39 beginner cooking tips for kitchen scaredy cats
TRANSCRIPT
39B E G I N N E R C O O K I N G T I P S
for kitchen scaredy cats
r e b o o t e d b o d y . c o m
tip 1
Keep the freezer stocked with organic frozen veggies.If you’ve got frozen veggies on hand, all you need is a protein and
some healthy fat and you’ve got a meal. This goes A LONG way
toward staying consistent.
r e b o o t e d b o d y . c o m
tip 2
You can always add more.But you can’t take ingredients away once they’re in. This is
especially true with salt. So build up a recipe slowly rather
than getting ballsy on the front end.
r e b o o t e d b o d y . c o m
tip 3
Learn spices the easy way.A great way to learn spices is to have a single spice on your eggs in
the morning. One at a time experience the smell and taste of each
spice alone just on your eggs until you have a visceral association
with each one. Then start to combine them. It will enhance your
cooking skills rapidly.
r e b o o t e d b o d y . c o m
Nina Sugamori ninasnichefitlifestyle.blogspot.com
tip 4
Be okay with failing.Sometimes things just don’t workout or go as planned. Throwing
food away sucks, but all great cooks have thrown food away.
Expect to have to do that sometimes and don’t beat yourself up.
r e b o o t e d b o d y . c o m
tip 5
Do NOT cook when hungry.Do not cook when you’re hungry. You will rush things and not
properly season them, Taking your time in the kitchen is critical to a
wonderful outcome.
r e b o o t e d b o d y . c o m
tip 6
Listen to music.Listen to music while cooking it helps relax you and passes the
time. Cooking can be meditative and enjoyable, especially when
you cultivate the right atmosphere.
r e b o o t e d b o d y . c o m
tip 7
Cook in batches!Batch cooking is amazing. Cook up a bunch of easy peasy turkey
meatballs, meatloaf, hard-boiled eggs, asparagus, broccoli and
whatever other meats/veggies you like. Then, have fruit on hand to
grab as well as individual baggies of nuts. Boom — you’re set for
the entire week and don’t have to slave in the kitchen every day.
r e b o o t e d b o d y . c o m
Madelyn Moon moonfitness.net
tip 8
Watch cooking shows on TV.Cooking shows will teach you a few things here and there, but
mainly they’ll get you engaged in the process and motivated to
take action. That’s critical.
r e b o o t e d b o d y . c o m
tip 9
Get a sharp French knife.One of the best things you can get is a quality French knife and
keep it sharpened. This will make cutting all those veggies a
breeze! Dull knives make cooking painful!
r e b o o t e d b o d y . c o m
French Knife
Full knife set
tip 10
Forget about fancy gadgets.Forget about all the gadgets. Just get real tools for real food. The
worst thing when cooking is not having the right pan, the right
knife, or core things like an electric mixer or baking sheet.
r e b o o t e d b o d y . c o m
@heatherjc5
Guy Fieri
Cooking with kids is not just about ingredients, recipes, and cooking. It's
about harnessing imagination, empowerment, and creativity.
tip 11
Don’t improvise!Find a recipe and follow it to the letter. Improvising in the kitchen is
not for beginners! Sometimes it takes a few attempts to get it right,
so don't let mistakes stop you from trying again.
r e b o o t e d b o d y . c o m
@painandlane
tip 12
Save on seasonings.instead of investing a lot of money on individual seasonings, buy
spice blends: Mexican, Italian, Greek, sea food, etc. Just be sure to
check ingredients for fillers and other nasties.
r e b o o t e d b o d y . c o m
tip 13
Prep and organize ahead of time.Prep and organize your produce, meats and groceries as soon as
possible after you come home from the market based on your
menu for the week. This will save you so much time and stress.
r e b o o t e d b o d y . c o m
tip 14
Get an automatic shut off steamerGet an automatic shutoff steamer. All veggies can be steamed in
under 6 minutes. Almost anything can be steamed, really. You can
set it, go workout, and by the time you’re finished showering you
have a healthy homemade meal. Steam On!
r e b o o t e d b o d y . c o m
Auto Shut Off Steamer
tip 15
Make mason jar salads.Make mason jar salads on Sunday for the next 5 days. Dressing in
the bottom of the jar, layer the veggies and meat and put the
lettuce on top. Nothing gets soggy and your lunch requires no
more thought for the week.
