How To Start Cooking
Cooking is a great way to save money and eat healthier. It can also be fun bonding with family and friends in the kitchen. However, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed if you’ve never cooked before and don’t know where to start. Luckily, our team at Thurmont Kountry Kitchen is here to provide five beginner cooking tips to help you get started!
1. Prepare Ahead of Time
Assembling what you need beforehand will prepare you mentally and physically for your feat ahead. Make sure to read your recipe multiple times to know what ingredients and steps to take. It’s easy to miss a stage that requires time, including marinating meat overnight or needing specific types of pans. Reading beforehand can ensure that you manage your time properly.
Once you know what you need, it’ll also help to chop and prep anything you can in advance. Preparation will save you stress when cooking.
2. Get A Quality, Sharp Chef’s Knife
To properly assemble your ingredients, a sharp knife is key. Using a dull blade can lead to more accidents and injuries in the kitchen. A proper knife makes preparation quick, efficient, and safe. Sure — they seem intimidating at first glance, but they’re actually a big help (even for beginners).
3. Be Cautious of Cooking Temperatures
It’s always best to start on a lower heat setting because if you cook something on too high of a temperature, there’s a stronger chance the outside will cook to perfection (or burn it) but the inside will remain undercooked. Starting at a lower temperature allows the heating to stay even throughout your dish, ensuring that your finished product will be cooked to perfection.
4. Don’t Improvise Too Much
Although this isn’t baking, where the measurements must be precise, you don’t want to stray from the recipe too much when you first start cooking. If you wander too far away from the recipe’s path, chances are, you’ll end up with a less-than-satisfactory dish. Keeping this in mind, once you become more familiar with the recipe over time, feel free to improvise for taste and textures.
5. Be Flexible!
Mistakes happen; we’re all bound to make a bad dish now and then. However, do your best, give yourself more credit, and just try to go with the flow. Remember: the best cooks in the world were all beginners once; practice is the only way to get better, so keep trying and believe in your abilities and reach for the stars!
Get some Inspiration with a Great Meal
When you want a night off from cooking or want to feel inspired by eating some delicious food, dine with us at Thurmont Kountry Kitchen in Thurmont, MD! Breakfast, dinner, and baked goods; we’ve got it all!
Give us a call at (301) 271-4071 or visit our website today. We look forward to seeing you soon!
