Bon Appétit: 10 Must Know Cooking Tips for Beginners

Did you just get your own place, or are you just discovering the joys of cooking at home? Are you looking for great cooking tips for beginners?

Cooking is a great way to beat stress, learn new skills, and improve your health and wellness. It also means you’ll be spending way less cash on takeout and fast food trips.

Here is some of our favorite advice for beginner cooking.

1. Have a Menu

Nothing is more discouraging to beginner chefs than having to run back to the store a few times to pick up missing ingredients.

When you start cooking, you’ll want to stock your cupboards with ingredients you’ll use regularly that last. This could include spices, pasta, and canned fruits and veggies.

Each week, however, you’ll want to plan what you’re cooking and make a list of all the ingredients you’ll need to pick up at the grocery store. Go through each recipe and make sure you aren’t forgetting anything. After a while, you’ll start to remember what you’ll need for your favorite dishes, and studying recipes won’t be as critical.

Planning your meals can also give you a chance to get good deals on ingredients from different grocery stores in your area. Busy chefs may want to visit only one store on the weekends or get groceries delivered, and that works just as well. Yet you can save yourself even more cash by looking for coupons and online circulars so you’ll get a deal on poultry or cereal when you need it.

As you keep cooking, you’ll learn when to stock up on your favorite ingredients and when to make certain meals during the same week so you can use up your leftovers.

2. Use a Paper Towel to Make Veggies Last

It’s easy to end up throwing out food when you first start cooking. You may realize that you only need a few stalks of celery for your soup, but you’ve got to buy an entire package at your store.

You can make veggies last longer in your fridge by placing them in a sealable plastic bag and using a paper towel to absorb the moisture. You should also avoid washing fruits and veggies until you’re ready to eat them.

3. Clean As You Go

Preparing meals can be a lot of fun, especially if you’ve got a great soundtrack to keep you company. Yet a mountain of dishes in the sink when you’re done can be terribly overwhelming.

The happiest cooks are the ones who clean as they go. You can wash cutting boards while you’re waiting for the water to boil or scrub your pots while the casserole’s in the oven. After your meal, you can relax with a glass of wine or even whip up some dessert!

4. Purchase In-Season Fruits and Veggies

Purchasing fruits veggies when they’re in season can save you time and money. Produce is more expensive during the offseason because you’re also paying for shipping or freezing.

You can freeze your favorite fruits and veggies yourself when they’re in season and thaw them when you need them. Use a sheet pan rimmed with parchment paper like Perfect Parchment and spread them in a single layer. Once they’re frozen, you can store them in a freezer bag or air-tight containers.

5. Make Your Own Breadcrumbs

We all have bread we end up throwing out, and homemade breadcrumbs are so much tastier.

Throw your breadcrumbs into the food processor with some olive oil, salt, and pepper. Next, toast them in an oven heated to three hundred degrees for ten minutes. You can store them for up to six months in the freezer.

6. Read Your Recipes All the Way Through

Once you start cooking, you may discover you needed to prep various ingredients or preheat the oven, and it would have saved you valuable time. Make sure you read your recipe from beginning to end before you start cooking. It will help you cook more efficiently and help you avoid frustration.

7. Crack Your Eggs in a Separate Bowl

Beginner chefs may need some practice cracking eggs. And even more advanced culinarians struggle with the occasional shell in their bowl!

Make sure you crack your eggs in a separate bowl so you’ll be able to easily spot any shell pieces and fish them out. You won’t have to go sifting through a variety of ingredients if your egg cracking isn’t perfect.

8. Make Sure Your Oil’s Hot Enough

Dishes like stir-fries rely on oil that’s hot enough to cook your veggies or meats when you drop them in. The oil that isn’t the right temperature can lead to your dish becoming soggy. Before cooking your favorite dish, drop in a small test veggie or piece of poultry and make sure it sizzles.

9. Don’t Walk Out of the Kitchen

Busy folks can start to get bored while waiting for water to boil or meats to get hot enough. You don’t, however, want to risk burning a meal or setting a dishtowel on fire!

If you’re a relentless multitasker, find a few extra tasks you can complete while you’re in the kitchen, such as washing dishes or making the next day’s lunch. Anything that’s in a different room can wait until later.

10. Salt Your Pasta Water

Salt will help your pasta water to cook faster, and it gives it great flavor. You also don’t need to worry about your salt consumption since most of it will get washed down the drain.

Don’t rinse your pasta as it will get cold quickly. Rinsing will also keep your sauce from sticking to it.

Our Favorite Cooking Tips For Beginners

Cooking is an exciting and nurturing hobby. By following a few simple cooking tips for beginners, you can be an excellent home chef in no time!

Don’t stop getting food-savvy now. For more culinary education, read our blog today.