4 tips to turn any everyday meal into a star-worthy feast
Every Monday we eat potatoes, meat and vegetables. And macaroni on Tuesday. Minced meat on Wednesday, mashed potatoes on Thursday and fish on Friday. Boring! But with these tips, you can turn even the most everyday meal into something special. They come from Escoffier, the famous French culinary school named after the great chef Escoffier, so they must be good.
Tip 1: learn how to cut
Are you still struggling with one of those small potato-peeling knives? And do you have no idea what brunoise or julienne actually is? Do yourself a big favour and practise your cutting techniques. If you have good knives, a decent chopping board and know how to cut vegetables neatly and evenly, your plate of food will always look good, everything will cook evenly (no more hard chunks of onion while other pieces of onion are black and burnt) and, as a bonus: after a while, cutting well becomes much faster with practice.
Tip 2: keep stock on hand
Make sure you always have some tasty stock on hand. A stock cube is fine, but homemade stock is even tastier. Keep it in the freezer so you can take it out when you need it. You can then make risotto with your own superb stock, and if you want to glaze carrots (Google it) or make a little gravy after frying meatballs, you won’t have to search for anything. And making stock is super easy, honestly.
Tip 3: spice it up
Don’t be so timid with salt and pepper, and have a rummage through that container where you keep all your herbs and spices. A tasty meal is well seasoned. Use fresh herbs such as rosemary and parsley, season the food while you’re cooking—not afterwards—and taste, taste, taste. And if you really don’t know what to do anymore? A little vinegar or a squeeze of lemon juice; we’ve said it before.
Tip 4: serve food in serving dishes
You can put the pans on the table, add a serving spoon and be done. But you do have a dishwasher, so why not spoon the food into serving dishes? Sprinkle some green herbs over the potatoes, grate a little nutmeg over the green beans, grind fresh pepper over the meat: wow, it immediately looks amazing.
Also read:
- Plates by Russian amateur cooks: pure enjoyment
- 5 plating styles that are no longer acceptable
- Eddie’s dining annoyances: when nobody tells you there’s something stuck between your teeth
Source: Escoffier.edu
