How to be a Good Cook
Key points to keep in your mind while cooking:
- Be interested in cooking
- Use foods when they are in season and at their best and cheapest
- Prepare ovens pans tins and utensils before mixing ingredients
- Measure accurately
- Get all consistencies right
- Follow basic recipes exactly and then add variations
- Understand your cooker
- Season and flavor everything you cook
- Taste it before serving
- See that it is right in flavor color and consistency
- Serve hot dishes hot and cold dishes cold
- Serve attractively
- Experiment
- Keep a record of exactly how you cook a new dish temperature time etc. so that you can repeat it exactly if it is a success and vary it if it needs improvement
- It is better to cook a few dishes really well than many dishes badly
- Repeat your successes with variations
- Simple dishes well-cooked perfectly flavored and colored and properly served make perfect meals for even the greatest occasions
- When you have guests to dinner make simple menus with dishes you know will be a success
- Choose dishes which can be largely prepared beforehand and are quickly and easily dished casseroles are most useful on these occasions
- Avoid those which require sauces and dressing to be made at the last moment
- Let the courses vary in color and general character
- One hot another cold
- One soft another crisp etc.
- One in individual dishes another served from large dishes
- One of blended browns and greens another yellow and cream or with red predominating
- Picture the meal in your eyes and in your mouth as you plan it and let it be pleasing on the plate and the palate
