Many people aspire to be better cooks at home. But, why stop there? The goal can also be to cook gourmet food at home like a professional chef. Then you can elevate your cooking for holidays, celebrations, and even your everyday meals. Learning to cook like a chef lets you be creative with your daily meals.
This means that you have to learn some techniques and have the same tools the chefs have to create your own masterpieces. These tools help you cook with the accuracy and flavor needed for gourmet meals. In this article, we will go over several tips to help you cook like a pro.
1 – Precision instruments
Precision cooking tools like sous vide machines and digital thermometers help you cook food perfectly. A sous vide machine cooks food at a constant temperature in a water bath. This method cooks food evenly, keeps in flavors, and makes sure nothing gets overcooked. A digital thermometer tells you the exact temperature inside your food, so you can cook meats and other dishes just right every time.
These tools make a big difference because they let you control how you cook, much like professional chefs do. For instance, with a sous vide machine, you can cook a steak to the perfect level of doneness and then quickly sear it in a pan for a tasty crust. Using a digital thermometer when roasting a chicken helps you cook it safely while keeping it juicy.
2 – Good chef’s knives
A high-quality chef’s knife is essential for cooking great meals at home. This knife helps with most kitchen tasks like chopping, slicing, and dicing. A good chef’s knife not only makes these tasks faster and easier but also safer. The key is in the material it’s made with.
High-carbon steel knives are valued by chefs for their ability to be sharpened to a very fine edge which is perfect for precise cuts. They also maintain their sharpness longer, which means you don’t need to sharpen them as often. The drawback is that high-carbon steel is prone to rust and staining if not cared for properly, so these knives need to be dried immediately after washing and occasionally oiled.
When picking a chef’s knife, choose one that feels comfortable in your hand and isn’t too heavy. Ceramic blades are a lightweight alternative to high carbon steel that can be extremely sharp.
3 – High quality cookware
To cook gourmet food at home, having the right assortment of pots and pans is as important as having a good chef’s knife.
Essential pieces of cookware include a stainless steel skillet, a non-stick pan, a cast iron skillet, a saucepan, and a stockpot. Each type of cookware serves a specific purpose.
The material of your cookware is also important to consider. Copper has great heat conductivity, which allows for precise temperature control. Stainless steel is durable and resistant to rust and corrosion, making it a good option for everyday cooking. Cast iron has excellent heat retention and is ideal for slow-cooking and frying.
