Guy Sinnott’s 8 Rules For Ruling In The Kitchen

A lot of people are put off by cooking. And they shouldn’t be. If you follow some of my simple tips, it will make the whole experience better and will probably improve the quality of the food too.

To ensure you get the best results, always read the recipe multiple times. Like looking left and right when crossing the road to ensure you don’t get squished, keep reading the recipe from the beginning, through to the very end. There might be things you missed and you don’t want to go to all the effort of making and cooking something, just for a tiny mistake to ruin all your fun. But more importantly, following the recipe will help you gain confidence in the kitchen.

When cooking a recipe, things can move quickly. It’s always a good idea to have all the ingredients required ready to go. Before you turn on your pans, you should have everything washed, diced, chopped and on the counter. Think of it as a factory line and try to clean as you go. That way you won’t end up having to do a big wash up when you’re stuffed after dinner.

There are a few pieces of equipment every home cook should have. I suggest you go out and get yourself a chef’s knife, a large stainless steel pan, a non-stick skillet, a pot for pasta cooking, a chopping board, a baking dish, a grater, mixing bowls, a tongs, a whisk and a strainer. You don’t have to spend a fortune. Even this basic equipment can get you almost professional results.

Learn how look for fresh, quality ingredients when in the supermarket. Always inspect fresh produce to check for any spoiling and to ensure freshness. It makes a huge difference to you what you’re making – the quality, the colour, the taste, the texture and the compliments you get from your dinner guests.

It goes without saying that food safety is of the utmost importance. Always, always, always store raw meat, poultry and fish on the bottom shelf of your fridge. Use the middle shelf to store leftovers (in sealed containers) like cheese, eggs and cooked meats. Then on the top shelf, you can keep your fridge-friendly fruits, condiments and ready-to-eat prepared foods like roasted red peppers or sun-dried tomatoes.

As food cooks, it releases moisture. When your pan is too crowded the food will start to steam rather than browning. This affects the food’s texture. So your meat won’t brown properly and your potatoes won’t get as crisp. To avoid all this, try and give your food some space while cooking. Trust me, you’ll be glad you did.

The sheer amount of spices on display in the supermarket can seem daunting at first. However, I recommend just having the old reliables in your cupboard - salt, pepper, chilli flakes, paprika, cumin, cinnamon and cayenne pepper. Not only is this the perfect blend of spices for beginners, theses little heroes have the power to cover almost any recipe.

It sounds obvious but you need to get back on the horse if you fall off at the first hurdle. If you’re trying a new recipe and it doesn’t go as swimmingly as you hoped, stay at it. If you have the time and the ingredients, try it again immediately and see where you went wrong. If you get hangry, leave it for the night but make sure to come back to it the next day and rectify things. Strangely, when you succeed, you’ll feel even better than if you’d nailed it on the first attempt.