How to Become a Better Cook

​I hear a lot of you claim that you are not good cooks. I do not believe that is true! You just might need a little help! :) There are several things you can do to become a better cook, even if you are super busy and have no experience in the kitchen! Stop wasting money and calories by going out to eat every night, eating at home is normally the healthiest/cheapest option…you just might need to learn a few new tricks to pull it off!

For the super busy person who doesn’t have time to meal plan or buy groceries, there are always meal kit delivery services (like Blue Apron, Purple Carrot, Chef’d, Hello Fresh, Sun Basket, Plated, Terra’s Kitchen, Green Chef, Home Chef and more). These provide the ingredients delivered to your door and step-by-step directions on how to cook your meal. The only downsides are that they are normally more expensive than buying and cooking your own ingredients at home, plus some meals can actually be pretty high in calories. BUT, they are very helpful especially for a beginner cook.

For the average Joe who just wants to be able to prepare a simple, healthy, delicious meal at home (pain-free), you can follow the steps below. But first, to prepare your meals, obviously you will need the ingredients. You can either: shop at your favorite store and buy your own ingredients or if you want to save some time but spend a little extra money, you can opt for ordering your groceries online and either picking them up from the store or having them delivered to your house.
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1. Find a good looking recipe from a reliable source and READ the recipe before buying the ingredients. Then read it again all the way through before you begin cooking.
2. Gather all ingredients, dishes, pots & pans, utensils, etc. needed for your meal to have available in close proximity as the recipe calls for it…aka, prepare your workspace.
3. Be mindful and don’t walk away from your food as it is cooking (it is always important to keep an eye on anything while it is on the stove/oven/etc.).
4. Taste as you go. If you aren’t sure that you will like a certain herb or spice, add it in small increments until you get the taste you prefer.
5. Be patient. Don’t burn and dry out your meal just because you are in a hurry and cook it on as high heat as possible. Recipe directions are there for a reason.
6. If you don’t like cooking, aim to prep larger portions of food at once so you can refrigerate or freeze leftovers for later to cut down on cooking time through the week.
7. Want to cut down on time even more? Buy healthier store bought ready foods that are either: already cooked, frozen, pre-prepped or canned, to have on hand.
8. While at the store, look for food options that are baked, grilled, roasted, steamed or fresh. Did you know there are already diced, ready to serve proteins and vegetables in the freezer, refrigerated or produce section? Head to the salad bar at your grocery store and gather your ingredients from there to be even speedier! 
9. Balance your meals by including healthier selections from all the food groups such as lean proteins, dairy/dairy alternative, fruit, vegetables and whole grains.
10. Start small. The more you do it, the better you will get…you just have to try!

Need more help than this? Contact me! I offer menu planning, recipe creating, grocery list making and grocery ordering services….customized just for you! 

*For the person who just doesn’t have the time to cook but wants healthy food, there are options that provide freshly prepared meal delivery services (like the Good Kitchen, Freshly, Prepped, Munchery, Fresh n' Lean, etc.), local pre-made meal pick-ups/deliveries or you can hire a personal chef ;)