Tips for Beginners on How to Cook Like a Pro (Stephen John)

Cooking may come naturally to some people but others may find it a bit more challenging and complicated. However, there's always a way for people to learn cooking, baking, and other food preparation skills if they are motivated to do so. Just like learning a new musical instrument, "Practice makes perfect".

Know Your Cooking ABCs

Everything starts with the basics. Any beginner must learn the proper terminologies and names of certain cooking tools, ingredients, and food preparation methods. There are also different ways to cut vegetables, fruits, meat, and poultry so being familiar with the basics will help you understand and follow cooking recipes. Know the difference between dicing and dicing, boiling and steaming, flour and cornstarch, frying pan and saucepan, and more.

Invest in Good Tools

Cooking is never easy without the right tools - cutlery, pans, appliances, cooking wares, homewares, and what have you. Various recipes call for various cooking tools. You can start from the basic cooking tools if you're trying out easy and simple recipes first. And then, you can add new tools and appliances as you take on more challenging recipes. You also need to invest in ingredients you need for your recipe. Frequent trips to the supermarket can be expensive so expect to spend money and invest in time if you really want to learn to cook like a pro.

It will also beneficial to you if you know where to buy affordable ingredients and cooking wares. Instead of going to the grocery store for packaged ingredients, you can also consider visiting your local market for some fresh produced and some hard-to-find ingredients. You might even get discounts if you are a frequent buyer at a local fresh market. Sometimes the best and freshest ingredients for your recipes are found in your traditional marketplace.

Try Out Unfamiliar Cooking Territory

In no time, you will learn the basics and try easy recipes. However, to be able to cook like a pro, you have to challenge yourself with a more difficult recipe than the last. Once you get the hang of doing a particular cooking method, why not try something a bit more challenging than the last. You can also make a checklist of what cooking methods you are not familiar but would like to learn. This will be like a cooking course you set for yourself wherein you need to take new subjects to improve your knowledge and skills in cooking.

Enjoy the Learning Experience

With so many books, materials, and sources about cooking and recipes, it is not too difficult to learn to cook on your own without enrolling in a class. You can watch cooking videos free online and follow the steps carefully. And most importantly, enjoying the learning process will help motivate you as well. It's fulfilling to be able to cook a meal that is delicious and appreciated by your friends and loved ones. Sometimes, we make mistakes and recipes may end up not as good as we want it to be but being driven to make it better next time and being open to criticisms will help you become a better cook or chef.

Enroll in Cooking Classes

If you have the budget for it, enroll in cooking classes to skill up faster. Short courses are offered in culinary schools. This is a good learning experience if you really want to learn from the best and practice it professionally.

Stephen John is a food and wine enthusiast. He blogs about food, wine, and culture and writes wine reviews for a living. He loves to travel and try exotic cuisines of different countries. He recommends you check out cooking videos online in Food Plus.