Being a good cook isn't just a matter of knowing the big, impressive skills you can show off to friends and family,like roasting a turkey or making challah bread. It's also about the small habits you practice daily, the ones that transform cooking into a more effortless and joyful part of your day. These 8 simple habits are easy to pick up, yet make a major difference in your cooking.
1. Make your cutting board non-slip. Putting a damp paper towel, damp kitchen towel or piece of non-slip cupboard liner under your cutting board before you start chopping will give you a stable surface to work on safely.
Tip: Five Ways to Keep Your Cutting Board from Slipping
2. Keep your knives sharp. Regular honing will keep sharp knives in good working order. If they aren't sharp to begin with or are dull even after honing, it's time to stone them or get them professionally sharpened.
3. Wear an apron. Aprons protect your clothing from burns, food splatters, and even mysterious holes. They also provide a handy way to carry a kitchen towel.
4. Wear clogs or other supportive shoes.Comfortable shoes aren't a necessity when throwing together quick weeknight meals, but for big dinners or weekends when you are spending hours in the kitchen, they save you from back and leg pain, and protect your feet from spills or other accidents.
Essential Kitchen Footwear: Dansko Clogs
What Are the Best Shoes for Cooks?
5. Carry a kitchen towel. Sure,have pretty tea towels hanging on the front of the stove for drying hands, but when there is serious work to be done, grab a plain kitchen towel, tuck it into your apron and use it to wipe up spills, grab hot pans and dry your knife in between rinsings. (Use a separate towel when cooking with raw meat, and keep plenty of clean ones on hand to change out as needed while cooking.)
Pro Tip: Keep a Towel Tucked in Your Waistband as You Cook
6. Practice mise en place. You don't need to prep all your ingredients when cooking something simple, but when preparing a complicated recipe or one that comes together very quickly, like a stir-fry, this technique is a necessity.
Basic Technique: Mise en Place
Mise en Place: Does It Really Save Time?
No More Messy Mise en Place: Use Coffee Filters
7. Use a "garbage bowl." Collecting your scraps into a bowl, bucket or bagkeeps your counters clear and save trips to the trash can or compost bin, making you a cleaner and more efficient cook.
Garbage Bowls: Why We Love This Underappreciated Kitchen Tool
Help! How Do You Control Onion Skin Clutter?
8. Clean as you go. Getting in the habit of clearing counters and washing up as you cook makes cooking a much more efficient and pleasant experience, and makes post-meal clean-up less of a chore.
Make Small Kitchen Living Easier With This One Tip
Weeknight Meal Tip: Clean As You Go
Clean Up! Do You Clean As You Go?
What small habits make a big difference in your cooking?
Related:Healthy Kitchen Habits: Cleaning Tip Roundup
(Image: Chris Perez, fromJeanine & Jack's Zesty White Kitchen)
Big Mama's Home Kitchen: Mini Pineapple Upside Down Cakes YUM...brown sugar topping with pineapples and cake...brings back so many childhood memories. My mom made the best pineapple upside down cake. The Kitchy Kitchen It all started with a pizookie. If you haven't had one, it's the best thing a middle schooler can look forward to on a Friday night. At least that was my story, with ... Tile Splashback Ideas Pictures - Kitchen Backsplash Pictures OF Tiled Backsplashes And Countertops For Kitchens ... How To Choose A Tiled Kitchen Backsplash Are you thinking about renovating or completely remodeling ... Amazon.com: OXO Good Grips Small Cookie Scoop: Kitchen & Dining For easy scooping and consistently round cookies, try an OXO Good Grips Cookie Scoop. OXO Scoops have soft grips that absorb pressure while you squeeze to easily ... The ten habits of remarkably charismatic people - Yahoo! Small ... From Yahoo! Small Business Advisor: Charisma isn't something you have. It's something you earn. Here's how. 8 Work Habits That Will Kill Your Career - Yahoo! Finance Wondering why you're not advancing in your career more quickly, or why you always seem to be overlooked when it comes time for raises, promotions, or ... Quirky Cooking This amazing machine replaces most of the appliances in your kitchen! It mixes, beats, grinds, steams, cooks, whips, weighs, and much more... Click on the photo to ... The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference ... "The best way to understand the dramatic transformation of unknown books into bestsellers, or the rise of teenage smoking, or the phenomena of word of mouth or any ...
No comments:
Post a Comment