Home Cooking Express

Who doesn’t love a good meal? Every single person is a food critic inside; it’s just that few of us make money from it.  There are lots of people I know who detest cooking, a lady I know hasn’t cooked a meal in more than five years.

Cooking can be one of the most relaxing things in the world. Letting oneself go, playing with spices and putting together creations certainly gets the week’s stress out of me. The very first time I cooked was when I was fifteen years old. It was my parents wedding anniversary and I didn’t want them eating the routine fare. So I pulled out a Madhur Jaffrey cookbook and picked out a recipe.

The main course was risotto, mushroom gravy (from Madhur Jaffrey’s book and a few of my own additions) and spicy potato fingers (my own).

I’d seen my mom, grand mom and aunt cook risotto before and it’s very hard to go wrong with it. There are hundreds of varieties of risotto, but this simple one is what I began my cooking with. All this particular variety takes is some mushroom (I really do have a thing for mushroom), tomatoes, capsicum or bell peppers, onions (1 of each), cheese and the main ingredient -rice. Really with all these things going inside one pot, it’s nearly impossible to go wrong.

It’s very simple to go about it and it involves the following steps:

Put a little butter or any cooking medium into a cooker and let it melt. Throw in the onions letting them fry until they’re golden brown and then add the mushrooms. Remember that since mushrooms have very high water content, they release the water when cooking and a whole lot of mushrooms can be reduced to very little. So if you’re cooking for a family of 4, be sure to have at least one and a half packets or 300 grams of mushrooms. Next put in salt, but be careful not to put too much since both cheese and mushrooms contain salt. You can always put in more later. Add the capsicum, rice, tomato and 2 cups of water and put the lid on the cooker. After 3-4 minutes put in the cheese and close the lid. Let another 2 minutes pass before you take it off the flame. If anytime in the cooking process, you feel the rice has gotten dry add some more water so that it won’t stick to the bottom. Take it off the store, and you own risotto is ready to go in less than 15 minutes.

More than five years later risotto remains my favourite and recently when I was over at a friend’s place I cooked it and her family enjoyed it. If you’re a novice this is just the perfect thing with which to begin your love affair with cooking.

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Cooking comes from the heart. Cooking is relaxation and satisfaction and a passion for many around the world. The feeling you get inside when you cook for someone is immense and unmatched to any other feeling.  Cooking involves three main things – the cutting, the preparation and the serving. Cutting broadly refers to gathering all required ingredients and getting them ready, whether washed, chopped of grated. Preparation is the actual cooking of the food. It involves cooking in oil, water, baking, steaming… etc. The final stage is the serving which includes garnishing, serving and added decorations.

There are various styles of cooking known as cuisines. Some of the major ones include Chinese, Thai, Indian, Continental, Mexican, Italian and French. Each cuisine is known for its special flavor which characterizes the prepared dish.

Cooking must always be done in a clean, airy and hygienic environment. But it is more important to always have a smile when you cook. They say that your true emotions show in the way you cook. One must also take care of the health and nutrition angle while they cook. Never overcook a food, or avoid peeling out excess roughage from vegetables and always use fresh ingredients. Food safety is also essential. The chef must always wear suitable dress (an apron and a chef cap) to avoid hair from falling in food. Hygiene as mentioned before is of utmost importance and thus hands/nails must be exceptionally clean. Cutting board, knives and other utensils must be washed well with soap. The diet must be wholesome and must include Fats, Proteins, Carbohydrates, and Liquids in correct amount. Nothing can impress more than a lovely well cooked meal and, but remember a badly cooked food can also be the worst enemy.

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