65 Cooking Tips For Beginners,Novice And Rookies

65 Cooking Tips For Beginners, Novice And Rookies

Cooking is like painting or writing a song. just as there are only so many notes or colours, there are only so many flavours - it's how you combine them that sets you apart.

                                                       - Wolfgang

You don't need to have Einstein-like ideas to be a good cook. Cooking is all art and science. Few tips if you add on your daily cooking skills, it is guaranteed that you will be making your name in culinary.

Recipes only are not going to help you. No one was born with Chopping board and Pan in hand. Even Escoffier and Soyer had learned cooking and started it at some point in life. 

People cook for several motives. Some enjoy cooking; find the purpose of their life there while others cook to eat and survive. Cooking skills can be continuously upgraded. If you learned the basic of cooking first, your agilities will expand as time passes by because every day we learn something new so Practice, Practice, Practice and experiment.

In this article, I will be sharing basic tips and advice. They will help you in to enhance your cooking skills. This article will be best for culinary learners, Beginners, Novice and rookies.

1. If you are confused with a large amount of potato to wash, you can use a dishwasher. Just ensure the dishwasher is not loaded with soap. Perform a regular washing cycle in the dishwasher. 

2. I have seen many cooks peeling ginger with peeler or knife. That is not going to help you in controlling food cost. Simply, use a spoon to peel the cover. 

3. For clear chicken broth, simply boil the chicken in low heat after washing without cover. Don't let it boil and remove the scum as they arise. You can add mirepoix and bouquet garni after 1 hour. 

4. Never boil chicken stock or else, your stock is going to be cloudy. Similarly, by boiling stock you are not letting flavour to leach out from bones as pores of bones will seal at high temperature. 

5. While squeezing a lemon, roll the lemon in your palm or place it in hot water to obtain more lemon juices. 

6. For flavourful mashed potatoes boil potatoes with garlic cloves then add buttermilk, cream cheese, butter to make the best taste. If you don't have buttermilk use regular milk with lemon juice. 

7. To make your potato fluffier during baking just pierce it several time before placing it in the oven. If you wrap your potatoes then it is going to be your biggest mistake as wrapping them will cause to steam not baking! You can rub cover/skin of potatoes with oil too before baking for softcover/skin of potatoes. 

8. While cooking pasta ensures the pasta is boiled with a large amount of water. Adding vinegar while boiling will reduce the stickiness. Add less oil or do not add oil at all because oil won't let pasta sauce to stick in pasta. 

9. Plain water is not only the medium to boil rice. You can boil rice in chicken stock too for more flavour, nutrition and aroma. Moreover, to make rice fluffier add a teaspoon of lemon juice to the water before adding rice. 

10. If your pasta tangled after keeping in cool for long, toss it in hot water, stir and drain the pasta. Then rinse it with cool water. However, do not wash boil pasta with cold water.

11. If you're having problem to peel tomatoes just blanch it. i.e immerse it in boiling water for 20-30 seconds after putting a cross sign on its head with a paring knife.

12. If you like chilli but afraid of its spiciness than, just remove its inner seed and stem.

13. If a recipe asks for zest which is the outer covering of citrus fruits just grate it through small holes of a grater. 

14. To prevent the egg white from oozing while boiling, simply pierce the large end of the egg with a pin. This will counteract with built-up pressure that is causing egg whites to ooze out.

15. If you add a thin layer of butter around the rim of saucepan it will help to stop water from boiling over.

16. If your oil catch fire during cooking does not add water. Simply cover the lid to block the supply of Oxygen and turn off the flame. If the fire is small, salt and baking soda help to extinguish the flame. Do not add other chemicals like flour, baking powder to extinguish the flames.

17. Dental floss can help you to slice soft food items more precisely. Cake, bread items and cheese can be cut for the perfect slice. 

18. The easiest way to peel garlic is; lay it down flat in surface and hit with the flat side of the knife. You can soak garlic cloves in the water a play with your fingers too for removing the cover of garlic.

19. If your egg cracks while boiling add a little vinegar to the water. Eggshell will seal itself. However, if your egg white has oozed out this trick Won't work.

20. Never add cold food items to hot oil during frying. This will cause food items to stick in the pan, to break and absorb oil. To check if your oil is ready or not for frying, simply add a piece of what you are cooking. If it bubbles rapidly then, it is ready. 

21. Apples release gases that speed up the ripening process. So, keep it away from other vegetables as possible. 

22. Always Marinate food in glass or ceramic or a sealed plastic pouch. Don't make the mistake of marinating food in metal or copper to avoid metal food poisoning. 

23. You can remove fat from soup by tossing ice cubes in the soup. The fat will deposit around ice cubes. Remove ice-cubes and reheat the soup 

24. If you are unable to grate cheese properly then, store it in the refrigerator for some time and grate. Remember, cheese should always be served at room temperature.

25. If your recipe calls for sour cream and you don't have it, substitute it with one cup of buttermilk and three cups of heavy cream after Mixing and let them sit for three days.

26. If you sautéed your garlic in oil and add in any recipe you can reduce the strong taste of garlic. This will be helpful to people who hate strong garlic. 

