Take a moment to take control of your kitchen

As someone who works in professional kitchens I’ve learned that there’s a way to accomplish anything if you have the willpower to succeed. This is the most important attribute to posses when stepping up to cook a meal for yourself, your family and your friends. I’ve noticed that many people without working kitchen experience are often at a loss of which angle to work from first. Don’t end up the lonely bachelor microwaving pizza pops for dinner every night.

I’ve put together a small batch of advice for anyone looking to create something edible in a kitchen. Perhaps some of these tips will help you out on your next food preparation mission.

A clean kitchen is a happy kitchen. Always wash your hands thoroughly and keep clean dish towels on hand. Use the right tool for the right job. You can make your food dreams become reality with greater ease if you have the tool that’ll do what you want when you want. This step may involve purchasing a quality blender, set of knives or meat grinder, mortar and pestle, marble slab, or clay stones. Don’t be afraid to become more gourmet in the kitchen. Don’t fall for ads promising ultimate ease; be sure to buy quality tools to ensure you can follow through with the greatest accuracy and least resistance.

Next, plan for a well-rounded meal. Include salad as often as you can. Be as fresh as possible. Create complex carbohydrate arrangements combined with clean organic healthy fats. Cook and/or marinate vegetables in olive oil and vinegar, slice your veggies paper thin and marinate from raw for up to 10 days. Know how you want your dish to taste and assess and re-season accordingly. Choose quality salt.

When plating ensure your plates are clean and your cutlery properly polished. Yes, napkins are necessary. Having a matching set of plain profile plates, bowls and cups is beneficial in the art of tasteful presentation. Plain white or black dishes aim to showcase the qualities of your edible offerings giving your recipe an opportunity to express all it can on a smooth blank canvas.

Clean as you go and “heat up” the kitchen as much as possible. The more steam you can create the better your meal may be. Don’t burn the essence out of your meal, keep deglazers like white wine and brandy on hand to create impromptu sauces when your stomach calls. Plan to have a clean kitchen as you sit down to enjoy your meal.

How can you minimize the number of dirty dishes, pots and pans created? Serve the meal at the proper temperature and try to provide a wide range of different taste and texture experiences. This step combines many resources found in the kitchen. The stove top, oven and refrigerator are used to provide a wide range of serving temperatures.

Lastly, have a specialty, and stick with it for as long as it takes to master its flavour capabilities. Learn how to use each ingredient in your repertoire from farm to fork and be sure you agree with its journey from seed to stomach.

This spring take some time to hang out in your kitchen and get familiar with all the wonderful gadgets, seasonings and dishes we’ve created for our ever-evolving palates and sense of what’s yummy and nutritious, delicious and classy.