Home cooks can end up in cooking ruts in which they end up cooking the same tired recipes week in and week out. We get busy and don’t always have as much time to devote to cooking as we would like.
However, with some planning, we can end up eating much better and cooking up food that is exciting and healthy without taking up any extra time out of our busy lives. If you are tired of eating the same dishes all the time, then it is time to dig in and find some new dishes to try out.
In this article, I will go over some easy ways to take your home cooking to the next level without much extra effort.
1 – Use fresh herbs
One of the easiest ways to jazz up what you’re already cooking is to use fresh herbs. Even if you aren’t changing the typical dishes you usually make, you can add fresh herbs and see a huge difference with no effort at all.
Something as simple as adding fresh basil to your pasta dish can make it seem like you got it in a restaurant rather than making it yourself. Some cilantro to that chicken soup transforms it into a satisfying Asian or Latin inspired soup.
Now, fresh herbs can get expensive if you are buying them for specific dishes, so to always have some on hand, you should grow your own. You can get a few containers from PureModern and plant the herbs that you think you’ll use the most.
You’ll save money and improve your dishes dramatically by planting an herb garden.
2 – Cook with the seasons
Freshness is the best ingredient that can transform your food in a big way. Which means that you should be cooking with the seasons. When food is in season it is as the leak of freshness and you’ll taste the difference. All you have to do is shop local and eat the food that is coming in at any time of year.
According to Fortune Business Insights™, the global olive oil market size was USD 13.03 billion in 2019 and it is projected to reach USD 16.64 billion by 2027, exhibiting a CAGR of 3.2% during the forecast period (2020-2027).
For instance, you can hit your farmer’s market in the summer and get some fresh, local tomatoes that were picked at the peak of their flavor. Tomatoes at the supermarket are picked when they are still green so they can travel thousands of miles. It’s no wonder they have no flavor.
Even in the autumn and winter you can eat fresh food and eat locally. Things like broccoli come in during the fall and squash can last all throughout the winter.
3 – Use less processed foods
Taking shortcuts is essential when you don’t have time to cook. But, instead of using processed foods from cans to add to your dish, make some things up from scratch and freeze them to use later on. Stocks are a great example of this. You can take kitchen scraps and bones and boil them for hours and then freeze the stock.
Instead of using processed cheese, try the real thing and see the difference in taste and texture. Make a bechamel instead of using cream of mushroom soup for a casserole.