27. If your sauce is lumpy, remove it from heat, add some hot water and in a food processor. 

28. If your recipe calls for herbs but doesn't specify, dry herbs or fresh herbs, use fresh herbs. 

29. If you marinate food for a longer time then specified time, some food items may break down because of acidic ingredients.

30. Red cut of meat is best. Ensure the fat is creamy and not dry. Look for a good marbling of fat items.

31. Wrap products tightly in a plastic bag before entering in the freezer to prevent freezer burn. Freezer burn food items are safe to eat but flavour and texture suffer. Do not pile food items pieces among each other in the freezer. 

32. Never keep food items at the temperature danger zone. i.e 5°c - 63°c. Bacteria will multiply rapidly at this temperature causing food items to spoil faster and contaminate. 

33. Never thaw food items in room temperature. Microwave and refrigerator are the best and safest way to thaw food. 

34. Add a teaspoon of baking powder in the batter(coating mix) for crispier fried chicken or any fried items. 

35. Don't add salt before cooking meat. Salt will cause the meat to draw out juices thus, the meat will not be browned. Browning of meat will be stopped and meat won't be tasty. Always add salt when meat is half cooked.

36. Cook fish at a higher temperature for a shorter time. If you cook fish for a longer time all flavour and juices are lost. Fish will be chewy and dry.

37. To add more flavour in meat and make it tender just substitute water in recipe by wine, beer. There is no problem with Alcohol as it evaporates easily. Flavour will be rich.

38. While stirring frying, heat oil properly and cut blanched vegetables into similar size.

39. Never poke meat when grilling otherwise the meat will end up dry and tough. All juices from the meat will flow out.

40. Read the recipe correctly. If it is for 4 people and you need to prepare for 8 persons, just multiply the recipe and so on. A recipe has no soul. You have to bring spirit to the recipe. 

41. If you always hurry in cooking then prepare a special gravy. Blend ginger, garlic, onion and tomato. Heat oil, add the blended mixture. Cook till oil separates, cool and refrigerate. You can make curry every day with this gravy very easily by simply adding it in vegetables. 

42. If you are having problem to make soft chapati(tortilla), substitute water with milk and knead the flour.

43. All vegetables that grow below the ground should be boiled starting from cold water while all vegetables that grow above ground should be boiled starting from hot water. 

44. Only dressed your salad after adding the salt because Oil will cause salt to stick in it.

45. While chopping herbs do not bruise them. Think them as flower and single cut it. Remember, You have to chop them not bruise. Choo gently. 

46. If you have any unripe Ingredients in the kitchen, you can ripen it by adding ingredients in a brown bag with ripen banana. 

47. Keep onions separate. They tend to spoil other vegetables. Cut its root to prevent tears during cutting.

48. To get a perfect golden crust on fish by grilling just spread mayonnaise and salt and grill. Sprinkle lemon after it has been grilled. Use minimum spices to prevent it from getting burnt. 

49. Stainless steel stains during cooking can be prevented with alcohol rubbing.

50. If you are going to make curd but do not have bacteria culture (Joran) simply add two green chillies with tips. Remember, green chillies with a tip in it! Cover it for 10 hours after adding chillies with tip.

51. If your curry becomes salty, add a peeled whole potato. It will absorb all extra salt. Don't forget to Remove before serving. 

52. If your fried items become salty, you have two ways- either to add gram flour or salt, stir it and fry

53. Always keep powders in an airtight container. I meant coffee powder, chocolate powder e.t.c should be placed in an airtight container. Any moisture should be avoided.

54. The first bread in bread packet is not for eating. It helps in covering other bread and keep it safe for a longer time. Always eat it at last. 

55. Keep wrapping plastic in the refrigerator to make it come easily for wrapping of food items.

56. Invest in Kitchen gadgets and equipment. You will never regret investing in gadgets. 

57. Use colour chopping boards. Different chopping boards of different colours for different commodity. Use damp duster below your chopping board to prevent slipping of the chopping board.

58. Select recipes that you enjoy cooking. Don't make your recipe complicated. Nothing brings out the flavour of food better than seasoning. So don't be afraid of seasoning. 

59. Disinfect wood chopping board by applying vinegar. Do not use the same chopping board and same knife for raw meat and cooked meat. 

60. If you don't have shallots to cook, simply Combine garlic and onions. 

61. A dash of lemon juice can help to prevent over-browning of butter.

62. Be healthy and fit. It is not necessary to have a big belly to work in the kitchen. When you get thinner, you begin winning. 

63. Nowadays a low carbohydrate diet is a new fashion trend so learn recipes of 5/10 low carbohydrate diet. 

64. Learn a few basic cuts of vegetables and knife skills. 

65. Refrigerate breaded food items for half an hour to prevent bread crumbs from falling and sticking to the pan. 

Keep these tips in mind, have patience and learning attitude. Practising more will refine your skills further. Mastery comes with practice. Hours and hours, days and weeks, years of constant conscious practice of skills. Hours of eye-searing onion chopping. Hours of knuckle-busting veg-peeling. Hours of face-steaming soup and sauce stirring. Hours of getting covered in fish scales and chicken blood. Hundreds of times dropping spoons and tongs, spilling soups and dropping trays of hot vegetables.