by Learn to read a recipe
A recipe can be a starting point for a meal, inspiring by its combination of flavors or techniques. In that case, you don’t need to read it carefully. But when you’re just starting out, reading the recipe before you start cooking and then following it precisely will ensure you learn something new and improve your skills.
Look for signs, not times. Think of cooking times as a guide and instead use all of your senses as you cook, paying close attention to the visual, auditory, and olfactory cues written in the recipe. Should onions be just translucent or very golden? Should the stew be simmering or vigorously boiling? Following these indicators will lead you to obtain a result tastier than any stopwatch.
Think critically about swaps. Precision is vital for baking and baking recipes, which often do not accept changes. On the other hand, savory cooking may include substitutions with ingredients that cook similarly. For example, tender herbs, such as cilantro, parsley and dill; root vegetables, such as carrots, parsnips and turnips; and hearty greens, like kale, escarole, and collards, can often substitute for each other.
Taste your food, a lot
The biggest mistake new cooks make is forgetting to taste their food. You have to season in stages, throughout the cooking process, and remember to taste along the way. Sometimes this means trying things you might not want, like salty pasta water, slippery vinaigrettes, and chalky spices, but it’s the only way to ensure your food is seasoned to the core, and not superficially. It will also allow you to identify any flavors that may be going off the rails and get them under control before it’s too late.
Be kind to yourself
You can instantly find thousands of roast chicken recipes online, but the Internet is also filled with curated photos and videos of perfectly plated dishes taken during golden hour. It’s easy to get discouraged when there is so much to compare yourself to. When I started cooking, I only had a couple of cookbooks, most without photos: I didn’t know if the dishes I was making were “correct,” which meant I could enjoy the stellar achievement of making a meal myself. If you end up with something edible, it’s a win.
