Food is a universal language, it brings families together with people of all cultures too. There are many ways to cook a simple meal these days, with top chefs and food connoisseurs on the lookout for the next big dish. Cooking is a great skill to attain for college students, it goes a long way to save money and eat healthy at the same time. Having a healthier diet while maintaining your budget is the first step to being an independent adult. There are so many channels and websites that promote simple and easy hacks for beginners or job hunters, it helps people in need to find quicker solutions.
Cooking has become such an important skill that it is appreciated everywhere. It makes the person more independent and self-reliant. Cooks are also sought after if you have a high budget and an interest for fine dining to hire best a cook in dubai. Chefs are mainly hired in restaurants, food chains, institutions and even by personal clients.
Home cooks are their own masters, they are aided with online tutorials and cooking classes to curb their culinary skills. There are even entertaining cooking shows that are jam-packed with information about cooking and handling different food items. The overall experience of working as a team in a restaurant is also displayed in these cooking shows. Which is a great way to expose the people watching from home. To become a better cook you will need to learn and unlearn a few basic things. Here are a 9 common mistakes you shouldn’t make in the kitchen anymore.
When You Use Dull Knives
When you use dull knives it is tougher to cut through objects and it does not help with getting the right sizes. Handling sharp objects may seem risky at first but you’ll see that a sharp knife is a better tool than a dull one. Different food items require different cutting and chopping, this especially goes for mincing vegetables or handling meat items. You can manually sharpen your knife if you’re up for the task or do yourself a favor and get a knife sharpener. Another option is to take your knives to a specialty kitchen store or to a market vendor who handles cutting and selling knives. You don’t need to do this protocol every week but once or twice a month depending on how much you use the knife.
The same goes for knives that are rusted, there are methods to remove their rust online or you can go visit an expert to remove it for you.
When You Use the Wrong Pan
There are different types of pans when it comes to cooking a variety of dishes and usually the recipe book mentions the types of pan to use during certain steps. Some common factors which determine a pan is the materials used to make it, if it’s stainless steel, or a cast-iron skillet. These factors are not interchangeable as certain food items like steak and fish should not be seared in a nonstick pan. Along with these factors, the size of a pan also matters here. If your pan has a tall side, searing food is more likely to be difficult. The same goes for baking pans as it varies according to the duration of baking.
Lastly, even the color of your pan matters. Like how a dark coated pan gives a more charred effect to the food.
When You Don’t Preheat the Pan
When you use a cold pan, the food tends to not reach its potential in flavors. On the other hand, a heated pan helps produce the meat into a beautiful brown colored texture which is a great sight that your food is well cooked. Temperature plays a major role in differentiating between a cooked and uncooked food. Make sure you leave the pan preheated before tossing in any ingredients unless you don’t want them to brown.
This effect towards food from temperature is called the Maillard effect, and using the right science does wonders to elevate the flavor of food.
When You Put Too Much Food in the Pan
Putting too much food in the pan leads to a colorless effect as the moisture needs to escape the food for a clear browning to occur, overcrowding the pan just causes it to steam. You should sauté the food to make sure the food turns brown. This can be resolved by cooking the food in turns, or by introducing another pan on the stove. If you’re an expert in multitasking then the latter is for you otherwise if you’ve got time on your hands the former is recommended.
When You Don’t Follow the Recipe
There are many cookbooks that offer simple and clear steps of cooking fantastic dishes, you can either go by the book or to test yourself. However, make a note on what ingredients you need and the type of kitchen apparel you require for the cooking process. Be sure to understand the process of cooking for certain recipes, there are some important technical steps that ultimately highlights the dish itself.
When You Don’t Assemble the Ingredients before Cooking
Cooking a dish requires following specific steps and timings, so in order to stick with the timings you’ll need to keep the ingredients all prepared and ready for cooking. Assembling the ingredients help a cook organize and plan out the process smoothly, be sure to prepare the given amount of items since we don’t want to run out of ingredients in the middle of cooking. It prevents mistakes and missed timings.
When Food is Not Properly Thawed
Thawing a food item as difficult as meat can be a challenge when it’s not properly defrosted. Set it in the refrigerator for at least a day before cooking. The thawing process may take a longer time depending on the texture and quality of the meat, try not to rush into it as it may cause negative health effects. If you’re on a tight schedule then try to thaw off the meat by wrapping it in a cover and place it in a bowl of cold water. Keep changing the water every half an hour before it is completely defrosted. Keep in mind that this works for a smaller piece of meat.
When Old Herbs and Spices are Used
Herbs and spices are not known to expire but they lose their potency over time. There are varied time spans for different whole spices such as cloves and nutmeg; they have the longest shelf life followed by ground spices. Herbs lose their potency at a quicker pace. Try to know the difference between a fresh herb to an old one with its scent.
When You Add the Wrong Type of Salt
As you know, there are different types of salts such as kosher salt, flaky sea salt, iodized salt and so on. Each vary in their salinity and texture which is a whole game changer to the dishes you make using them and the impact it has on your health.
Takeaway
The above tips are to enhance your cooking and elevate the food you make. To know more about chefs and to hire best a cook in dubai make sure you do your research before making a move.
Author Bio:
Sunny Chawla is a Managing Director at Alliance Recruitment Agency. He specializes in helping client for international recruiting, staffing, HR services and Careers advice service for overseas and international businesses.
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Categories: Tips And Advice Stuff