r e b o o t e d b o d y . c o m
Mason Jar Salad Instructions
Cindy Morgan
I love spending time with my friends and family. The simplest things in life give me the most pleasure: cooking a
good meal, enjoying my friends.
tip 16
Master two options for each meal time.Find two breakfasts, two lunches, and two dinners that aren’t
complicated and master them. This builds a platform of
confidence to branch out from.
r e b o o t e d b o d y . c o m
tip 17
Get a George Foreman grill.I know it sounds cliche, but it’s so easy to cook chicken and
hamburgers (especially in winter) without worrying about over or
under cooking. And there is practically no mess or cleanup.
r e b o o t e d b o d y . c o m
George Foreman Family Grill
tip 18
Definitely start with a slow cooker!Look for as many crockpot meals or freezer meals as possible. For
the most part, these will allow you to chop up some veggies and
meat and then forget about them while they're cooking, which is
great when you're busy or not confident in your cooking skills.
r e b o o t e d b o d y . c o m
Programmable Slow Cooker
tip 19
Learn the basic cooking terms.Print out a quick guide that tells you what different cooking terms
mean. I avoided cooking meat for so long because I didn't know
what sauté meant!
r e b o o t e d b o d y . c o m
Jump to Cooking Terms
tip 20
Clean up as you go.Clean up as you go. The mess won't be as big and it will give you
something to do in between some of the steps that require a little
time to complete on their own. Cooking will be so much more
enjoyable this way because the clean up won’t be daunting.
r e b o o t e d b o d y . c o m
@officerdad
Guy Fieri
If you're cooking and not making mistakes, you're not playing outside
your safety zone. I don't expect it all to be good. I have fat dogs because I scrap
that stuff out the back door.
tip 21
Get a cast iron pan.Get a cast iron pan (cheap!) and a decent knife. These two tools will
revolutionize your kitchen. Learn to pan sear meat in it. You can
cook salmon, scallops, steak, pork chops, almost anything with a
bit of good salt and cracked pepper and a nice fat in only a few
minutes. Add a salad and you're done. SO easy, and SO good.
r e b o o t e d b o d y . c o m
Lodge Cast Iron Pan
Chrispaleosecret.com
tip 22
Taste as you cook.Get into what you’re cooking. Tease yourself as you go. This is
especially true with sauces. It’ll also let you know if what you’re
making needs more seasoning with herbs or spices.
r e b o o t e d b o d y . c o m
tip 23
Create a beautiful atmosphereInvest in making your kitchen look pretty! It sounds superficial, but
it creates an atmosphere that you’re happy to be in. And that
makes cooking fun!
r e b o o t e d b o d y . c o m
tip 24
Read recipes ahead of time.Use a recipe and read it all the way through before you begin,
Make sure you have all ingredients, the time to do all the steps
(such as allowing time to marinade), and understand all the
instructions (such as "sauté" or “broil”). Don’t shy away if you don’t
understand something. Look it up or ask someone — that’s how
you expand your skill set.
r e b o o t e d b o d y . c o m
tip 25
Defrost meat completely.Defrost your meat completely before baking, frying, grilling, and so
on. If you start cooking with chicken that's still a bit frozen, it's going
to be tough, dry or rubbery.
r e b o o t e d b o d y . c o m
Jennifitzala.com
Wolfgang Puck
For me, cooking is an expression of the land where you are and the culture of
that place.
tip 26
Season with the trinity.The trinity works for a myriad of recipes. Lemon juice, salt and
pepper. What are you waiting for?
r e b o o t e d b o d y . c o m
tip 27
Choose recipes that have common ingredientsChoose recipes with common ingredients and just a few
ingredients. Most people can't discern exotic ingredients. Simple
foods, well cooked, bring big wins.
r e b o o t e d b o d y . c o m
@rhodesdavis
tip 28
Learn to roast veggies.Learn how to roast vegetables. Roasting vegetables in the oven
with a little bit of oil gives them great texture and caramelizes the
natural sugars. It’s a simple way to enhance their flavor. You can
roast any vegetable at 350 degrees until the edges are crispy and
golden. Don't salt them until they're done cooking (salt draws out
water so salting them before cooking can make them soggy),
and play around with artisan salts for different flavors.
r e b o o t e d b o d y . c o m
DianaEatingRichly.com
tip 29
Be fully present.Be fully present in your cooking. Things can go from undercooked,
to cooked, to burned within a matter of minutes, and frustrate you.
