Many people in this day-in-age love looking online, in cookbooks, and especially on Pinterest for new recipe and cooking ideas, however many of those same people are scared to deviate from the specific ingredients and instructions given. This needs to stop. How do you think those people come up with those ideas, recipes, and instructions in the first place? They got over those original fears and began experimenting.
Simple recipes such as seasonings for other foods (like this elote recipe for corn above) can be a confidence booster. Easy to make and will impress anyone who tries it.
This is the exact same thing that should happen when you are looking for new recipes and cooking on your own. First, you should think about what it is you would like to make and maybe even how you want it to end up looking and tasting. Next you can look online for recipes, ingredients, pictures, and instructions that look close to what you want to make. Lastly, you custom order or personalize the recipe according to what you have, what you want, and what you would like to experiment with.
Here are some tips on how you can gain confidence in your cooking abilities as well as take recipes you find and tweak them to fit your own personal wants and needs:
- Follow then Experiment
First, follow the recipe you have found exactly, that way you gain confidence in your cooking abilities and your ability to read and follow a recipe. After you have done this, and you know for a fact that you can make that particular dish and make it well, experiment. Experiment by taking out and or adding different things, who know you might end up making it better than you could have imagined. An example of this would be the simple recipe for Crepes. Crepes are fairly easy to make, all they require are: flour, eggs, milk, butter, water, and salt. But if you follow along with those simple ingredients every time you will never know the joy and fun it can be to experiment and have that experiment taste good. For instance, did you know that adding cocoa powder and sugar to that crepe recipe make them good enough to eat without any powdered sugar, syrup or any other sweetener.
- Go with what You Know and what You Have
Instead of going shopping for every new recipe you find try and use the things you have and experiment with the spices you do have. If you know how to make something, go with that and find recipes that challenge your knowledge then experiment with that.
- Start Simple
Starting with an extremely complicated recipe and failing to complete it in the way you would like is not a good way to get a boost of confidence in your cooking abilities. Start out simple and with something you are already familiar with. Explore parts of those dishes or recipes you hadn’t thought of before then move on up to something more challenging.
