The Cooking Hacks You NEED To Know

ow many times have you gone to work with nothing more than a rice cake and a protein bar for lunch?

Do you feel envious of your colleagues’ lunch when they open their perfectly portioned meals carefully laid out in pristine Tupperware?

Are you, and let’s be honest here, a car crash in the kitchen?

Then this article is for you because we’ve uncovered 9 essential cooking hacks you need to know to become a kitchen god…

1. How To Impress

Hands up who LOVES looking at really delicious food on Instagram…

We do too, but it’s also so annoying because you feel completely inadequate when your meals look more like a bucket of pigswill than beautiful edible cuisine.

Cooking to impress is NOT easy, regardless of how simple some people make it out to be.

However, if you do have someone you’d like to impress you should opt for a meal that’s not too challenging to get right, like breakfast or brunch.

Go for eggs – baked eggs are super easy and look great especially when served with some wilted spinach and fried shrooms.

2. The Cupboard Essentials

Put down that aubergine and listen up. To become a god in the kitchen you first need to nail the cupboard essentials.

Just what is the absolute minimum you need to turn your boring turkey breast mince into a satisfying, delicious and impressive meal for one?

Quite simply – quality condiments.

And no, ketchup doesn’t count…

Think onion jam. Chilli sauce. Chipotle. Basically anything bursting with flavour to liven up the dullest of dishes.

And don’t forget the salt and pepper – a little seasoning goes along way.

3. Cook Steak

So many people shy away from cooking steak because they think it’s hard to get right. It’s not.

It’s actually probably the easiest meat to cook especially if you follow these tips:

• Allow the meat to come to room temperature before you cook
• Brush the steak with oil while the pan heats
• Season with pepper only at the start - salt will draw out the moisture, add it later.
• Fry in a HOT pan.
• Don’t be afraid to add in a little garlic, some rosemary and some thyme.
• Add a knob of butter – YUM.
• Rest it.

4. How To Add FLAVA

Seriously guys (and gals) you don’t need to become a Michelin Starred chef to create delicious, appetising meals. Likewise, you don’t need to resort to pre-packaged and sugar filled sauces.

Making a stir-fry? Grab yourself a lime, some soy sauce, a dash of fish sauce and a little chilli – it really is as simple as that.

Alternatively, make yourself a paste like Thai Green Curry paste and freeze it in portioned batches – that way you’ll always have clean flavour to hand.

5. Redeem Yourself

How many times do you cook with something that’s not in season? This is a major cooking sin, so redeem yourself by only choosing products in season.

Your food will taste better, look better, be nutrient filled and it’s propping up the local markets.

6. Get Creative

Do your kitchen fears hold you back? Well by taking the plunge and cooking things you’ve never even thought off will banish those fear in no time, and have you cooking (almost) like a pro.

So go on, grab yourself a cookbook and try one new dish each week – that will be 52 new dishes in a year. You’ll definitely impress with all that under your belt.

7. The Real Superfood

Fine. Kale and Goji Berries are having a moment but the real superhero Superfood is actually beetroot.

It’s a source of iron and folate, and it’s even been proven to help lower blood pressure, boost exercise performance and may even prevent the onset of dementia.

It’s also super versatile and it tastes great cooked or raw.

8. Stop Feeling Guilty

Food is essential for living yes, but thanks to the wellness “gurus” blowing up social media with their chia seed smoothies and kale salads, we as a nation are forgetting how to ENJOY food.

This trend is somewhat misleading making people feel bad about choosing to eat a slice of chocolate cake over an organic turmeric, kale, charcoal and flaxseed pudding with raw cacao nibs on top.

There is nothing wrong with that piece of cake or pizza – nothing at all – so stop feeling guilty and feel free to indulge.

Balance is the key to a healthy lifestyle.

9. Let It Rest

Let it rest… let it rest… let it rest… let it rest…

Resting shouldn’t be kept for just the gym, food ALWAYS tastes better when you’ve let it settle.

Top chef’s recommend you rest it for at least half the time it took to cook – that way all the lovely flavours will infuse fully giving you a truly tasty nibble.