Learn Cooking Basics
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This page contains a very cool cooking video that explains my philosophy on cooking and on teaching cooking. Page down to view it now!
As a cooking educator, I always encourage students to start their culinary journey by learning the basics. In teaching thousands of people - from every walk of life and every skill level - how to cook, I've discovered something pretty scary about our world today:
We don't know how to Cook!
Sure we can follow a recipe - sometimes, especially if we've made it before and figured out its "quirks." But we don't really know the techniques we used and, worse yet - we don't understand the cooking methods that recipes call upon.
Why is this important?
Well...
It's EVERYTHING in Cooking!
Understanding how things work and why things happen will change the way you cook forever. Among other things, it will enable you to:
So What are Cooking Basics?
They are the foundations of understanding cooking. These are the things that professionals learn first - either by being taught or by making mistakes. If you cook a lot, you may have learned some of these cooking basics already through trial and error, which is the way most people learn.- The first thing I teach in cooking is understanding Heat Transfer . In simple terms, this means learning about the different ways that heat is applied to food and the different effects. Grilling a steak is going to have a different effect on its outcome than broiling it in the oven. Understanding these differences, anticipating the results and adjusting accordingly is the foundation of all cooking.
- Understanding what happens to food as heat is applied is something everyone needs to learn. As you cook, the food gets hotter, right? Well, at various temperatures, the food changes. Think about cooking chicken breast. The finished chicken breast is a completely different product than the raw breast you started with. At each stage of the process, a great cook controls these changes and uses them to control the outcome.
- Another of my cooking basics is learning how to work with herbs and cooking spices . These ingredients in addition to other pantry items - coupled with the knowledge of cooking methods - will give you the cooking skills you need to whip up dinner any night of the week.
Cooking Skills to Learn
Learning cooking skills is the next step to becoming a great cook. The very first skill you learn at culinary school is
Knife Skills
- plain and simple. In my live cooking classes, knife skills remains the most popular class. I believe this is because people realize that learning how to properly use a knife is a culinary tri-fecta: you save time, money and injury in the kitchen! Not to mention...your food comes out MUCH better because consistently prepped food cooks consistently. This important cooking skill is truly the key ingredient for making food that looks better AND cooks better!Of course there are lots of other cooking skills to learn once you get past cooking basics - from the beginner to intermediate to advanced. One of the most popular, and most misunderstood is Grilling . This cooking skill trips people up because they've been made to believe it is easy. It IS simple (as is most cooking, once you understand cooking basics, cooking methods and cooking techniques) - but it is tricky because of the high heat. Remember: controlling heat is one of my cooking basics and the higher the heat, the more difficult it can be to control.
Cooking Techniques to Master
Learning the cooking techniques behind the recipes is your key to being able to cook ANY recipe with confidence and ease.The main cooking techniques I recommend after you learn the cooking basics are:
- How to Saute
- How to Make Sauce and Create Sauces for Every Occasion
- Knowing the 4 Essential Kitchen Knives and How to Properly Use Them
These cooking techniques will take you quite far at any cooking skills level. They are a great place to start your culinary journey.
Take a look at this quick video that explains my overall philosophy on cooking and why it is important to start with cooking basics and understand cooking methods:
Once you master these skills, you can get into more specific cooking skills, like
marinating meats
- among others, but it is always best to start with the cooking basics. This will give you a strong foundation for cooking...Well - EVERYTHING.
In fact, if you're ready to learn how to cook everything - check out my Web Cooking Classes.
Delivered in "bite sized" weekly portions, they are guaranteed to teach you HOW TO COOK once and for all!
Just a small time investment now will give you a lifetime of kitchen confidence and amazing meals at home that you are proud to serve your friends and family.
Don't wait!
click now to learn my #1 Chef Secret
and start your online cooking classes trial today!
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