Do you enjoy cooking, but never have time to do it? Or are you an enthusiastic amateur who is keen to get more of their kitchen? If you’d like to cook more and hone your culinary skills, you’ve come to the right place. Here are some easy ways you can find more time for cooking, expand your repertoire and hopefully, become a master chef.
Finding time for cooking
Many of us have hectic schedules, which mean that we don’t have as much time to devote to cooking as we’d like. If you’re short on time, there are ways to save time in the kitchen and manage your time in a way that enables you to cook more. If you have a full-time job, for example, and you don’t have time to whip up a homemade feast when you get back from work, don’t resort to takeouts or ready-made meals. Instead, use any free time you have at the weekend to create meals that you can freeze and then use later in the week. If you cook in batches, you’ll save both time and money. For ideas, take a look at https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/batch-cooking. When you need a meal in a hurry, all you need to do is lift a portion out of the freezer before you go to work and when you get back, pop it into the oven.
It’s also really useful to make use of innovations and equipment in the kitchen to save time. If you haven’t got a spare minute to prep your vegetables, use an electric peeler. If you’re not around to cook a stew from scratch, get your ingredients ready and then throw them in a slow cooker for a few hours.
If time is of the essence, look for quick, simple recipes that you can rustle up in less than half an hour. People are constantly in a rush, and there’s a growing demand for healthy recipes that are ready in minutes. You can search online or browse the shelves at your local bookstore to find suitable recipes. If you use a search engine, you can narrow your results by ingredient, cooking time or the type of meal you’re looking for. If for example, you’re searching for easy mains that contain chicken, you can search for ideas without getting hundreds of results for beef dishes or starters or snacks.
Switching up your cooking methods
One of the best things about home cooking is the taste, but it’s also often a healthier option than buying ready-prepared meals or ordering a takeout. The foods you use play an important role when it comes to your diet, but it’s also wise to pay attention to the way you prepare and cook food. If you love fried chicken, for example, but you’re on a health drive, consider swapping your deep fat fryer for an air fryer. You’ll find reviews of air fryers on thekitchenadvisor.com. Air fryers use up to 80% less oil than conventional fryers. It’s also beneficial to use cooking methods like baking, grilling, and roasting. Using a variety of techniques can boost your health, but it can also provide you with a wider range of tastes and flavors. A roast potato tastes completely different to steamed potatoes, for example.
Expanding your repertoire
Even the most creative cooks can get stuck in a rut from time to time. Sometimes, it’s easy to fall into a pattern of making the same meals over and over again, especially if you don’t have much time. If you’re keen to expand your repertoire and try new things, you could buy different ingredients or invest in a few new books. It’s also a really good to search online. There are hundreds of recipes available at the touch of a button, and you can streamline your results to find options that suit your tastes and also the amount of time you have available. Flick through some books and websites and write a shopping list. Take a trip to the grocery store and stock up on everything you need. The first time, it’s always a good idea to stick to the recipe, but you may find that you’d like to make adjustments. You may like to add a pinch more salt or replace some of the herbs or spices to suit your palette. You can also get inspiration from watching TV programs.
