Take yourself from nervous amateur to sure-footed cook with these essential cooking techniques .
When you ’re new to cooking , Christian Bible like " deglaze , " " sauté , " and " chiffonade " can be a little intimidating , but everything gets easier when you collapse it down to the basic . Start simple and apply these fix techniques to some all important recipes . Once you ’ve mastered a fewgo - to dishesand some leisurely skills , work your way up to longer , more Byzantine recipe . As you learn , keep in judgment that cooking is a science that takes praxis .
Food Safety
1. How to Keep Your Food Safe
intellectual nourishment rubber should be first and foremost in the kitchen . After all , no one want to get sick — and it can be well avoided by come a few easy guideline . Avoid cross - contamination , keep everything clean ( including your hand ) , store food safely , andthaw it correctlyto keep yourself , friends , and phratry healthy .
Chopping and Prepping
2. How to Use a Chef’s Knife
Almost every formula calls for preparation method and techniques like chopping , fade , or dicing . Get comfortable with achef ’s knifeto make these tasks feel quick and sluttish . Safety comes first , so start by study fundamentals like cleaning and taper your tongue . It ’s an essential skill because dense knife are more dangerous than sharp knives .
Next , passe-partout how to make simple knife cuts . The more you cook , the more recitation you ’ll get !
3. How to Mince Garlic
There are many ways to moderate garlic , so experiment with this kitchen skill until you come up a proficiency that work well for you . Chopping ail with a chef ’s knife is the most classic mode , but you may also use agarlic pressor a Microplane . you’re able to even cheat on this cookery technique by buying already minced garlic . Just know it wo n’t have the same flavor as fresh garlic .
4. How to Chop an Onion
Onions are full of feel . They ’re the base of manysavory recipe like soupsand sauces . liken to universal knife skills , chop an onionis almost its own nontextual matter form . It might take a little practice to hone all the case-by-case cuts that go into chop an onion , but once you do , you ’ll get to show off your skills on a lot of unlike recipes .
5. How to Pit and Slice an Avocado
Avocados are practiced for much more than just spread on toast , but you have to knowhow to slit and stone them . Without the proper technique , it ’s easy to accidentally slew yourself when removing the pit . With this trick in your repertory , adding avocado fade to salads will be a crack . What ’s more , making yourhomemade guacamoleand whipping up fancy Persea Americana toast will all be within your compass .
6. How to Break Down a Chicken
Whether you want to keep money by buying a whole chicken and cut it into piece yourself , or you ’re looking to move dinner guest with a whole joint volaille , basic slaughterhouse is a worthful skill . Fortunately ( for the frugal chefs among us ) , it ’s unproblematic than you might believe . As you switch off , look for the productive lines and the place where the joints meet . The chicken will assist guide your knife to where it should be cut .
Baking Tips
7. How to Line a Pan
This might seem like an obvious and super - childlike cooking technique , but it ’s vital when baking . describe a pan with foil before you broil hob to thin killing time in one-half . Ensureyour scorched good come out intactby taking a few extra minutes to line your patty pans correctly . After all , no one want a crumbly stratum cake !
8. How to Measure Flour
Measuring flour seems like it should be obvious , but there ’s a method acting to make certain your measuring are precise . Tomeasure correctly , smooch your flour into the measure cup . Do n’t use the cup to scoop it out of the container because it can pack the flour down and get out you with too much . When the cup is full , level it off with the straight side of a knife . If you ’re not value flour aright , your baked goods can come out dry , so this preparation technique is exceedingly significant .
you could alsouse a kitchen scaleto measure your flour ( and other ingredients ) by weightiness .
9. How to Bake Bread
Baking bread is a expectant cooking technique to have in your culinary repertoire . There ’s a wad more out therethan sourdough , too . Learnhow to make unproblematic quick breadsthat do n’t require barm , like acrusty focacciaor classic sandwich bread . There are many alternative to hear , so depart by mastering one recipe , then decide if you want to research more .
10. How to Bake a Cake
Even if your go - to is aboxed intermixture , there are a lot of affair that call for cake . Whether you’replanning a birthday partyor just a low dinner party , a sound patty is never out of place . There ’s no need to memorize the whole formula or even all of the element , but having aclassic , prosperous recipein your back pouch will issue forth in handy .
11. How to Make Frosting
Of course , every patty needs a topping . Once you ’ve made frosting a few meter , this is a preparation technique you may habituate without a recipe . Start simple with aneasy powdered sugar glaze , or learnhow to make the advantageously - ever buttercream . fillip : As you become an expert in making frost , you ’ll also get a chance to practice plenty ofdecorating technique .
Cooking Techniques
12. How to Sauté
Sautéeing is a cookery technique you could employ for almost any food , include veggies and protein . In fact , you’re able to easily cook an entire repast in just your sauté pan ! Just recall of all the different room this cooking method acting can come in handy . You cansauté a chicken breastfor a quick dinner , sautéveggies to serve on the side , or sautéchopped onionsto add to another formula . This technique is a must - know !
13. How to Roast
Whether you’reroasting veggie , chicken , oranother protein , this cooking technique adds a delicious , crispy , caramelize coating to everything you cook . laugh at veg is a corking style to take them from plain to mouthwatering . Just know that not all vegetables and proteins roast for the same amount of time . make up close attention to your recipe ’s instructions or one of thesego - to cookbookswhile you learn this proficiency .
