Inexpensive Tips on How to Instantly Improve Your Cooking Skills

You read the cookbook cover to cover. You followed your Aunt Evelyn's recipe to perfection. You took your shopping list of ingredients to the store and painstakingly sought out each item. You still ruined dinner. Not to worry. The chronic bad cooks of the world usually have a few disadvantages in common that are easily countered. Before you man the stove for another round of drama, take a look at the following easy and inexpensive tips on how to instantly improve your cooking skills.

Tip #1: Invest in a new set of pots and pans. If you didn't burn your food but it still has a funny, almost metallic taste, it's time to invest in a new set as soon as possible. Not only can old pots and pans greatly alter the taste of foods cooked in them, they can also add dangerous chemicals to your meals upon use. Purchase a set of heavy duty, good quality cookware as soon as possible to give all foods cooked in your kitchen a more authentic flavor. If purchasing an entire cookware set would be too pricey of a move for you just now, start with one main piece and build your collection from there.

Tip #2: Slow down and let flavors simmer. If you are in a hurry, cook meals that are prepared quickly. Don't, however, make the mistake of trying to rush a traditionally slow-cooked meal. If you want something better than soup and sandwiches but don't have the time or patience to let the flavors deepen, try recipes that can be baked or placed in a slow cooker all day so that they do not require your constant supervision or energy output.

Tip #3: Adjust recipes to your family's preferences. If you and your family love garlic but aren't big on sage, add the garlic you love and minimize or completely omit the sage that you don't. A recipe book contains one or two of several ways to cook a meal, and most great cooks know how to add their own touch to make the creation unique. No recipe is meant to be followed exactly without a few alterations here and there.

Tip #4: "Warm up" your pan with butter substitute or flavorful oil rather than cooking spray. Oils and butter or butter substitute keep foods from sticking to the pan while also adding flavor. Sprays offer little to no beneficial flavors in many cases (although there are some exceptions).

Tip #5: Boil in the flavor. When cooking noodles or preparing water for a soup broth, never leave it to boil without adding a little spice. Even before you add any ingredients, fill the water with garlic, pepper, onions (or onion salt), red pepper, or whatever might be added later to the main dish to give it a little kick. When the noodles or other items are added, they'll be cooked in a flavorful broth rather than a boring water base. The spices and natural flavors will then soak into the main ingredients, amplifying their taste.

Tip #6: Cook with fresher ingredients. Cooking vegetable soup with a can of Veg-All is an option, but these quick substitutes should generally be the exception rather than the norm. Instead, take ten extra minutes to chop up vegetables and fruits used in your recipe, and purchase meats and spices that are as fresh as possible (preferably never frozen). The difference in the final taste will astound you. If cooking with fresh ingredients is too time consuming, consider at least learning how to do so for weekends and special occasions.

Finally, remember that cooking is an art form that must be practiced in order to be perfected. No one is born donning a chef's hat, and even the greatest cooks have had their share of burnt toast. Improve your cooking skills tonight with the easy tips mentioned above, and you may amaze yourself with the changes.