Kitchen

[Dorothy11]

I'm a professionally trained chef, and love to cook. The piece that home cooks often miss is the science and mastery of basic techniques of cooking. As a couple of others have suggested, Cooks Illustrated magazine and America's test kitchen on PBS are great. They do the recipe testing (ingredients and technique) then explain it. Start with some basic recipes, things you like to eat. You may have to make a recipe several times before perfecting it. This is what chefs do. For some encouragement, read My Life in France about Julia Child. She was a home cook obsessed with cooking. She made simple mayonnaise several hundred times to get it right. If you think of cooking as an ever evolving process of discovery, you may find more delight in it. Bon Appetit!

[godi]

Welcome to the food forums! You will get the greatest advice here and recipes. As for what is my secret, I always make a recipe as stated first, then if I liked it enough I make notes of what I would do to fix it my way. For instance less salt, more pepper add beans ect. Just have fun enjoy if you mess it up and it's not eatable throw it away and go out and eat. I have thrown out so many disasters. I have burnt pots so bad. Had to throw them away. Enjoy your kitchen and have fun.

[seattlegirl98026]

Great post, Digo! I do the same. The first try at a new recipe, I make it their way and read reviews if available. Then I tweak it my own way when I make it again until I am satisfied with the result. I also like to read recipes and cookbooks. As Campion mentioned, I read cookbooks like I would a novel....lol....weird, I know!

[Harpa]

If instinct has anything to do with it...

it's flavors, and knowing what flavors wakes up the food you are cooking. Like adding lemon zest to steamed broccoli, deglazing your pan with wine, curry with tuna, scraping your vanilla pod along with adding your teaspoonful, or simple salt & pepper.

Flavors by way of spices/herbs. Find out which are traditionally used for which foods, taste them yourself, read cookbooks, and you begin to develop your palette and flavor instinct.

[151949]

On 1/18/2015 Pook said:

I think some just have it and some don't. I am a pretty good cook most of the time but most things are not a certainty for me. I don't ever remember my mother having anything turn out bad. Everything she made was absolutely delicious but I remember my some of my friend's mothers having disaster after kitchen disaster and their cooking and baking usually not so great and they would often joke about it. My one grandmother was the worst cook ever and only had one thing that was really good that she made and she raised 7 kids. My sister is the same way and no amount of experience will ever and has ever changed that!!

I agree it is in your genes.My mom was Italian and a great cook. I am a pretty good cook. Also, a lot has to do with buying only the best ingredients. I do not go cheap at the grocery store - because that does give you mediocre results. I also grow my own herbs - rarely use dry.

[brii]

Naturally good cooks don't use recipes. They instinctively know how to create something wonderful. They may look at a recipe for inspiration, but they can adapt it in just the right way to make it delicious.

I add wine and fresh herbs to almost everything. It adds that depth of flavor that just makes anything good.

[cactusjack]

Wow ladies! Thanks so very much! I never expected so many advices and encouragements! I honestly appreciate all your responses and the time you took to post them! Bon Appetite to to me !!

[WenGirl42]

Since it's everything you cook, it might be something as simple as you're underseasoning everything. If you ever watch cooking shows, notice how they always add a little (or more than a little) salt to every element of the dish. Sautee the veggies, add some salt. Put in the meat, add more salt. Add some liquid, add some salt. I'm not saying you need a ton of salt or the only way to get flavor is through salt (herbs and lemon and such are great ideas too, as mentioned above), but as long as you're not medically restricted, you need a little salt to wake up the other flavors in your dish. You're not looking for it to taste salty, then you have too much. But the right amount really does bring out all the other flavors.

[brii]

It's important to season every step of the way. It makes a big difference.

[SeasonedCitizen]

One of the easiest ways to improve your cooking is to stay on this forum! You learn so much and get some great recipes that have been tried and rated (altho mostly the gals only put the good ones online.) It's simple, free, and you get to stay home in your warm and toasty house (Unless you live in a great climate.)