Nikole Stewart
Cooking is an essential skill to have; however, it’s quite hard to master. And for those who are just starting out, you must know a few basic cooking skills that will help you in almost every dish. From measuring ingredients properly so your dish comes out superb to having safe and clean knife skills, these are a few skills every beginner should know.
5. Choosing Pots and Pans
Learning to pick the right pots and pans is an essential skill to have as a beginner chef. The best breakdown on which pots and pans to grab as a beginner should be one or two saucepans, a nonstick pan, a skillet, and a stockpot.
But from there, what should you grab? Ceramic-coated nonstick pans make cleaning a breeze, though, if your food doesn’t stick to the pan, like with a cast iron, you don’t get that flavor in the crust. It all depends on your preferences.
4. Measuring Ingredients
It sounds easy at first, but there is an actual skill to measuring ingredients, mostly because measuring tools are not a one-size-fits-all situation. Some cups are meant for wet ingredients, others are meant for dry. Usually, measuring cups and spoons are perfect for dry ingredients, and tall glass or plastic pitchers are meant for liquids. Accurate measurements are critical for baking, a bit less so for cooking, but still important to learn.
3. Make a Roux
For beginner chefs, this might sound daunting, but it’s a vital skill. The creation is simply made with fat and flour in equal parts. Once combined, it creates a paste-like mixture that is used to thicken soups, stews, gravies, sauces, and more.
For many pasta sauce recipes, like homemade alfredo, a roux is often the starting point before adding cream and parmesan cheese. Not only is the measurement important, but allowing it to combine with your dish is essential too, because you could easily leave chunks in your dish if not patient enough.
2. Knife Skills
Knife skills are another one of the basic cooking skills that everyone should know. Keeping your knives clean is important, as a sharp knife is less dangerous than a dull one. And from there, learning how to cut your vegetables, proteins, and garnishes can make a world of difference.
1. Cooking Protein
Another vital piece on the list of basic cooking skills is learning how to cook protein. Each protein has its own temperature, so it’s important to keep a cooking thermometer on hand. Soon, you’ll be able to tell when your protein is done simply from touch, like with steak. But it’s not just with burgers, chicken, and steak; you also should learn how to cook seafood and more.