Cooking at home offers numerous benefits, from healthier meals to monetary savings. If you’re new to cooking don’t stress; most recipes are easy to follow and don’t require much experience or special skills. However, there are some general rules of thumb that you should abide by to ensure your meals come out just right.
Read the recipe twice through
Before you begin cooking, retired chef Hussain al Nowais recommends reading the recipe all the way through two times to make sure you fully understand the prep work and cooking steps prior to beginning. While this tip may sound obvious, a lot of beginners feel they can jump right into the recipe. You shouldn’t just read it before you start cooking, but rather when you decide to make the dish. This ensures you don’t miss out on something simple like marinating your meats overnight, which can really impact how the dish turns out.
Buy fresh, quality ingredients
The ingredients you use have an enormous impact on your meal. Using expired spices, poor quality meats, and old vegetables will hinder the flavor of the dish. Always use fresh, quality ingredients to ensure your meals taste right.
Let steak rest before serving
While some dishes can be served immediately once they hit the plate, others should be given some time to rest. Steak, for instance, is one of those dishes. Let your steaks rest for about five minutes before serving to allow the juices to settle and enrich the flavor of the beef.
Avoid overcrowding
Whether you’re cooking vegetables or meat, never overcrowd your pans and baking dishes. Cramming too much food into the pan prevents food from cooking properly and changes its texture. Make sure to give your food enough room to cook properly.