Culinary Mistakes: a letter to past me...

I am no expert at cooking. I once burnt a jacket potato so much in the microwave that it shrivelled to the size of a golf ball. I continually burn frozen pizzas by putting the temperature too high. I am, in every sense, an absolute nightmare in the kitchen. However, aside from a few of these disastrous occurrences, I do manage to keep myself alive and (somewhat) well. Here are some of the things I’ve learnt along the way! 

One thing that I don’t think is ever worth it is prioritising health, over taste. Obviously, it’s great to keep a balanced diet and to make sure you’re actually nourishing your body but doing this doesn’t mean your food has to taste bad. Tasty food isn’t a reward, its actually the bare minimum to enjoy the things you eat! You should never sacrifice enjoying your food - just don’t forget to eat something green every once in a while.

Another mistake I have made previously is not tasting my food as I cook it. I’m not sure why I never did this before, but it’s really useful for telling you what balance of spices you need in a meal and adjusting recipes to your personal preferences. I’ve recently been making a chickpea and lentil curry, and the flavour has improved so much since I’ve started tasting it as I go!

Finally, perhaps the most obvious lesson I have learnt, is to just try new things! This is more of a culinary regret, than a mistake. It’s so easy to get bogged down with loads of work, and not have the energy to try that new recipe you saved the other day, but your future self will always thank you for making the effort to mix up your palette a bit. Be as adventurous with your meals as you’d like to be in your life, price permitting of course!