Let's learn to cook

Would you like to become a master chef but don't know where to start? Don't worry: cooking is an art, but everyone can learn, starting with the simplest and most basic preparations, and then, with practice and experience, getting to complex and elaborate dishes. Continue reading this article, where you can find some tips and tricks that could help you in the endeavor.

How to get started

The Carlo Cracco, before becoming one of the best chefs in Italy, started from the bottom, learning to prepare simple dishes such as salad, pasta with tomato sauce or marinated egg, which is now known as one of his most famous warhorses. To be able to create delicious recipes, therefore, it is necessary to experiment with the most essential and quick ones, starting to find fresh and good raw materials, avoiding shopping at discount stores.In fact, the basis of a good dish is the ingredients: not all tomato sauces are the same, as are fruit and vegetables, which should preferably be chosen in season and not imported. Buy different types of pasta, rice, vacuum-packed foods, extra virgin olive oil and some of the most used spices in the Italian culinary tradition, such as black pepper, rosemary, sage, bay leaves, parsley and basil.

Useful accessories

To start cooking properly you will need a good set of pots and pans of different sizes: these are essential accessories, since each dish requires containers of specific sizes to be able to cook accurately. On the site Cooking today you will be able to find some reviews regarding these very items, to help consumers purchase the most valid ones and suitable for every budget.A scale is also necessary, so that you can weigh all the ingredients of a cake or simply the dough before putting it to boil. It is better to equip yourself with tongs, spatulas, a pair of whisks, some wooden spoons and ladles, essential for stirring and mixing liquid and solid foods.We recommend a nice set of professional knives: each blade is specific for a type of food, so don't expect to get by with just one. Finally, bowls of different sizes and baking dishes, which will be useful for certain cooking methods.

Recipes

Starting with a carbonara is not the best choice, especially if you want to become a great expert but you barely know the difference between Grana Padano and Parmigiano Reggiano. Better to opt for simpler dishes, such as pasta with sauce or cold dishes, for example a caprese salad or some appetizers.As you gain experience, you can add more sophisticated ingredients and try more particular cooking methods: buying some cookbooks could be a good idea, since you can learn all the procedures that characterize the culinary tradition, different for each region.Another tip: the first few times it is better not to invent to avoid poisoning someone, rather it is preferable to follow an online recipe or a video tutorial, which carefully explains all the various steps.

The cooking

Meat, fish, pasta, sauces and any other dish must be prepared differently based on what the recipe requires. Stewing and boiling are not the same, as are frying and sautéing.Roasting should be done in the oven, while steaming is a particular process that has a very ancient origin and serves to maintain the beneficial properties of food unaltered. The grill can be done on a cast iron plate, a soapstone or directly in the barbecue with wood or charcoal. Blanching, a term generally used for vegetables, serves to soften the outer part and lasts only a few minutes, “jumping” is done in a pan over high heat, moving the container with the handle so that the heat is uniform. Finally, stewing occurs after browning and requires the addition of a liquid, which can be broth, a sauce or pasta cooking water.

Courses

If you can't improve on your own despite video tutorials and books but your desire to learn to cook is very strong, a good idea is to enroll in a professional course. In many cities in Italy there are real cooking schools, where you can follow practical and theoretical lessons inside laboratories where you will have all the accessories and space you need. In addition, you will be accompanied step by step by a competent person, who can guide you along your entire path correcting any of your mistakes and helping you in the most difficult moments.However, these courses can cost over 1.000 euros and are generally attended by apprentice chefs who are already accustomed to the environment. For this reason, we suggest you take a look at the online ones, which are cheaper and also suitable for the less experienced.