What is the most important cooking skill in the kitchen?

Knife skills From correctly gripping the knife to cutting precisely, there are several techniques for manipulating a knife in a professional kitchen. This is the first and main set of skills you learn in culinary school. We've put together a list of 25 key skills that every beginning cook should know to gain confidence in the kitchen. The cornerstone of so many dishes, learning to chop an onion efficiently can speed up the preparation of endless dinner.

Take a few minutes and learn to cut like a pro with our video of how to chop an onion below. We've also been discussing ways to keep tears at bay; apparently, sucking on a teaspoon while you're itchy will keep your eyes dry. Taking stock Spending time preparing your own broths or broths allows you to have maximum control over the amount of sodium and fat in your meals. It's also ideal for customizing spices and herbs for certain dishes (does anyone want bonito and pork broth for ramen?).

Mixing elegant cocktails Many of us are guilty of continuing to drink like college students long after we become alumni. Get a basic repertoire of classic mixed drinks to begin your adventure into the world of impressive cocktails. The beach is my happy place and here are 3 science-backed reasons why it should also be yours. Although deceptively simple by nature, learning to roast vegetables to perfection is almost as valuable a culinary skill as it can be.

Once you've established your roasting regime, regardless of the season or the main course you're designing your menu with, you can always prepare a delicious and healthy side dish with whatever product you have to work with. Here's how to roast vegetables properly. This is an easy skill to master and will help you prepare endless salads and vegetable-based dishes with a few minor adjustments to your original mix. Richard LaMarita, chef of culinary arts and instructor at the Culinary Education Institute, says the old technique is perfect for making “vegetables with excellent texture and perfectly cooked”.

Once you've memorized a simple chocolate chip cookie recipe, play with the quantities until you find the perfect texture and flavor for you, and make it your exclusive cookie recipe for every food-related meeting. Prepare a hot breakfast While it's much disputed whether breakfast is the most important meal of the day, it's still beneficial to know how to prepare a hot breakfast when needed. The cooking time will depend on how well cooked you like the meat, the thickness of the cut and the type of steak it is. When you master chopping onions, it's time to expand your knife skills and learn how to cut, cut, slice thinly and much more.

Everyone, young or old, can enjoy a handy collection of basic cooking skills with a little practice. If you want to add diced chicken breast, ground turkey, or other animal protein, add those ingredients before adding vegetables, as they take longer to cook. Cook pasta properly While most people can at least boil water to cook pasta, it's still a fairly easy food to spoil. Whether you eat red meat or prefer something lighter, learning to cook a simple and tasty steak or salmon will help you prepare countless meals throughout your life in the kitchen.

A little more ambitious than a simple cookie, bread dough can be an invaluable recipe to keep in your memory bank as long as you do it right. While rice is an essential element of many types of cuisine, perfecting the cooking technique may require a little perseverance in trial and error. Keep in mind that different forms of pasta will have different cooking times, and fresh pasta with egg will cook much faster than dry pasta. The first task that any aspiring home cook should focus on is creating a solid arsenal of knife skills, learning how to properly chop onions and garlic, cut tomatoes into cubes, prepare a head of romaine lettuce for salads, etc.

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