In a world where many meticulously monitor their partner’s Instagram following but seldom scrutinize what’s actually in their takeout, it’s almost comical how little thought we give to what fuels our bodies. The truth is we’ve become alarmingly accustomed to grabbing greasy burgers and giant pizza boxes, never accounting for the hidden sugars, unhealthy fats, and excessive sodium packed into those meals.
The convenience of takeout is undeniably seductive, but should it really be enough to justify ignoring its long-term consequences, all for the fleeting pleasure of a good meal? Unless you were raised in a Balkan household where a mother’s reliance on curfew is directly related to her children’s kitchen skills, stepping into the realm of home cooking might feel quite daunting. Fortunately, there’s no philosophy behind it – all you need is a bit of determination. This article will equip you with everything you need to navigate your culinary adventures smoothly. Are you ready?
How do you stock your kitchen like a pro?
From La Cornue Château Range, the world’s most expensive kitchen appliance, which elevates cooking into an art form, there are many other basic utensils needed for maximum functionality. Now, let’s explore the must-have kitchen tools you need to own to embark on your gastronomy games.
- Cookware: Small, medium, and large pots, oven-safe bruisers, nonstick pans, muffins, cake, sauce, baking pans, baking sheets, and a baker’s dusting wand. When choosing frying pans, people prioritize materials such as aluminum, ceramic, stainless steel, and cast iron.
- Cutlery: There’s no need to purchase golden-plated flatware. Sets that include large spoons and forks should be enough, as all that matters is having extra serving utensils on hand. When it comes to kitchen knives, look for chef’s, paring, serrated, and boning ones. Afterward, you can acquire more specific cutlery, but for the beginning, those should be enough.
- Mixing bowls: Viking’s 9-piece stainless steel bowl set is a very popular choice among domestic cookers. It comes in a variety of sizes and helps you effortlessly navigate different kitchen tasks. Glass and ceramic mixing bowls are also a standard option, as many of them feature an elegant Cottage French-inspired aesthetic.
- Cutting boards: Whether made of wood, marble, or stone, the most essential feature of a cutting board is its spaciousness.
- Essential gadgets that considerably level up your cooking game include a blender, microwave, air fryer, food scale, instant pressure cooker, smoothie maker, and dough maker. Just as wood kitchen units can elevate the refinement and elegance of any space, the right gadgets can turn your cooking journey from a chaotic mess into something that actually looks intentional.
Where to find guidance for your culinary adventures?
In a world that is almost entirely digital, food memoirs and cookbooks are still a thing. They provide in-depth knowledge, curation, and tangible experience, making the experience feel much more real overall. The most iconic cookbooks from all time are:
- Forgotten Skills of Cooking
- The Vegetarian Flavor Bible
- The New York Times Cookbook
- Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat
- Turkey And the Wolf
- Drink Up and Glow
Fun fact: Did you know that the first recorded cookbook to be written was on four clay tablets in ancient Mesopotamia, 1700 BC?
However, that doesn’t mean that online recipe sources, search engines, and cooking apps are losing popularity. Considering the never-ending options and the visual medium advantage, which works wonders for those who aren’t exactly gifted in the cooking department, there’s no way we can forget to mention the exact online cooking spaces from which you can conveniently inspire.
- Recipe Apps such as Paprika, BBC Good Food, Kitchen Stories, Tasty, Yummly, and Oh She Glows serve as shelves full of inherited cookery books featuring user-generated tips that bump any recipe with taste.
- YouTube Channels: It seems that among people’s favorite options, there are You Suck at Cooking, Joshua Weissman, Honeysuckle, Babish Culinary Universe, Ethan Chlebowski, and Jamie Oliver.
- Online Cooking Classes: Nonna Live offers authentic Italian recipes. Sur la Table is mostly for those who show an incredible devotion to vegetarian recipes. Basic Cooking Days is an ideal guide if you want to learn some fundamental kitchen skills and delicious recipes.
What are some dishes everyone should know how to cook?
Before achieving the Michelin-starred cooking performance everyone desires, start with some basic dishes, as they don’t require professional skills or strenuous effort. Let’s find out more about those!
- The Internet has become obsessed with avocado toast with scrambled eggs, as it’s not only highly nutritional but also very aesthetic-looking. The needed ingredients are eggs, heavy cream, lemon, butter, salt and pepper, bread, and avocado.
- Blueberry muffins, which appear to be objectively better than chocolate muffins, are like the Michael Jackson muffins—simply incomparable. The trick for this treat is to infuse the muffin with just the right touch of sweetness while letting the tartness of fresh blueberries and the bright, citrusy zing of the lemon zest cut through. Delicious, right?
- Rice with Shrimps: All you need is one pot and seven ingredients: shrimp, fresh lemon, garlic cloves, butter, long-grain white rice, chicken broth, water, and chopped parsley. You can also upgrade the rice with cheese, vegetables, avocado, herbs, seasoning, and cactus pads.
- Roast chicken and French fries are dishes that are hard to mess up. They require minimal ingredients, effortless preparation, and hands-off cooking. A standard serving packs about 497 calories, making it a cheerful yet relatively balanced home meal. Everyone loves this recipe, as even amateur cooks cannot have trouble preparing it. It’s your turn now!
Final Thoughts
Spending countless days and nights searching for the most exquisite kitchen design yet never actually setting foot in it to cook is a paradox of modern living. Who knows? The journey from instant noodles to gourmet meals may be shorter than you imagine. If your first attempts end in disaster, take heart that true artistry is often measured not by perfection but by the beautiful messes left in its wake.