French Cuisine for the Everyday Cook: 4 Ways to Simplify the Complex

When it comes to getting involved in the kitchen, the first cuisine that novice cooks think of is French. Whether it’s presentation or preparation, it always seems our European foodies always do it elegantly. If you love to cook and are looking for a slightly more exciting menu, French cuisine may be just what you need. Don’t let this distinguished food culture with the tricky naughty titles put you off. You can have a fabulous culinary experience and this is how.

• Invest in some good tools

  While you don’t need to stock your kitchen with tons of expensive equipment. There are few quality standard tools that can really improve your chances of success. First of all, invest in the good taste of a good chef. A quality knife will slice, dice, carve, mince, and dice anything you need to prepare a meal. You can also invest in a smaller paring knife for peeling or cutting small, delicate vegetables or other ingredients. Other tools you should consider investing in include utensils like a wooden spoon and whisk, as well as a garlic press, cheese grater, and pepper mill. For those of you who really want to invest in quality kitchen equipment, nothing can really replace an electric mixer and mixing bowls.

• Use quality ingredients

  When it comes to food preparation, the end product is only as good as the ingredients you put into it. If you cook with sub-par or barely fresh vegetables and meats, the flavor will come to tell that story. The same goes for extremely cheap spices and oils. It’s not necessary to spend hundreds of dollars on just the best, but it’s a good idea to invest a few extra dollars on higher-quality products like olive oil, garlic, cooking wines, and produce. If you wouldn’t eat or drink it, you shouldn’t cook with it.

• find out

  To successfully execute French cuisine, it is essential that you have a basic understanding of its techniques, principles, methods, and ingredients. Grab some cookbooks or look online to find the basics of French cooking. Do some reading and find out what ingredient combinations pop up frequently, what kinds of cooking methods are used most often, and what that means for your dining experience.

• Experiment

  When it comes to perfecting anything, practice and experimentation are the key. Taste your food as it cooks so you can decide if it needs more or less of something. Cooking frequently and testing it as you cook is a great way to tailor recipes to your specific taste. In French cooking, frequent experimentation and practice are essential to obtain a quality final product. Experimentation is also vital in establishing your own cooking style. Changes you make to the recipes you use will result in different variations of the same dish, and sometimes even the creation of a new dish. Eventually, over time, you will establish a style of cooking that is unique to you. If you can improve.