- How to make a soup
Soup is a great way to hone your basic cooking skills. You can change up the seasonings pretty much any way you want and help learn how to properly season food. It is also a great way to use up scraps or leftovers. The basic components of soup are going to be aromatics, such as onions, garlic, carrots, celery, shallots, ginger. Aromatics are things that build depth of flavor into your dish. Another important component to your soup is going to be the fat you cook your aromatics in. You can use a neutral oil, butter, or coconut or sesame oil to help add the flavors you are looking for. After you soften your aromatics in whatever fat you are using it is time to add your stock. I highly recommend making your own as you will be so much better flavor. At this point you can go 2 different ways with your soup, broth soup or a pureed soup. It depends on what veggies and meat you are using and what consistency you would like to have in your soup. Chicken noodle is a classic broth soup and potato is a classic pureed soup. You can add any veggies, herbs, meat, pasta, or grains you like to build your soup. To flavor your soup, you can finish it with some cream or coconut milk, sour cream, drizzle of olive oil, herbs, croutons, cheese, or really anything else you would like.
Tip: Add in whole stems of herbs when you are cooking your soup, all you have to do is fish out the stems in the end. The flavor will be there, but you won’t have to do extra work.
- Roasting a chicken
Roasting a chicken is a dying art. I think this is a great way to impress your guest or cook for yourself and utilize the chicken to eat for several days. Here is a basic recipe for how to roast a chicken. Once you get this down change up the spices and aromatics to flavor your chicken differently, so you don’t get bored.
- How to roast vegetables
This is by far my favorite way to cook most vegetables, not only is it super easy it also gives them great caramelization and flavor. I always roast vegetables at 350 degrees; for how long to cook them it really depends on the type of vegetable and the doneness you are looking for. For softer vegetables like Zucchini, you will want to stick to 15-20 minutes. For things like carrots, or potatoes 30-45 minutes. The most basic way to roast any vegetable, cut them into similar size, toss in olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Roast to desired doneness. Of course, you can always add more spice, or glaze them with honey or a balsamic glaze, add nuts or dried fruit.
- How to properly season food
This is what is going to make all of your food so much better. It is going to take some time and don’t be afraid to experiment! If you are looking to take your food to the next level I highly recommend ‘Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat” by Samin Nosrat. This book will give you the basics and so much more. The two most important ways to make your food taste better are salt and acid. If your food doesn’t taste quite right the immediate question you should ask is does it need more salt? Salt balances flavors and helps bring flavors out, adding the correct amount of salt can make all the difference. Salt does not have to be plain salt, you can also add soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce or other salty elements. As for acid, this can make your food pop, this can take whatever you are eating to the next level. This is how you can impress your friends with that little extra knowledge they don’t yet have. If you are eating something that has enough salt but is still missing something, try to add some acid. What do I mean by acid, a little lemon or lime juice, a small splash of vinegar, something pickled, or some plain yogurt. Try to add something that compliments the other flavors.
- How to use a recipe
Most people do not know how to use a recipe! Most people want to follow it exactly. This is wrong, unless you are baking. If you are using a recipe to cook something it is meant to be a guide, a general ratio for you to follow. You should always taste and adjust from there. This does take practice, but worth the effort. Every tomato, onion, piece of garlic or anything else tastes different from what the person who made the recipe was using. I have talked to so many people that follow a recipe exactly and are disappointed in everything they cook and lose confidence in their ability to cook. It is not your fault if you have done that in the past. Cooking is an art. So have fun with it and don’t stress, learn to adjust your seasonings and you will be good to go.