Six Skills Every Cook Needs to Know!
From home cooks to professional chefs, all cooks use the same six basic techniques to create truly fantastic meals. To help you become a whiz in the kitchen, here are the six skills that you need to know!
SIX BASIC SKILLS EVERY COOK NEEDS TO KNOW
KNIFE SKILLS
Whether you are chopping a carrot or fresh herbs, a basic understanding of culinary knife skills should be the first thing you master in the kitchen. Efficient and accurate knife skills, such as how to dice or julienne, will be the difference between making your time in the kitchen a chore or a joyful breeze. Learning proper knife skills will help to make your dishes cook more evenly, your flavors develop in a consistent manner, and your time in the kitchen much more relaxed. Learning proper knife skills should be the number one skill every growing chef should learn!
SAUTEING
Sautéing is a method of cooking proteins with direct, very high heat. It’s extremely efficient, uses a minimal amount of oil or fat, and achieves absolutely delicious results. Our favorite uses of sautéing include creating a delectable chicken breast or scallop in only a few minutes flat. Learning to sauté will help you make absolutely tasty proteins in those few seconds available between getting home from work and needing to get a meal on the table – a tool that should be available to every aspiring chef!
ROASTING
Learning how to properly roast will instantly make it your preferred method for cooking larger proteins. Ideal for cooking a delicious prime rib or a tasty halibut steak, roasting uses the heat in the air inside the oven to evenly and thoroughly cook meats without burning the skin or drying out the meat. This method allows the fats to gently break down to infuse the meat with incredible flavor and the perfect amount of moisture. When you learn to properly roast a good piece of meat, it will make even a grown adult weep tears of joy. (Are you drooling yet?)
BLANCHING
Most people are familiar with blanching from cooking spaghetti or quickly cooking up some broccoli in a pot of boiling water. While there are a variety of different ways to blanch based on if your ingredient is a root vegetable, grain, or green vegetable, there are a few consistencies. Salted water is brought to a boil or simmer, which is when your cooking time begins (not before.) Once your ingredient is cooked through, you have the option to serve it immediately or to transfer it to a container of ice water to stop the cooking process and maintain the color. Blanching is a relatively simple process, but it is a method that will help you cook vegetables and specific grains that will make your mouth water.
EMULSIFICATION
We’re getting scientific over here! Emulsification is what happens when you are able to combine two or more liquids that usually don’t mix well together. Picture oil and water – as much as you shake them and try to combine them, they’ll just fall back apart once you let them sit still for a bit. To “emulsify” is to blend or to whisk the ingredients together so that their atoms actually combine into one, delicious creation. Picture a vinaigrette that doesn’t fall apart or mayonnaise where you know every ingredient and love adding it to every dish possible. That is the power of learning emulsification.
BRAISING
If you have a tougher cut of meat, braising is the way to go. Beef short ribs and chuck, pork shoulder, chicken thighs, and lamb shoulder are some of our absolute favorite cuts to braise; especially if it’s bone-in to make your meal extra tender. At a high level, braising is cooking meat gently while it’s partially covered in liquid until it’s fall-off-the-bone delicious. It’s typically a very hands-off method of cooking and is ideal for any time you’re planning a meal for a large crowd. Affordable, efficient, and tasty - check, check, and check. There’s a reason we come back to braising time and again!
We feel so strongly that these skills are necessary for every cook to know that we teach a workshop entirely on them. In this workshop, we dive down to the nitty-gritty details of each technique and teach our students everything they need to know to make their time in the kitchen enjoyable and time-effective. It’s not about learning the recipes (though that is a benefit), it’s about learning the methods so that you can use them for years to come!
To learn more about our signature workshop “Basic Skills Every Cook Should Know” or to book your spot, click here. Even better, this workshop is ON SALE NOW!