How to cook with confidence and make meals your own
Something that I’ve been thinking about a lot over the last day or so is that, with lockdown back in place, many of us will be cooking every day again for the first time in months, if ever. While looking for recipe inspiration on recipes.co.nz you may run into recipes that call for things like crème fraiche, preserved lemons, or radicchio. Maybe you don’t have those ingredients. Maybe that freaks you out.
It shouldn’t, though the emotion is understandable. At this time we’re all looking for a little comfort and for ways to keep life as normal as possible. We’re all looking for the delicious, and recipes are a good way to find it. But the idea that you’re beholden to your ingredients list and follow a recipe to the exact word is bunk and always has been.
As someone who promotes recipes for a living, I can say without hesitation that unless you’re working a restaurant line, you should treat recipes like you do sheet music. They’re guides - you can play them in all sorts of ways. It’s your kitchen, do what you want with it!
You may not cook often but have confidence in yourself. Use you’re brain - you’ve got this. Can’t find a radicchio? It’s a bitter green, you can swap it out for kale, rocket, or watercress. It’ll still taste delicious. Missing preserved lemons? Mix lemon zest with a little salt. Or sauté a few thin slices of lemon in olive oil with a spray of salt. No lemon at all? Look for a lime or try a splash of orange juice. Don’t have crème fraîche? Most of us won’t have it stocked either. It’s just a fancy sour cream. Yoghurt will work just as well. Sure, these ingredients all taste different, but they act the same.
Above all, take a deep breath and try not to worry yourself sick about making the correct substitutions. Instead, think generally and taste as you go. That’s the whole point! Kitchens are a place of experimentation, for trial and error, for having fun and making a mess. Just remember: acids swap for acids. Sweets for sweets. Fire for fire. Texture for texture. The results of substituting ingredients can be magical, and they make the recipe your own.
If there’s a silver-lining to any of this it’s that we now have a few more days (hopefully that’s all it is) to treat cooking as what it should be - something nourishing and enriching, something that you should take your time with and enjoy. Get the kids involved, I can promise you that they’ll eat it if they make it. Try some new recipes, try a new technique. Swap ideas with your friends online. Make the most of the time you have.
Speaking of recipes! Here are a whole host of easy ones to try out while you’re in lockdown. Here are a few quick recipes that’ll be on the table in under 30 minutes. Maybe you’re missing takeaways? Cook them at home! Here’s some family-friendly recipes to cook with the kids and some advice for getting kids in the kitchen. If you’re a little worried about your health and what you’re eating, here’s a great place to look for some nutrition tips and advice. Looking for inspiration? Here are a few shows to watch to channel your inner-chef. And here are a few songs to sing along to while you’re doing it.
Last thing - guys, please be kind and considerate to each other. Don’t panic buy out there. It’s unnecessary and only exacerbates the problem.
Make the most of the time you have and school yourself up with these kitchen tips and tricks: