December 01, 2017 by Snupit
If you love to cook, and frequently entertain guests, then these tips can supercharge your skills and convince your visitors that you are a qualified chef. From sourcing your ingredients and selecting them, to their presentation and flavour when you finally present them on the table. These tips are essential must-know and must-try ideas that are used by passionate, classy chefs.
Visit your local farmers market
Local farmers markets are the heart of goodness. They are alive with the hustle and bustle of tradesmen and farmers. The produce here is usually much cheaper and fresher because it comes straight from the farm. Visiting the farmers market also gives you a chance to start building connections, as you frequent the same stalls every week. A community is never a bad thing to be part of, if you need a particularly rare spice, herb, vegetable or any other item, having contacts in the farming industry can help you track it down quickly by word of mouth! So start investing locally and support the farmers close by.
Keep it fresh, choose your season
Only prepare dishes that use ingredients that are in season. Sourcing vegetables or fruits that are imported is going to be a costly endeavour, and the flavour will be dull. Keep with the seasons and choose to prepare dishes that use available ingredients. It will save money, and ensure that your ingredients are fresh and flavourful.
Steam keen
Opt for steaming everything you possibly can, and avoid boiling your food at all costs. Boiling food, especially vegetables, tends to pull the flavour out into the water and leave the veggies soggy and colourless. Steaming retains their freshness, flavour and steaming has been found to leave more nutrients in the food than boiling does. You can buy a special steaming pot, or you can get a stainless steel steamer that fits into the pot and holds the vegetables over the water.
Spice up the salads
Salads are some of the healthiest foods, as we all know. They are full of phytonutrients that our bodies need. You don't need to stick to the boring lettuce and tomato salads. Get creative! Experiment with sweet pepper salad dressing, roasted cashew nuts, mix some couscous into a salad and cut corn off the cob. Other great ideas for salads include avo, bacon, grated carrots, mozzarella cheese and croutons.
Garden of flavours
Relying on herbs from the garden for fresh, aromatic flavours is both cost effective and flavour effective. Fresh herbs hold numerous health benefits, and just state the elegance of the meal without being presumptuous. Thyme on a pizza is a game changer, while fresh rosemary instead of dried rosemary in the oven with baked potatoes will change the way you cook. Make your own basil pesto and garnish every salad with parsley.
If you are looking for professional chef services, have look on Snupit, we have chef services located in your area! If you want to be a chef, look on Snupit for chef schools!