most out of your ingredients and you’ll know how to handle them properly.
7. Food Safety
When cooking, food safety should be at the top of your mind. Always wash your hands before cooking and watch out for cross contamination when dealing with things like poultry. A tip to help with this cooking rule is to use separate spoons and forks to transfer and move things around. It’s also important that you check the temperature of the food you’re cooking to ensure everything is cooked through.
8. Wash Your Rice
Washing your rice before you cook it will make the end result fluffier. It’s very simple and doesn’t take a lot of time. Just soak your rice in cold water for a couple of minutes before boiling it and enjoy a delicious bead of rice when you’re done!
9. Cleanliness
This is another crucial cooking rule that should be followed. Make sure your kitchen is clean and that you have plenty of counter space during the cooking process. It’s best to wash dirty dishes as they come along as this will free up space and you’ll have less of a mess to deal with when you’re done cooking.
10. Experiment And Have Fun
Don’t forget to have fun when you’re cooking! Cooking allows you to be free, experiment and make things the way you like them, so never forget that when you’re getting frustrated in the kitchen.