This is also an important tip to have a better connection with the
food you’re eating, which creates a healthier relationship with food.
r e b o o t e d b o d y . c o m
tip 30
Practice with eggs. It’s cheap.Learning to cook eggs a variety of different ways gets you in tune
with your pans and tools, heat variations, and so on. And if you
mess anything up, it’s only a few cents down the drain.
r e b o o t e d b o d y . c o m
Gwyneth Paltrow
I really like cooking according to the season. I like to get creative with what's
fresh.
tip 31
Involve your family.Cook with your partner or family members. It's a lot more fun & you
can create/improvise together. If you screw up, you screw up
together. If you succeed, you have someone to high five. And it’s a
new way to connect in a world where connection time is growing
more and more scarce.
r e b o o t e d b o d y . c o m
tip 32
Conquer one cooking medium.It’s best if you learn to cook on just one medium at a time: the
stove, the oven, the grill, or the slow cooker. It gets you in tune with
each medium so you’re not doing it all at once. Once you’ve
mastered one, move on to the next.
r e b o o t e d b o d y . c o m
tip 33
Don’t put food in a cold pan.Let the pan heat up before you start cooking food in it. Sometimes
people rush things and toss the food right in.
r e b o o t e d b o d y . c o m
tip 34
Start with soup.Soup, like a slow cooker recipe, is more free-form. There’s a lot
more wiggle room and lot less focus on specific cooking times.
r e b o o t e d b o d y . c o m
tip 35
Eggs and dairy products should be room temperature.It’s a beginner mistake to cook with eggs or dairy products straight
out of the fridge. Take dairy products out of the refrigerator 30
minutes prior to use.
r e b o o t e d b o d y . c o m
tip 36
Be patient with cooked meat.If you just finished cooking meat, don’t slice into it right away. That
will dry it out. Let cooked meat rest for 5 to 10 minutes before
doing anything to it. If it’s a roast or something of similar size, wait
20 to 25 minutes.
r e b o o t e d b o d y . c o m
tip 37
Pre-chop your veggies.Chop veggies as soon as you buy them and store in separate
containers. Then you won't have to do a bunch of cutting all at
once. Totally worth it.
r e b o o t e d b o d y . c o m
tip 38
4+4 for quick success.I always make 4 kinds of veggies and 4 kinds of meat at once.
During the busy work week, I can just add seasonings and I have a
quick and easy meal.
r e b o o t e d b o d y . c o m
Trainer Kimrebootedbody.com
tip 39
Give veggies some space!When roasting veggies in the oven, it’s important that they have
space. People crowd the pan and it ruins the process. If you roast
less veggies at a time, they’ll be 3-4x as good.
r e b o o t e d b o d y . c o m
Basic Cooking TermsBake: To cook in an oven
Beat: To mix ingredients together using a fast, circular movement with a spoon, fork, whisk or mixer
Blend: To mix ingredients together gently with a spoon, fork, or until combined
Boil: To heat a food so that the liquid gets hot enough for bubbles to rise and break the surface
Broil: To cook under direct heat.
Brown: To cook over medium or high heat until surface of food browns or darkens
Chop: To cut into small pieces
Dice: To cut into small cubes
Drain: To remove all the liquid using a colander, strainer, or by pressing a plate against the food while tilting the container
Grate or Shred: To scrape food against the holes of a grater making thin pieces
Grease: To lightly coat with oil, butter, margarine, or non-stick spray so food does not stick when cooking or baking
Knead: To press, fold and stretch dough until it is smooth and uniform, usually done by pressing with the heels of the hands
Marinate: To soak food in a liquid to tenderize or add flavor to it (the liquid is called a“marinade”)
Mash: To squash food with a fork, spoon, or masher
Mince: To cut into very small pieces, smaller than chopped or diced pieces
Mix: To stir ingredients toether with a spoon, fork, or electric mixer until well combined
Preheat: To turn oven on ahead of time so that it is at the desired temperature when needed (usually takes about 5 to 10 minutes)
Roast: To cook with dry heath, like in an oven.
Sauté: To cook quickly in a little oil, butter, or margarine
Simmer: To cook in liquid over low heat (low boil) so that bubbles just begin to break the surface
Steam: To cook food over steam without putting the food directly in water (usually done with a steamer)
Stir Fry: To quickly cook small pieces of food over high heat while constantly stirring the food until it is crisply tender (usually done with a wok)
R E B O O T E D B O D Y . C O M
reprogram your body and mind for sustainable fat loss, vibrant health, and
peak performance at