The Challenge
Top tips for cookingscratchfrom
MANCHESTER IS GREEN
Premier league level chef or total kitchen novice?
There is always more to learn in the kitchen to grow your repertoire of home cooked food.
• Sriracha, soy or Worcester sauce can make a simple meal a little bit special.
Preparing a meal with a blunt knife or a malfunctioning tin opener can make anyone want to down tools.Sharpen your knife or ask for a new one for your birthday, and make sure your other kitchen equipment is ready for action. Keep the kitchen ship shape as you go.
Line up your squad
OUR TOP TIPS
With many of us spending more time than usual at home, try breaking up the day with small tasks to prepare for
Check your kit
Invest in a balanced squad (store cupboard essentials)
Have all of your ingredients measured, cut, peeled, sliced, grated, etc. before you start cooking. Pans are prepared. Mixing bowls, tools and equipment set out. This kind of organisation can help you make cooking from scratch a joy rather than a chore.
• Vinegars, mustard and olive oil can elevate the simplest salad.
• Jars of capers, anchovies and olives can add a flash of salty sharpness.
• Dried spices such as cumin, smoked paprika and cinnamon can add depth across a range of dishes.
Work on the basics in training
By doubling or tripling the amount you prepare when you do cook you can have delicious home cooked meals in future. Curries, stews, pasta sauces, chillis and soups all lend themselves to a batch cook. Check out these ideas for turning today’s dinner into next week’s ready meal.
Add some creative spark
Keep an eye on the clock
You don’t have to cook from scratch every meal
Why not treat yourself to a little refresher on the basic skills to become a great home chef? Whether it’s how to chop an onion properly or how to make the perfect omelette. Here are 25 skills every cook should know.
Think like a chef and give yourself time to get creative in those final stages of cooking that can make food really special. By giving yourself time you can get creative with a perfect garnish or sauce that can take your food to the next level. This could mean quick pink pickled onions on top of a taco or a zesty broccoli pesto served with delicious veg, fish or meat.
If you have a half time to prepare dinner, make a dish that can be cooked quickly such as a fridge forage stir fry or a salad packed with veggies, grains and perhaps a boiled egg. Save the three star cuisine and roasts for the weekend.
Cooking is a life skill, and little hands can be kept busy in the kitchen. Little chefs are perfect for stirring the mix for English pancakes, podding peas or making rainbow fruit or veg skewers. If you get them busy enough you might even be able to have a cuppa while they get on with it.
Help develop young talent
Mark Breen, Hubbub’s Food Expert
“Cooking meals from scratch is one of life’s pleasures. My top money and time saving tip is to cook in batches and freeze leftovers for a later date. Because some days it’s nice to kick back with a meal you made with a few days ago and watch the footy, even if you support Villa like me”.
A quick one to make and demonstrate how little flourishes can elevate food to the next level. Use to garnish tacos or as part of a Ploughman’s.
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This is the dish to practice those veg cuts and create something that tastes amazing. Flexible enough to use what’s in season and what you already have in. ‘Mise en place chef.’
So flippin’ easy and always a hit with the kids. You can have them sweet or savoury – everyone has their favourite topping. Great to batch cook and save for later too.
Fridge forage stir fry
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Bake a loaf of sourdough or soda bread. Baking is a different pace and skill to cooking and it’s so satisfying to butter up bread that you’ve made.
Fridge forage is a term we use for when we’re making the most out of the ingredients we already have in the house. It’s better for the environment and your pocket. This fridge forage stir fry is versatile to help you make use of what you have, and the sauce totally pops in a way that means you’ll be making it again and again.
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Bread
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Pizza
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Make a pizza base and delicious passata using leftover basil stalks. An amazing way to use herbs from the garden (or window box) and leftover veg to create some amazing flavour combos.
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Pink pickled onions
TOP 6 DISHES TO COOK TO BUILD YOUR SCRATCH COOKING SKILLS
English pancakes
Minestrone soup