Twenty Restaurant Secret That Every Home Cook should Know

 Twenty Restaurant Secret That Every Home Cook should Know !!

We all love cooking and dining. Very often we have noticed dishes cooked in home does not taste the same as hotels, restaurant. That's the excuse we are making & going to restaurant everyday. The only thing that separates us from restaurant cooking are cooking equipments used!

Yes, we can prepare very delicious meals like restaurant at home which can save our money,  bring health and well being in our own hand. More importantly, it can impress our friends and love. 

Unhealthy practises are very common in restaurant and fast food outlets. They totally don't care about your health. Only thing matters for them is to make money ,for that, they use artificial colours, excess fat , spices , salt ,  and oftenly re -use oil for deep frying. Long term eating of such food can result in cardiovascular diseases to depression!!

I will make clear about , MSG ( Monosodium glutamate) , It is simply sodium salt of glutamic acid, an amino acid, white crystal like substance which we use to enhance flavour in food, used particularly in Asian cuisine. It is recommended by FDA ( food and drugs administration) and no study have found its side effects. However , it is proved to cause headache to few people due to allergic reaction. It is naturally found in foods like Tomato, cheese e.t.c

Home made foods can also be equally tasty and more healthy than restaurant food. How to make home cooked food equally tasteful as restaurant food?

let's elaborate this with Mis-en-place :

It is 'putting in place'. Well mis-en-place of all ingredients will help us in using approximate quantity, preventing us from panicking and hurry/ haste. We can cook with cool head. 

fresh herbs and spices :

I have seen home cooks confused on wheather to use dry herbs or fresh herbs. Most home cooks use dry herbs. But remember, fresh herbs are hundred times better than dry herbs. Dry herbs and fresh herbs are not equal. Always use dry herbs at beginning of cooking while fresh herbs at near finishing time

Cooking medium :

There are different cooking medium we used to prepare variety of dishes. Most home cooks are confused on dry heat medium and moist heat medium. For tough cut / cheap cut/ in expensive cut moist heat medium, braising and stewing should be used. While , for tender cuts dry heat medium should be used. For healthy eating, moist heat medium - poaching , steaming  is suitable.

Cooking fat/oil used :

Using of butter to cook food adds flavour to food. Most home cooks make common mistake of not using butter to cook food. So, use butter where possible and avoid using olive oil for deep frying .

Seasoning properly :

Food most be well seasoned for great taste. It's a mistake rookie made , they don't season food properly. 

Using of ginger and garlic :

In spite of medical value, ginger and garlic also gives special flavour to food items ; especially meat and fish so , use them where you can. Ginger and garlic will never let you down 

Never OverCrowd the pan you cook :

Unlike restaurants , at home we try to finish cooking very fast and cook mass volume in pan. We should not over crowd the pan or else, our food may not be consistent in taste and it don't taste good.

Knowledge about basic sauce :

We should have knowledge of  commonly used sauce / gravy. A sauce is to culinary art , what grammar is to language. So , no matter how tasty dish you have created, the dish won't taste best untill it is accompanied by sauce. 

Storing food carefully : 

Knowledge about storing of food commodity is also very vital . Home cooks don't store food carefully which results in freezer burn and spoiling of food thus, increasing your overhead. Never store food between 5 °celsius to 63 ° Celsius, which is known as Temperature danger zone. 

Making stock :

It is the foundation of continental cuisine and used in making sauce , soup and gravies. Untill you learn to make stock , your soups , sauce can't be perfect. I have seen many home cooks ignoring stock which is Common mistake.

Knowledge about cutting and knife skills :

Knowledge about cutting and knife skills is also very important. It helps to develop aesthetic appeal in dishes you prepared. It's best to learn knife skills and practice it. 

Simplifying the menu :

In restaurants, professional cooks use more than 10/15 herbs so, home cook try to imitate this and copy same. Never ever do this. You are not professional chef to blend taste of 15 spices. Just simplify your recipe and make it as simple as possible. Things won't go better if you abuse spices.

Do not add cold liquid during cooking time:

Home cooks immediately add cold liquid to their dishes while cooking. Everyone should avoid this.

Not investing on kitchen :

Investing to your home kitchen is not a waste of your money. Invest it if you have. It will repay with your health and well-beingness.

Not knowing basic culinary knowledge :

For example, some home cooks substitute baking powder with baking soda while others may think , all cheese are same, some may boil fish and undercook eggs, some do not thaw food properly. This is common mistake every home cook makes. It should be corrected. You should know some basic knowledge about Culinary. If you are confused then , just refer it to internet or cooking guide.

Giving up too early :

It took a years and years of practice and lot of errors to be good professional cook. Giving up too early is not a solution. You should have passion. Home cooks try to make dishes and when they fail, they never try making that items thereafter. 

Believe me, once you start making dishes at home , you will end up going to fast food outlets and restaurants thus, saving thousands of rupees annually and health . Your health and well - being is in your own hand.