Kitchen Skillz 911

Cooking is hard. Cooking is scary. I don’t like cooking. I hear these statements on the regular basis and I am here to tell you that cooking doesn’t have to be a negative thought – in fact you should be excited by the thought of the next creation you could make up by yourself to eat.

Creating really fun and delicious dishes is one of the biggest perks of actually cooking – it’s rewarding and self-satisfying!

I want to go over a few key points of success that I have learned over the years with my time spent in the kitchen.

I would like to preface that I am not a chef nor did I attend a culinary school – everything I’m going to talk about is either what I’ve learned through others, my own experiences, or just my own opinion.

Ok, so here we go.

Rule 1.

 Be creative. Don’t be scared to get in there and mix it up. Just because you don’t know what ‘this’ combined with ‘that’ will taste like doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try it – if you want to of course. Creativity is what makes us human. Just because you haven’t tried something before doesn’t mean you shouldn’t – in fact that is exactly why should! Just because you’re out of spinach doesn’t mean you can’t make the omelet you were craving – just use the kale you already have!

Rule 2.

Always cook on a low-medium heat. It is crucial to remember that plants and animals are more than food, they’re nutrition, but if you over cook them they just become useless energy. There are very crucial proteins, minerals, and vitamins in the food we consume and if you over cook them or expose them to extreme heat you can actually “kill” these essential components to the food. Vitamins, proteins, and minerals can all be broken down, or denatured, from heat and will ultimately yield useless as far as nutrition is concerned. Remember, the nutrition is the part that is keeping us alive! Besides, you don’t really like that burnt, over-cooked and dry flavor do you?

Rule 3.

Understand your cooking oils! Certain oils work better for certain styles of cooking – like baking or pan frying. Also, remember the flavor profiles of the oils because you will be eating the oil and tasting it! I love cooking my eggs in coconut oil for many reasons – like the fact that coconut oil has a high heat cooking index so it doesn’t burn easily and my eggs don’t stick to the pain! Oh and it just taste delicious! You should have many different cooking oils in your arsenal – like unrefined extra virgin cold-pressed coconut oil, unrefined peanut oil, grape seed oil, and especially hemp oil. They all have their own cooking properties, flavors, and health benefits!

Rule 4.

Grocery shop with a purpose and a plan. Don’t just go to the grocery store and walk around and grab random stuff – how will you know what to make if you’re not planning ahead of time? Make a list, plan meals, map out your ingredient plan and tackle it. By planning out your meals and needs ahead of time you will save both time and money. You should primarily, if not always, shop on the outside aisles of your grocery store. Stay where the fresh, unpackaged, and fresh food is at – produce, nuts, meats, etc. If you really care to take your health seriously and to the next level avoid GMO products and shop as locally and organically as possible.

Rule 5.

Invest. If you take your life and your health seriously then you will spend a good portion of your time in the kitchen – give yourself the tools you need to succeed and make your life easier. Invest in a good stainless steel pan and pot. Invest a multiuse, solid, and sharp knife. I’m not saying to run out and spend a fortunate on kitchen utensils right away, however, it makes the process much more peaceful and pleasant when you have pots and pans that don’t burn or stick. When you have one knife you can use for virtually everything – and they don’t break. Stay away from the eye appealing kits and sets of pots/pans, knife blocks, and any other grouped kitchen utensil. I say this from personal experience for multiple reasons. For one, those kits tend to give you far more than what you ever need or use – thus you collect junk that you don’t need or use and it takes up space in your kitchen. Do you really need and use every single size pot and pan that came in that $60 package? Probably not, I sure didn’t. Also, the quality of these products tends to be much less efficient and durable. Who really needs a whole set of cooking knives? Your money will be much better spent investing a few, higher quality items than going for bulk.

Rule 6.

Don’t be scared to look up a recipe or a new technique. You only learn by asking. I’ve learned a lot about cooking and recipes through both experimentation and trial and error but also through looking up recipes and cooking styles. There are tons of recipe forums out there and tons of channels on youtube – don’t be shy! Just go look and give it your best effort! The worst that can happen is that you learn what not to do J seriously though, have fun and know that its ok if you mess up a recipe or don’t get it quite right. That’s the beauty in cooking; it’s a learning process that will ultimately become deeply satisfying.

Rule 7.

Shop frequently. I find this to be so important that it gets its own block. Seriously, if you go to the grocery store and spend $300 all at once then you’re probably doing one of two things. Buying a lot of processed, garbage food – or – you’re buying too much food. Remember, food has a shelf life. Produce and meats turn relatively quickly. Plus, the fresher the food is the healthier it is for you. I like to shop twice a week for groceries – for myself and many others it is the best way to maintain quality and freshness in your food. I shop for meats one day and produce the other and so on and so forth. There is nothing more frustrating than throwing away spoiled food because you did not cook in time or because you forgot about it. This is another reason why rule 4 is so important – have a plan.

Rule 8.

Start slow and build confidence. If you’re not experienced or adept at cooking your own meals then you may want to start cooking simple easier meals and allow yourself to progress into cooking more elaborate or technical meals. Things like eggs, poultry, and vegetable frys are great things to start out with to get used to the understanding of cooking properties of heats, oils, flavors, etc.

Rule 9.

Don’t be scared to sample! If you’re trying a new blend of spices or a different oil to cook with don’t be scared to taste them ahead of time – or in combination with one another. I love to sauté my spinach in coconut oil with fresh sliced garlic and some pink Himalayan salt and cayenne pepper sprinkled over it! The coconut flavor is very noticeable – I anticipate that. If you just cooked some quinoa and added a few seasonings into it, don’t be scared to take a taste – it might be missing something that you want to add, or maybe it could use a pinch more of oregano.

Rule 10.

The final and most important rule is to have fun! Remember, cooking is an experience. You can build fond memories in the kitchen, impress loved ones, and even cure an ailment if you take your time and enjoy the process.