The Neophyte Cook - Cooking Tips for Beginners

Ever wish you could cook your own homemade meals and actually be able to eat them? Do you like watching those cooking shows on TV and wish you could cook like they could? Do the terms broil, boil and simmer intimidate you? Have you always wanted to try but don’t know where to start? Take heart! Everybody has to start somewhere and this article is going to give you tips on what to do when starting out.

First of all, and this is a common mistake of most beginners, is to choose a simple recipe that doesn’t have too many ingredients and has short procedures. Try recipes that have only 3 to 4 ingredients and simple, easy to understand steps. Stay away from exotic sounding ingredients that you won’t find locally or even on this continent. Recipes that have extensive procedures are usually difficult to follow. Try baked potatoes, mashed potatoes, poached eggs, etc. for starters.

Go through the entire recipe thoroughly before starting on anything. Do you have all the right ingredients? What about equipment such as pots and pans? Do you understand the procedure thoroughly? Don’t just leap into cooking without taking all of these factors into consideration. You wouldn’t want to be in the middle of creating your masterpiece only to ask, “What does poach mean?” Go with what you already know. The more technical stuff will be easier to understand as you go along. What is most important is to keep on practicing.

Cooking time is also an important consideration. First timers like you shouldn’t need to spend so much time on one recipe if it’s the right one for your level which is beginner. Especially if you intend to serve it for a certain meal time and you only have a few minutes to prepare. Some recipes have to be prepared overnight or 5 hours ahead. Meals that will be ready in 10-15 minutes are your best bet.

Getting everything together in one area is a good idea. The pros do it so I why don’t you? It would also be a good idea to measure out the ingredients so that you can get that part out of the way and just dump them in at the appropriate time. Utensils such as spoons and measuring cups should be readily available on-hand too to avoid having to rummage through drawers and cabinets while in the middle of cooking.

This can not be emphasized enough. WASH your hands before, during and after cooking. Especially if you’re dealing with meat as the transfer of lethal bacteria could be fatal. If you are planning a meal that involves a salad, a main course involving meat, and a pot of soup, it would be a good idea to start with the salad first as it is fresh or raw, the soup then the meat. You can actually do it in a different sequence, just wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water so there will be no cross contamination.

A word of advice when handling eggs: wash eggs before storing them in the fridge. That way, the bacteria outside the shell won’t contaminate other food in the fridge.