15 Beginner Tips On Cooking, Spice, Prepping, and Resting

There is nothing worse than being prepped and started on a meal, then to have to stop everything in order to bandage a finger or worse. Start with a clear head, focus, and the proper tools with a decent idea as to how to use them. It will save so much stress later and you can actually enjoy that wonderful creation of yours!

2. Keep Your Work Area As Clutter Free And As Organized As Possible

I admit, I do enjoy an organized work space, to the point of OCD. It helps me to focus. I keep the spices I will use, in one group to the side. I make sure my cutting board is near by with knife on top, pots/pans I will use on the stove, and so on. Setting myself up neatly before starting, is always the first step. I know I will be making some sort of mess as I go. The attempt to keep the space somewhat cleaned up, does help a lot mentally.

3. Keep Your Knives Sharp!

A dull knife is something I had to learn about, early on. Because the blade is not sharp enough to cut through the food naturally, you end up pressing harder with your hand. One slip of that knife, you will learn, is still sharp enough to cut through the meat on your hands! This goes for other sharper items such as a mandoline. Keep it sharp! But BE CAREFUL!

4. Use The “Coverage Area” Method When It Comes To Any Kind Of Spice

Even when it comes to just salt and pepper, you don’t want to over saturate the food with spice. You will have a good start if you just make sure each spice is spread evenly over the surface of the food. If it’s meat, generously and evenly coat both sides and massage the spices into the meat before you start to cook. You can always add more spice later, but you can’t take away from what you have already added. “Coverage Area” rule generally works beautifully for me.

5. Sometimes Less Is More

I have seen folks cook with half their spice rack, and I have seen folks cook with just salt and pepper. Of course, it depends on the flavor you are going for with your specific meal. However, keep in mind, salt and pepper can go a long way on their own. A good cut of meat cooked with patience and love, for instance, shouldn’t need various spices.

6. Pre-Skim Your Recipe Before You Start

Sometimes, there are important tips at the bottom of a recipe or within a specific step, that are not stated in the overall outline of ingredients. If you opt for the “Read as you go” approach, you may find you missed a crucial step in the process you should have taken earlier. You don’t have to know every word of the recipe by heart, but you should at least skim through for overall perspective of the task at hand.

7. Get Your Time Consuming Prep Out Of The Way First

This applies to any vegetables you may have to cut for a step later, or a sauce you can make ahead of time to use in a later step, etc. Anything you can prep first so it’s ready to go, will save a lot of stress when you’re a little more pressed for time.

8. A Food Thermometer Can Be Your Best Friend

If you don’t currently have a food thermometer in your kitchen, you should try to purchase one sooner than later.

I, even with a certain amount of experience cooking, do not feel confident in my ability to know if something is done just by touch. I like the option of testing the temperature to assess when the food is close to being done. It gives me a more specific idea as to how much time is left until the temperature is ideal (and safer, in some cases).

Just a good tool to have so your food doesn’t come out under or over cooked.

Remember: Don’t poke it until it’s close to being done. Always poke in the middle section of the meat, cake, etc.

9. Get The Pan Hot Enough.  

I tend to set my stovetop burner at medium high when heating up a pan for most things. I let it heat for at least 5 minutes before I add oil, spray or food. You should be able to hold your hand about 4 inches over the pan and feel a nice, warm heat. You can always turn it down a bit if your meal requires a lower starting temperature.

10. Don’t Overcrowd Your Pan

This is important. If you have a lot of something to cook in the same pan, you will get better results if you take your time to cook less in one round. Attempting to occupy every inch of the pan in order to cram more in at one time, leaves less room for the food to “Breathe”.

You need space to breathe…so does food 😉

11. Don’t Flip Too Soon

Especially important when cooking meat! If your pan is coated generously to prevent sticking, then you should have no problem getting a nice sear on one side before flipping And without damaging your meat. (This is true also when it comes to cooking sandwiches, certain vegetables, etc..)

Give it time on the one side to earn itself a nice golden brown color, before you flip to the other side. It takes a bit of practice, but in time, you will learn approximately how many minutes it takes for a specific item to gain that nice color. The rewards are tremendous!

The juices get locked it for a better, more tender result and you get a nice crisp outer layer.

12. Don’t Lift The Lid Too Soon

The one thing that has been drilled into my brain (I credit my husband for this one) is “Do NOT open that lid too soon, no matter what.”

If you’re cooking something that takes a while and requires a lid… you loose heat, steam, etc., every time that lid gets lifted.

If you’re like me, you are drawn to keep a fairly constant eye on your creation, just to make sure nothing goes awry. Big Mistake. I know, you’re also probably drawn to that lovely aroma that seeps out every time the lid is lifted.

Don’t do it..Not until your beauty has had substantial time to fall in love with itself. You will love it more.

13. Let It Rest

No matter what you’re cooking, but especially true when it comes to meat, let it have time to rest before cutting/serving. It only gets better with time.

We tend to give our meats a good 3-5 minutes of rest before touching it. If you’re worried about the meat not being cooked well enough, remember it still cooks while it’s resting. If you happen to remove your food from heat just a couple of minutes early, you are still likely to get your desired result.

14. Love And Patience Is Key

Again, think about the things you most treasure in your life and how you apply love and patience to those things, for your ultimate result. You want to create something that makes your heart smile, whether it be a project at work, a child you are raising or even a well deserved vacation.

Food is no different. Use the same philosophy. We learn as we go and we always want the best outcome of every situation. Apply those principles to food and you will find yourself, perhaps, a bit proud in another sector of this thing, we call life!