From unsatisfied husbands to whiney kids to embarrassing cookout / barbeque / dinner –these are just a minimal amount of scrutiny our cooking goes through. How many of us can actually say we’re 100% happy with the finished products of our cooking? Yeah, that’s what I thought. Lucky for you, today I’ll be highlighting and speaking on seven (7) tried ways to enhance your cooking. Master these and your food will be the star at any PTA!

Mood

This is one of the greatest tools you can use to enhance your cooking. When it comes to whipping up dishes, it is believed in many religions that, the nature of your energy or mood can affect the offspring of your cooking; the emotions and intentions you feel whilst preparing a meal, is passed onto that dish. So lighten up!

Spices

Instead of taking shortcuts when we prepare meals, let's put some effort into it. Go natural! Adding herbs like cardamom, turmeric, or chili peppers. Not only are these spices good for you but, they make any once boring meal into a dish that could be served at a five-star restaurant!

Time

Be sure to always time your meals appropriately, if not, you could end up overcooking or worst—undercooking. Nobody wants a burnt or raw meal, unless they’re having steak and let's be real, even then I’d still want mine well-done. Why do you think all the best chefs live and die by their timers in the kitchen? It helps to accurately time your food while allowing you the freedom of multitasking.

Clean as You Go!

Cleaning as you work in the kitchen improves mobility and declutters your working space. Have you ever tried cooking in a cluttered kitchen? Sink filled with last night’s cooking and countertops piled with dishes? Try multitasking a bit more in the kitchen, see how that timer kicks in? Allow yourself to clean as you go and your meals will be just as clean tasting.

Use The Recipe

Some of us think of ourselves as too much of a “natural” to dare touch a cookbook, but turning on a cooking channel has never harmed anyone. It actually has a number of benefits; you can easily control the serving size so, less left overs to clutter the fridge. Using a recipe is also a great way of controlling the amount of money you spend on each meal.

Use Your Instincts too!

It is also crucial that you, as the chef, understands portions and quantities when in the kitchen. A recipe might tell you to use 1 cup sugar when in reality, you can only handle ½ cup. It’s okay to give some recipes a little remix, after all, you should know what quantities are healthiest for your unique self/family. Bend the recipes to your liking; there’s no crime in that.

Adjust Your Fire

While some of us may adjust our fires when we cook, that is not the case for all. Many of us cook right throughout the meal with our fires on high, then wonder why the chicken breast is so dry or why the rice always seems to stick to the bottom of the pot. It is rather mandatory than optional to adjust your fire when you cook.

Cooking is all about effort and passion and if mastered, can be used as a tool of creativity and complete harmony.