Cooking Tips

Cooking is fun and satisfying (and essential).   Having healthy food is easy, however you will find it more enjoyable and easier if you use some of the following tips:

1. Get yourself a really good quality chef’s knife (around 20cm/8in) and learn how to keep it sharp. Buy a small serrated knife as well. These are the only two knives you will ever need.
2. Stock your pantry with lots of lentils, nuts, grains, beans, spices and herbs. Buy in bulk and on special in advance which will not only save you time and money but will encourage you to use these healthy ingredients more often.
3. Fill your freezer with frozen vegetables, berries, pre-cooked beans and previously cooked meals.
4. Always think ahead. Using beans and whole grains is actually easy, but by pre-soaking & cooking your beans and pre-cooking your grains you can make meal times a breeze.
5. Have great flavour enhancers in your fridge like dressings, garlic puree, ginger puree and date puree so you can use at a moments notice.
6. Have an attitude of trying anything new. Step out of your cooking comfort zone. Be prepared for a few mistakes. If you stick to the recipes you will be fine.
7. Start with a clear, clean bench. Ten minutes clearing up before you start will save at least that in time when you are cooking.
8. Find a good produce store where you can buy good fresh vegetables. And find a good bulk store for spices, beans and other dry goods. Usually there is a good Asian and Indian grocery store in most neighbourhoods.
9. When you have cooked a dish make sure you taste it and check for saltiness, sweetness, flavours and texture. Many natural products and vegetables vary so some recipes need a little tweaking.
10. Save up for a good blender (tall, small blade and mixes liquids) and food processer (wide, S blade and can mix solids) which will open up many different techniques for cooking. Make sure you get the best you can. You are better off buying a high quality $800 food processor once in your life that works amazingly, than a $300 low quality one that will need replacing every 5 years. However, in the meantime a good stick blender will be adequate for most recipes and they are relatively inexpensive.