George K.
You’re probably all good with choosing the perfect meat for your kitchen and don’t need any lecture on rudimentary meat buying practices. As an experimental type, you always want to take on all kinds of meat stock in the market: pork, beef, lamb, goat, chicken, turkey, duck, rabbit, seafood, and game. Yes, there’s a lot more. But wait. How do you get to cook each of these meat types perfectly? These different meats surely have their unique cooking requirements and skills. You can’t possibly think of grilling beef just as you would pork. There’s bound to be some difference.
I didn’t say you’re not already well versed in different meat cooking methods like roasting including pot, pan, and slow roasting; grilling; poaching; stewing; braising, and frying. You do have these meat cooking skills and that’s commendable. However, to be able to perfectly handle all kinds of meat for different occasions, you need a lot more than your current skills.
Cooking is an art form that even culinary novices will argue that they can perform in style. Test them with trussing your chicken or spicing that rub, you’ll be sure to find a lot of flaws; so much that you’d rather settle for boiled eggs. For this reason, there is certainly a need to find ways like those listed below to improve your cooking skills from time to time and always deliver that tasty service your friends and family know you for.
Practice Before Service
Practice improves perfection. Let’s say you find some good meat and decide to get it for your next meal. If it’s a new meat type, don’t be in a hurry to cook and serve. Read guides and apply them cautiously. The folks from CleaversOrganic.com suggest starting with a minimal quantity and when it’s ready, pass it around in tiny cuts to those close by for a taste test. Score your performance with their feedback and think about making changes where necessary. You’ll soon become very good at it when you practice regularly.
Use Traditional Recipes
You’re trying out something entirely new. Follow the recipes you’ve seen in the guides. Don’t be tempted to add one or more looking-okay ingredients that are not already on the list or cook in a way different from the recommended.
You can do all these after you’ve gained mastery. Learn strictly by example first.
Complete Your Ingredients
You’re definitely eager to try out the new meat. You can imagine that in no time you’d be having a taste of it and can’t wait to turn on the oven.
Go and check that list again. Are all the ingredients already on the kitchen table and are they all properly measured out?
Double-check that all the materials you’ll be needing including cutlery and other utensils are right at hand before donning your apron and getting started with the whole cooking.
Running to the fridge for vinegar or hastily scanning the cabinet for a particular spice while the cooking is underway could put you at risk of losing the sense of time and either undercooking or overcooking your meal. You won’t be happy with the results. No, not at all.
Don’t Over Spice
If for one reason or the other, you find that you have over spiced your meal, you have to balance flavors and this must be carefully done to successfully correct the excess sweetness or excess saltiness.
You won’t want to serve a meal in such an unfinished state. No one would want to hear your reasons.
Learn About Adding Marinades
You must have noticed that a serving you got from that restaurant just across the street a few days ago, tastes so much better than a similar meal you make at home. Have you ever wondered why?
It’s the marinade. They have already mastered the art of making marinades and are using it to draw ignorant cooks like you to patronize them for something you could easily do in the comfort of your kitchen.
Always Restock Your Cabinet
You want to improve your cooking. Not having the right ingredients at every point in time can have a negative impact. You may want to practice cooking just another meat-type only to find that certain ingredients are out of stock.
Make a list of your ingredients, if you want, to keep tabs on the decline in certain recipes as you use them from time to time so that you can easily replace them. Fill your fridge with a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, eggs, milk, flour, olive oil, and all other necessary ingredients.
Try not to be bossy when it comes to cooking. Learning makes perfect; you’ll agree. With the steps outlined here, be sure you’ll hit that excellence mark in your future meat cooking experience.
