Not everyone likes to cook. Not everyone even knows how to cook. If you have enough money to eat at restaurants all the time, maybe it’s not a big deal…but most of us don’t have that kind of cash. So here’s a few things that will make even the most kitchen-phobic folks lives a little easier, not to mention saving time and money.
1) How to boil an egg: I didn’t know how to do this until I was a full-fledged adult. I still double-check. But a half-dozen boiled eggs in the fridge make a fast snack when something quick, healthy and filling is needed. A “make-now-eat-later” food, or a quick meal for right now, and they keep for about a week in the fridge.
2) How to chop an onion: While I’m no fan of onions, they sure do go a long way in flavouring even the simplest recipes. By the way, onions make you cry when you inhale the enzymes released by cutting, so breathing through your mouth, not your nose, is more effective than goggles to stop the tears from flowing.
3) How to cook pasta: Times vary between brands and types, so read the box. Gluten-free pasta can be particularly unforgiving. Timing is everything, so check often, or if you’re the forgetful type, set a timer.
4) How to make a basic salad dressing: A bottle from the grocery store, though convenient, costs a lot more than the oil and vinegar from your pantry. If you have oil and vinegar, you have salad dressing. Everyone seems to have a different idea on how to get the best dressing out of these ingredients, but in this case, simple is best. You can even leave out the honey.
5) How to read and follow a recipe: Skills like measuring ingredients or preheating an oven properly are not to be taken for granted. How many grams in a pound? What’s the difference between chopped and diced? How much is a “pinch” of salt? It can be a bit daunting for beginners, but the better you get at following a recipe, the better you will understand food in general. This means improvising will get easier (and tastier) too.
There are other important kitchen skills. What would you include?
Image credits: Crying Girl by Roy Lichtenstein, Salad Dress by Sarah Illenberger, Camp Lee, Virginia… by U.S. Army
Feature Image: The Daily Edge
Lanark County Food Bank - The Hunger Stop 