Do you want to cook like a chef to achieve more deliciousness? If yes, you are in the right place. Cooking food properly allows you to prevent food poisoning. Most raw foods contain environmental pathogens, such as parasites, viruses, and bacteria that can harm your health and cause severe diseases.
Therefore, proper cooking is essential. A chef is an experienced, trained, and skilled professional with proficiency in all aspects of food preparation. Follow these top secrets if you want to cook like a chef.
Don’t be afraid to experiment
Don’t be afraid to perform different experiments with food if you want to cook like a chef. Professional cooks do not fear deviating from recipes and add their own flairs. When you make an addition or substitution, make a not on the recipe. That way, you will remember next time whether it was a good experiment.
Use your kitchen scissors
Most people use kitchen scissors to open food packaging and bags. On the other hand, chefs use scissors to trim fat from a roast, open pitas, or cut the chicken into strips. So, you can use scissors to cut meats and other foods.
We recommend investing in scissors designated explicitly for food. Make sure you clean them well after each use because they may have crevices where microorganisms can accumulate.
Salted butter vs. unsalted butter
Butter is available with and without salt. People add salt for extra flavor and to preserve food, leading to longer shelf life. However, the salt in butter is sometimes more than a recipe needs. Chefs use unsalted butter to gain more control over the amount of salt in the dish. If you have salted butter, omit about ¼ teaspoon salt per ½ cup of butter used in your recipe.
Organize your recipes
It is often frustrating for people when they start cooking and are unable to find their recipes. Therefore, it is wise to organize your recipes if you want to cook like a chef. Find a system to keep everything organized and keep your recipes close at hand in your kitchen.
Investing in photo albums is an excellent option, allowing you to peel back a plastic sheet and use the sticky surface underneath. That way, you can easily find recipes. You can also add or replace them at any time.
Stop foods from sticking to the pan
Avoid putting frozen or cold food items into a hot pan to keep them from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Likewise, avoid placing food into a dirty pan. Otherwise, the resulting build-up can burn the food.
Ensure the oil is hot before frying food
Although deep frying is not the healthiest option, it can produce an excellent taste. The key to perfect deep frying is to get the oil hot before putting the food in the machine. If you fail to get the oil hot, your food will absorb more oil and taste greasy.
Set the right temperature for deep frying
Setting the right temperature is essential when deep-frying your food. An easy way to find out if the oil is hot enough is to suing bread cubes. Likewise, you can use a thermometer to check and monitor the temperature. Make sure you use a metal thermometer specifically designed for deep frying machines.
Use an Air Fryer for healthy cooking
Use an air fryer if you want to cook like a chef. You can cook a wide range of food items using an air fryer. It is a kitchen appliance equipped with cutting-edge hot air circulation technology, allowing you to cook delicious and healthy food without using too much oil. An air fryer can reduce the fat content by 80% in most food items. Here are a few secrets to using an air fryer adequately.
What shouldn’t you put in an Air Fryer?
An air fryer blows hot air around the food in the cooking cavity. So, make sure you avoid cooking lightweight food items in an air fryer to prevent the risk of food blown around the activity. Avoid putting wet batters in your air frying machine because the hot air flowing will blow the batter off the food and around the cavity.
Aluminum Foil vs. Baking Paper
The general rule of thumb is that you can use both aluminum foil and baking paper on the bottom of the machine if the basket sits on top. You can use baking paper or aluminum foil in the basket as long as the food weighs it down.
However, avoid using aluminum foil or baking paper if you want the air fryer to evenly distribute the hot air and cook the food without any problems. The air fryer provides a constant airflow around the cavity, and using aluminum foil can block the air.
Shake the basket during the cooking process
Shaking the basket while cooking food is the motto of professional chefs. If you want to cook like a chef, make sure you shake the basket from time to time to avoid the food sticking to it. Shake the contents of the basket frequently if you overlap foods. The purpose is to ensure the food is evenly cooked.
Choose the right size air fryer
Although this is not a hard and fast rule, the space is often a huge letdown for people who use air fryers. Experts recommend choosing and buying the largest one available on the market. For example, if you have a family or cook for more than two people, you will find it challenging to cook with a small air fryer.
Moreover, you can use a small air fryer for cooking in small batches, but you may not achieve the same taste and crispiness in different batches. Therefore, we suggest investing in a large-size air frying machine to achieve your cooking goals.