Be a Better Cook
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“The only real stumbling block is the fear of failure. In cooking, you’ve got to have a what-the-hell attitude.”
Have you ever tasted a dish made by someone else and loved it, but when you tried to recreate it, even using their recipe, found that it was not as good? Before accusing them of trying to sabotage you by leaving out the “secret” ingredient, read on for some tried and true advice to help you elevate your cooking status.
Invest in good quality kitchen equipment. I don’t mean you need an entire set of high end pots and pans, which can set you back 400$ or more. Instead, get a good quality stock pot and a cast iron skillet. Cast iron, when seasoned properly, is very similar to a non-stick skillet. Nothing beats a cast iron skillet for searing a steak, cooking the perfect hamburger, or cooking pretty much anything. If you take good care of your cookware, it will last you a LONG time. Cast iron lasts forever. Of course never put your quality pots and pans in the dishwasher, and soap is not a friend to cast iron.
Another thing worth investing in are knives. Don’t bother buying an entire set of knives—you really only need three: a chef’s knife (8 or 10 inch), a paring knife, and a serrated knife. If you purchase good ones and take care of them, you will have them for decades. How do you take care of knives? Of course don’t put them in the dishwasher, only cut on a wooden surface (not plastic), don’t leave them in a stainless steel sink, and have them professionally sharpened a few times a year.
Use the best quality ingredients you can afford. I am a big fan of buying local when you can. I love supporting local farmers who are raising their animals humanely and properly—cows should eat grass, pigs should forage in the woods, and chickens should be outside roaming, pecking on worms and insects. If you cannot find local farmers to supply you with meat, consider ordering online. A good place to start is by visiting www.eatwild.com and click on your home state. Many farms will ship directly to you or have a farm store on site. Besides tasting better, quality protein is much healthier for you.
Don’t be afraid of butter. Seek out butter that comes from grass fed cows—it tastes infinitely better than butter from industrial farms.
Ditto for salt. Look for the beautiful pink Himalayan sea salt—from the Himalayan mountains. The salt tastes “clean” and is loaded with important minerals you won’t find in other salts.
Fresh herbs make just about any dish taste better. In the summer, try growing some in your back yard or in pots on your deck or patio. They are super easy to grow—as long as they get plenty of sunshine.
Good quality olive oil. This is something that makes me crazy. Most of that olive oil in the grocery store is not even good for you. Seek out imported varieties—a little drizzle of good olive oil at the end of cooking can really elevate a dish. I cook with lots of avocado oil and coconut oil as well—often saving my expensive olive oil for a final drizzle or for salad dressing. For the past year or so, I have been a member of an olive oil club (yes, there are such things). The owner visits small olive oil vineyards all around the world, samples their product, then ships bottles to members every quarter. The olive oil has been incredible! The owner includes information about each vineyard and suggestions for food pairings. The club is called Fresh-Pressed Olive Oil Club and you can find out more here.
Taste. Taste. And then taste again—while you are cooking. So many times when diagnosing a cooking problem for a home cook, I find their main problem is not tasting while cooking. If you salt a dish at the end, it tastes salty. If you salt during the cooking, it will taste seasoned. Big difference.
Read a new recipe several times before trying it. Get your mise en place ready before you begin cooking—that means have everything chopped up and in little bowls or piles on your cutting board. If you change the recipe by adding more butter or herbs, make a note of it—that way, if the recipe is a keeper, you will know what changes you made.
Lastly, relax. After all, you are just cooking dinner. Pour a glass of wine, turn on some music, and enjoy the process.
Some of my favorite tips by the late and much missed Julia Child include:
“People who love to eat are always the best people.”
“A party without cake is really just a meeting.”
“With enough butter, anything is good.”
“Everything in moderation…including moderation.”