I have been blogging for 3 years now and I like it more each day. Food photography is the easy part on the blog. The difficult part is the cooking, because as I always said, I am just at the begging of cooking life. I am happy that I still have my fingers and I am getting better every day. Here are some things that I learned in the kitchen that can hopefully help you in your own home cooking.
- Failure is an option. Learn from your failure and move on. You can write in a notebook about failure or success. It will help you not to make the same mistake again.
- Don’t compare yourself with anyone, but you. You are the only chef in your kitchen and you need to get better every day.
- You always have to work clean. That’s how you stay organized.
- If your knives are sharp, you look sharp. It’s as simple as that.
- Practice, practice, practice. You will get better with lots of practice.
- Patience in the kitchen. Some things simply need time to cook, and pushing the ingredients around in the pan isn’t going to help.
- Improvise. Creativity is around the corner, or next to the knives. If you don’t have an ingredient from your recipe, try adding something else. Just stay close to the recipe. Recipes aren’t perfect. It’s important that you make something you’re happy with and excited to eat!
- If someone says something negative about your cooking, try not to take it personally. If it’s some good advice on what to do next time, treat it like a free cooking lesson learned that will help you make tastier food. If they’re saying something just plain mean, well, ignore it and keep on cooking!
- Ask for help. If you are stuck, or you don’t know about something call a friend you know cooks better that you, ask your mom or mother in law (they have so much experience), check on the internet.
With these new ideas in hand, I implore you to jump into your kitchen and start cooking. Not sure where to start? Any recipe will do. Have fun!
Agree with all of the above! The act of cooking is in itself so satisfying even if I don’t get the perfect picture or outcome!
I completely agree!!! Great tips, and I’d have to say #7 is my favorite!
What a wonderful post, it really got me in a good mood!! 😀
I am, unfortunately, probably one of the most picky persons in the world when it comes to food, so I don’t cook much, but I love it when I succeed. Thanks for your great advice, I’ll take it with me!
Keep up the good work! 🙂 🙂
Thank you and you are welcome
Good job!
Thank you
you are welcome!:)
couldn’t agree more, 5 and 6 helped me get so much better.
Love this! I have only been blogging for 3 months, but I am loving it too. Lots of lessons learned, thanks for your tidbit and thoughts!
You are welcome
I like number 6. Learned that no patience = macaron fails.
Try again
Your completly right, and don’t forget, all you do in kitchen, you must do it with love, and you will taste the difference.
So true
Great tips! Your photography is amazing!
Thank you
Great post! I totally agree with what you are saying. I have been cooking for 40 years now and I am still learning. That is the beauty of being creative in the kitchen and being creative with recipes and improvising. Sometimes a mistake can become a favourite recipe. Thank you for sharing such an inspirational post.
You are welcome
Wonderful tips for life! Just take out the words chef, recipe, kitchen, and cooking and insert the word for whatever challenging task is at hand. 🙂
Thank you
Isn’t that funny … I find the photography part the hardest!
You will get better as I would get better at cooking
Great tips! I love cooking and am not afraid, but this is great advice for anyone who is afraid. I second everything said above – do not be intimidated! The worst thing that can happen is you burn the house down or cut or burn yourself, but it way more likely you will break a plate or burn the potatoes. Cooking is and should be fun 🙂
Is fun all the time if you like it
Love it! Thank you!
You are welcome
Wow, I love the deep dark colours in the photo- really, really beautiful. Also, love the tip about sharp knives…very crucial!
Thank you
Good advice, keep up the good work!
Thank you
Great post and excellent points. Failures or ‘not quite there yets’ are a vital part of learning. Love that wooden risotto spoon!
Thank you
Enjoyed your post, especially the line – you are the only cook in your kitchen!
Thank you
Very good comments and quite right. I have loved cooking since I was a child and what is exciting now is the availability of wonderful different foods and the range of ingredients. Cooking has never been so exciting. Long gone is the meat and two veg of my youth.
Thank you
Baking is much safer than cooking! I love your photo, the photography is the hard bit for me!
Thank you
Your cooking looks amazing to me. And really, I think many of us cook because it is the process- the washing, peeling, mixing, blending, cooking which brings comfort
Thank you
I think you do an amazing job!
Great post! Very positive and practical! Thank you!
You are welcome
Practice makes perfect. Just do it!
Yes – these are all amazing and oh-so-true tips. I struggle with #2 – it’s a constant reminder to myself to just “do me” and focus on my growth. You are so lucky you can say the photography is the easy part – it’s still a big struggle but practice will hopefully make it easier.
It will get easy with practice
Not just tips for cooking but also for living. Best regards.
Great post! Its kind of the opposite for me… I’m an OK cook but my photos are never up to par, so most of the time I don’t post things because I’m not happy with the photos! Thanks for the follow and happy to follow back 🙂
You are welcome
What a lovely and inspirational post.
Thank you
I like your list! Funny but I find cooking the easy part and the photography the really hard part. I have to try 10 different angles, 14 props, and 3 different surfaces until I get it right. Maybe a list of photography tips for those of us who are not as skilled?? -Kat
Check my blog. I have advices for everyone.
Wonderful advice. It might even prompt those who claim they “can’t cook” to give it a try. Experimenting with food is fun!
Too much fun, sometimes 😄
Awesome kitchen (and living) advice.
Thank you
Great tips! I think the one about failure is something we most often like to pretend is not real, but it’s true. Everyone can fail and that’s okay.
Thank you
What a great post. Thanks for stopping by my blog.
Thank you
Great post! Very inspiring to me!
Thank you
Absolutely true!
Wow, absolutely love number two!
Love this! Such good reminders for those of us who are trying to become better cooks.
Thank you
Gosh! I love your blog, so fresh!
Thank you
Great hints, even for other life issues! Kisses from Italy, Mirna
Thank you
I agree with you 100%
Concur on all counts.
Love this!
Thank you
I am a complete beginner to blogging, but have been cooking in the kitchen for a while now. I agree with all of the above, and feel strongly that most of those points of wisdom can be applied to raising a child as well!
So true
Oh so true!
what a great post!!!! love it
Thank you
I especially like ##1, 3 and 7. I am one slow cook, though, because I clean as I go.
That’s very helpful advice.
Thank you