Cooking 101: Some Basics for the Kitchen

Pre-heat everything! This goes for your oven, tea pots, frying pans and even your microwave! I do find microwave preheating -- done by microwaving a mug of water for 30-60 seconds prior to nuking your food... which changes its protein consistency!!!! -- a bit excessive, but it's recommended by cooks, nonetheless. Your pan is pre-heated when you can drizzle a few drops of water on the metal, and they dance and roll around the pan. If they crack, explode or react violently, your pan's too hot! Invest in a garlic smasher! These bad boys let you squeeze the hell out of your garlic, and I promise you that you will immediately smell and taste a difference in your food. That is, of course, unless you can't smell... or taste. If you don't have a garlic smasher, and don't want to invest in one, you can still cook like a pro by peeling your garlic, and smashing it with the flat end of your kitchen knife. Lay the knife on top of the garlic and press down. That should do it. From there, I chop the garlic a bit, but nothing says "No!" to vampire loving like garlic fed through a garlic smasher!!! You don't have to measure everything! Cooking is to taste. Baking? You better follow the directions... Invest in a good knife/cutting board/pan/etc., because if you're anything like me, you spend a good amount of time in the kitchen. The more enjoyable an activity is -- such as, cutting veggies and creating healthy sauces -- the more likely I am to engage in it, so I'm sure to be comfortable and well-equipped in the kitchen. Plus, my apron's kinda fly. Be creative! Some of my very favorite dishes have been born out of curiosity. A few spoons of this, a couple shakes of that, some of that minced up and voila, we have a dinner that I can't replicate -- because I have no idea what the hell I put in there -- but that's sure to knock a few socks off in the process. Try experimenting with peanut butter, vinegar, sugar, etc.