Making Great Homemade Meals For One or Two
Going out to dinner at that fancy restaurant every now and then is nice. Although there comes a time where it takes too much of a toll on your bank account. When the time comes to preparing delicious dinners for only one or two people, and not an entire family, it can be much more difficult to plan your recipes and make dishes which keep you motivated to stay in the kitchen and out of the restaurant.
With the right ingredients, careful planning, and a little bit of creativity, the fact of the matter is that you should always be able to cook gourmet cuisines right from the comfort of your home. In fact, if you are open-minded enough to change up your routine and try new methods, this will be easy. However, if you still need some inspiration and tips for accomplishing this easily, here are some ideas for you to consider.
Tip #1: Scale Your Recipes
Odds are likely that you are already comfortable working with a recipe in your favorite cookbook. Although, this doesn't necessarily mean that you are willing to use them since they often produce portions which are simply too big for you to handle. Crafting a perfect dish for one or two people can be difficult.
The taste of the recipe can be greatly affected by the slightest change in an ingredient or so. This can make it overwhelming to make a recipe when you only want to prepare a meal for one or two people. Start by calculating how big the portion is in a recipe, then divide it down to produce enough for one or two.
For example, if a recipe which produces enough food for 8 people asks for 8 eggs, cut it down to 1 - 2 eggs. Do this for each ingredient. Then, continue crafting your recipe as normal.
Tip #2: Portion & Freeze Semi-Prepared Foods
Have you ever had the time and motivation to cook one night, and then left without either of these things for an extended period of time? You're not alone. For this reason, one thing you might consider doing is to portion and freeze semi-prepared foods. This will give you plenty of time to quickly make a meal after working hard.
Perhaps you have an excellent go-to plate which is made with chicken. You could start by cutting and portioning our your chicken, and then placing it in a marinade for a while. Once it is ready to be grilled, simply instead freeze it and heat it up a week or so down the line.
To do this, get some freezer bags, place the semi-prepared food into the bag, squeeze all of the air out, and then make sure to mark down when it needs to be prepared. For best results, thaw your frozen food overnight so that you can make it quickly.
Tip #3: Take Some Cooking Classes
Nothing beats the taste of the food from a professional chef. We all know this. Especially when the food is something new and unique. French food, for example, is something which is healthy, tasty, and relatively easy to learn. If you are interested in switching things up, perhaps you might be interested in taking some cooking classes in Paris.
Typically, everybody from amateur to professional is still able to learn something new about the art of cookery. Here is an example of what you might learn in a cooking class. In any case, this is a great way to start enjoying your home cuisine a little bit more and to expand our horizons.
When you learn to broaden your horizons and learn new methods, not only will you feel comfortable trying out new types of food, but you will also constantly be excited to go home and craft out some savory cuisine after a hard day's work.
Tip #4: Try New Recipes
Having the same recipe continually will get old. If you do this, it shouldn't be surprising that you would rather go out to eat than enjoy some fresh homemade food. Of course, going out to eat can be rewarding from time to time. However, it is important to learn how to put together a meal for yourself so that you don't have to depend on your favorite local chef when hunger really strikes.
Your taste buds will generally get sick of having the same food over and over. If you enjoy soup, for example, creating a batch of French Onion Soup with the best cheese possible. People who like making hamburgers and fries should instead make a chicken burger, and put some salad on the side.
Tip #5: Add Some Easily-Made Pastries
There are few things that beat the taste of some savory desserts fresh from the oven. Whether it's a nice batch of cookies, delightful pastries, or refreshing ice cream. Since it can become redundant to eat the same old desserts every single night, try some new ones. You might be surprised to see how easily made some of the most exquisite-looking desserts you see in the bakeries or on TV are to make.
Desserts are something which perfects a meal. As a result, careful preparation and knowledge of how they are made is necessary. At least if you want them to come out well. One type of dessert which can be rather esoteric for novice chefs are pastries. From the temperature to bake puff pastry at, the ingredient portions, to the complicated steps.
If you would like to learn more about them, start by learning various recipes and tricks. For example, baking powder is an important part of pastries and should be kept in your pantry.
Final Tip: Ask Friends and Family
We all have that relative who we dream of visiting every now and then to have some homemade supper. It is also common to have budding professional chefs in our circle of friends without knowing it. Sometimes the best advice you can receive is from the people who are closest to you. If you need more advice on quickly making wonderful cuisines from home, perhaps you should ask around.
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