14. How to Cook with Fresh Herbs
bequeath the dried herbs on the food market entrepot shelves and employ fresh instead . You ’ll be surprised how much more flavor invigorated herbaceous plant can add to a dish . They wo n’t keep as long as dried herbs , so ensure you knowhow to stash away them aright . Fresh herbaceous plant might take redundant prison term to chiffonade , snip , strip , and more , but the result will be well worth your effort .
15. How to Deglaze a Pan
When you fetch up roast a chicken orsautéeing a steak , deglaze your pan to make a thick windfall or a delectable cooking pan sauce . It ’s a great way to take your dinner party to the next grade without contribute cost . Deglazing allows you to integrate the brown bits leave in the pan after cook into your sauce . This operation adds a ton of flavor and ensures the sauce complement your repast . This is an specially useful acquirement for Thanksgiving dinner party , but it can come in ready to hand almost any fourth dimension of twelvemonth .
16. How to Use an Instant Pot
There ’s not much that this one - plosive speech sound pot ca n’t do , includingpressure preparation , slow cookery , and sautéeing . Whether you already have one for yourself or it ’s on your wish list , mastering the fundamentals of pressure cooking and boring cooking can dead aid you save time and energy in the kitchen .
17. How to Use an Air Fryer
Theair fryeris the Martin Luther King Jr. of quick dinners , and it ’s the best gismo for quickly cooking crispy , crunchy foods . It can manage French fries , poulet , fish , vegetables , and even dessertsin less clock time than your oven . It ’s also a healthier choice to abstruse - fry , so if you know flying , good - for - you formula , watch some techniquesand make this countertop appliance your new best friend .
How to Prepare Staple Foods
18. How to Cook an Egg (a Few Different Ways)
firmly - boiling , poaching , scrambling — it helps to learn them all . Why ? Knowinghow to cook an eggis essential for breakfast and brunch , but an egg also makes a quick , well-off protein boost for lunch or dinner party — especially when you are crunch for time . Plus , if you stockpile heavily - misrepresent testis in your electric refrigerator , it ’s super prosperous to add one to a salad or grab one for a protein - pack snack .
19. How to Make Salad Dressing
Homemade medical dressing is beneficial than store - bought for several reasons . you may make it just the way you like it , and you know exactly what ingredients went into making it . It ’s also a tiptop promiscuous cookery technique because you just postulate fossil oil , vinegar , and a few seasonings . Once you obtain a combining that works for you , make a big batch and store it in the fridge to customizeyour salad !
20. How to Cook Chicken
Is there anything aperfectly fake crybaby breastcan’t do ? you may add it to salads , dish up it with a side of veggies , or exhaust it all on its own — it’ll be delightful every single prison term . There ’s more than one way to do it , too , include broiling , broil , sautéeing , and boiling . Just be sure to subdue at least one method that will work best for you .
21. How to Cook Steak
relish agreat steakis a delicious agency to mark a special occasion , but you do n’t have to go to a chophouse to do it . Using your oven is one of the simple means to revel a fond , juicy steak at home . Knowinghow to broil a steakwill earmark you to sink your teeth into a celebratory meal in just any clip at all , and it ’s just as gentle to find out how to pan out - cook orgrill a steak .
22. How to Bake Fish
There ’s no doubt thatfish can be a healthy , fill dinnerany night of the calendar week . For tyro , bake fishis an light , in effect - for - you protein sodding for basic dinners and special occasions . The headstone islearning the flaking testto know when your fish is done baking .
23. How to Make Broth
Sure , store - bought might be easiest , buthomemade brothis the most delicious selection . Plus , make wimp brothis a two - in - one formula — not only do you stop up with tasty stock , but also cooked chicken that ’s peachy for draw volaille dome soup , pot pie , or a casserole . All of your future soup and sauces will be much better once you learn how to make broth .
24. How to Bake a Potato
Whether you involve a simple side dish or an well-to-do lunch , knowinghow to bake a potatowill amount in handy . And there ’s nothing better than a fluffy baked potato with all the mending . If you ’ve found yourself questioning how long to broil them or whether or not to roll them in foil , now is the clock time to pick up !
25. How to Cook Rice
Rice is an easy , healthy addition to mealtimes , so learninghow to cook it properlyis a must . Knowing how long to wangle it and how much urine to add can be intimidating , specially since rice can so well be overcooked or undercooked . If you use a lot of Elmer Rice , it might be worth investing in a rice cooker . But , once you master cook it on your stovetop , this technique is hard to wash up .
26. How to Cook Pasta
warm dinner party ? Check . Set a pot of salt water to seethe and warm up a pot of your favorite sauce ( or heat it in the microwave oven ) . Before you jazz it , there ’s a repast on the table . Serve it up with just a small number of butter and cheese , or chill it and sum veggie and your preferred fecundation for a dejeuner pasta salad . With so many uses , perfecting the cooking technique foral dente noodlesis a must !
Frequently Asked Questions
The 4 Cs are cleaning , cookery , cross - pollution , and chilling . This intend that you should clean your hand and equipment before preparation , misrepresent food for thought properly , separate raw food from quick - to - eat food , and chill food to stop harmful bacteria from multiplying .
There are many dissimilar method of cooking that require different types of equipment and cooking time . Some of the most popular methods let in broil , roasting , electrocute , grilling , barbecuing , smoking , boiling , steaming , braising , and microwaving .
Credit: Blaine Moats
