Building confidence in the kitchen

Building confidence in the Kitchen by keeping cooking simple!
Cooking is not a science I will never understand why it was called domestic science at school and neither is it an art, it is a basic skill needed to survive.  I was never artistic or scientific at school and I hated domestic science as it was far too regimented and prescribed. The only skills you need to be able to cook is taste and smell.
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When first starting to cook ‘keep it simple’.  For years food was cooked in one pot and it still can be.  I make some great meals using just one saucepan it also creates less washing up.
I look to recipes for guidance but remember everyone’s taste is difference and so is their oven.  Which is why timing and heat is for guidance only! If you know your oven takes longer to heat up, wait until it is fully hot before place your pie or cake in, otherwise it might still be undercooked even though you have had it in for the time specified.

Some very easy recipes I encourage first time cooks to try is soup, bread and jam. 

Soup can be made from leftovers or vegetables that have been reduced because they have reached their sell by date.  If you don’t fancy peeling them yourself, seek out the ones ready prepared.  You will always need a potato or two to help thicken the soup but otherwise it is as simple as putting a load of vegetables in a big saucepan, covering them with water and adding a couple of stock cubes.  Once all the vegetables are soft all the way through, blend with a hand held blender and add some cream or a spot of milk to help create a smooth texture. ​

Bread is easy to make but only if you have access to a bread maker.  Buy the readymade bread mixture, following the instructions which usually involve adding some water to the mixture in the bread maker.  Put the setting to ‘dough only’ this takes about an hour and half but you can leave it longer if you need to go out as it will just continue to rise.  Put the dough in a greased bread tin and place in the oven at 180 degrees for about half an hour or until golden brown.  Let the bread cool before removing it from the tin.  It is very simple to make but tastes delicious, is cheaper than bought bread and doesn’t leave you with that horrible bloated feeling afterwards.

Jam made using jam sugar again is very simple and quick to make. Buy the Jam sugar, then boil with the fruit for 4 minutes.  It is as simple as that!  If you have no fresh fruit buy some frozen fruit and use that instead.  It is usually quite cheap. You can use any fruit you like, I tend to use mixed fruit bags with raspberries, strawberries, black berries etc.  In the summer months I get the fruit from the garden or go around the hedge rows and pick it from there (when I have time).  I also make the jam and give it to my son’s teachers at Christmas and the end of term.

There is nothing quite as nice has eating homemade soup with homemade bread or homemade bread and jam.  They really are meals to relish, cheap to make and good for you!