Home cooking - back to basics

Has your taste buds gone to sleep? Are you bored with the same dull tasting processed food? Do you want to cook but can't? Do you want to learn how to cook and be a whiz in the kitchen? Well I might have the answer to your kitchen cooking and tasting woes.

I would like to introduce to you the joys of home cooking. I first started to cook in my early teens, I would spend a Sunday afternoon in the kitchen baking cakes for the family. Both of my grandmother's were good cooks and I have been lucky enough to inherit that gene. One grandmother cooked the best cheese scones you have ever tasted, we would have them warm with lashing of butter and a cup of tea in the afternoon. My other grandmother made the most exquisite delicate pastry that just melted in the mouth. Fruit pies were always my favorite.

For many years we as consumers have been courted and seduced by fast foods, processed quick and easy meals, pop it in the oven or microwave for so many minutes then ping it's all ready to eat. Only now are we beginning to learn that these foods are not good for us. Too much sugar and salt, too many fats oh we must not forget all the preservatives that are also added. As for the taste, well compared to home cooked food it doesn't even compare.

So why should we go back to home cooked food? As I have already said there are the health and nutritional benefits, there is also the taste issue by cooking with fresh herbs and spices you can bring your taste buds back to life and add zest to your whole eating experience. Yes it is more time consuming to prepare and cook your food however the satisfaction and taste of making it yourself far out weighs the time issue and with a little bit of forward thinking and planning it can still be quick and easy.

One way to save on cooking time is by using a slow cooker to cook one pot dinners. Place all the ingredients in the slow cooker either the night before or early in the morning and when you get home from a busy day at the office all you have to do is dish it up. Why not double up on ingredients when making a one pot meal and then half can be frozen for use at a later date. This practice can be used when making most home prepared and cooked foods. With cooking meat over a long time you can use cheaper cuts of meat and still have a fantastic tasting meal.

The taste of home baked cakes cannot be beaten and I am often left with just crumbs within an hour of me adding the finishing touches to it. There are thousands of cake recipes to choose from, chocolate brownies to a fruit family tray bake. And you can control the sugar content by substituting sugar for a low calorie sweetener.

The great thing about preparing and cooking your own food is that you know exactly what is going in. If your are health conscious, or have a health condition that can be affected by what you eat then there are lots of recipes available on the web. You can also control where your food actually comes from by home cooking.

One of the main things I would recommend when you are home cooking is a well stocked store cupboard. This is something my mother always taught me. Having a well stocked store cupboard means you are always able to produce a meal, even at short notice if you have unexpected guests. If you are on a budget, and who isn't these days, then home cooking will enable you to stick to that budget, you may even save money by home cooking which you can then spend on luxuries that are otherwise denied to you through lack of funding.

At the beginning of this article I said I had the answer to your cooking and tasting woes, some of you may be thinking okay how are you going to help me accomplish all this as I am not very good in the kitchen, or you are afraid to try new things, or even your one of many who say they can't cook. Well the answer to that is I am going to show you through my online cooking class. It costs nothing apart from your time and patience. There is no filling out any details or giving any personal information. With just a few clicks you can be on your way to becoming a great cook. You can start or stop at anytime but the most important thing of all is to enjoy it. Even if you are a great cook but want some new recipe ideas then why not join in the fun.

How do we join in the fun I hear you cry! Well that's the really hard part, you need to click on the link listed below which will take you to your much anticipated online cooking class. I hope some of you will join me and I look forward to meeting you there.

18th April 2012

Just a quick update we are now moving on to week 5, so what are you waiting for! GET COOKING!!!!!

(The Image is from my own collection)