‘To cook more’ is a great New Year’s resolution. Not only could you save money but it encourages you to be creative and you can ensure you and your family eat a healthier more balanced diet. As with all New Year’s resolutions, however, it can be difficult to keep up your enthusiasm as the year progresses. Here are a few ideas to help you get excited about your new culinary hobby.
Join a Cooking Class
Local colleges often run night classes for different types of cooking. Some may offer the basics while other classes may teach you how to cook the cuisine of far-flung countries. Such classes will give you new ideas introduce you to various new techniques and give you slightly more incentive to stick to your hobby. You may even meet other budding chefs who you can keep exchanging ideas with after the course is completed.
Get the Right Equipment
Getting some high quality knives, pots and pans as well as blenders and perhaps a pestle and mortar will make cooking infinitely more enjoyable. If you are very committed you may want to look at investing in a new oven. There will be some great deals on freestanding electric cookers in the new year get the one which best suits your kitchen and cooking style.
Shop for Interesting Food
Spend a day looking around the more exotic food shops in your town or browse websites such as the Asian Cookshop for new and interesting ingredients. Once you are stocked up on ingredients like garam masala and fish sauce, it will be easier for you to try something new. Even if you are unfamiliar with some ingredients but like the look and sound of them, buy them and search the internet and your recipe books for a dish based around them.
Try a Cooking a Different Cuisine a Month
Inspiration can soon run dry when you find yourself cooking meals from a fairly limited repertoire. There is an abundance of websites around the internet devoted to recipes from cultures all over the world. Find the day a month or fortnight you have a bit of extra time and prepare a different exotic feast.
Get Tips from the Pros
Whether from watching cookery programmes on television (of which, there is no shortage!) or reading recipe books (again, not hard to find!), you can pick up all sorts of hints and tips from the professionals. Try different techniques and you may be able to hone new skills.
Host a Dinner Party
Once you have added a few skills and dishes to your repertoire, why not invite your friends around for a feast? You could even do a Come Dine With Me-style round robin which will keep you cooking into Spring!
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