The Teacher's Wife

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My Top 5 Basic Kitchen Skill How-To’s

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If you’ve read here long, you know by now that I am not known for my cooking skills.  I do it out of necessity (it’s one of the best ways to stay within your budget) and because I know it’s healthier for us, but I am not a natural in the kitchen.

I rarely helped my mom with meal prep when I was growing up, so my skills were pretty pitiful when I got married and moved out.  I could at least boil water, but it was still pretty bad.  (Mom, I don’t blame you in the least!  It’s my own fault for not taking initiative.)  

Even though I still have a long way to go, I’ve made some progress in the past 11 years (it’s crazy to think I’ve been married and out on my own for that long) and I can slowly see some confidence building in the kitchen.  Thank you, internet!

With that in mind, I thought it would be fun to post my top 5 basic kitchen skills with my favorite how-to posts.  You can follow my Cooking 101 Pinterest board for all my basic cooking skill finds because I need all the help I can get!

DSC_0073
I distinctly remember looking this one up on the internet after years of frustration.  I eventually purchased a Pampered Chef food chopper which helped when I needed to chop an onion, but I got tired of having to wash it all the time and decided to learn the proper way to chop an onion (the chopper worked great but cleaning one knife is faster!).  Thank goodness for the Pioneer Woman website and her amazing cookbooks!  So far, I have The Pioneer Woman Cooks:  Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl* and The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Food From My Frontier* and I LOVE them both!


2.  How to dice a tomato 
I’m still not completely sure which method I prefer, but I tend to use method #1 the most.  We like tacos in our house, so this skill was really important to learn.  I’ve also learned that half the battle with dicing tomatoes is making sure your knife is really sharp.  A good quality knife goes a long way, in my opinion (I love my Pampered Chef knives).
How to Boil the Perfect Egg!! Just in time for Easter!! { lilluna.com }
I’ve started hard-boiling eggs more recently to add a little something extra to a basic dinner salad and I once again resorted to the internet.  This tutorial works perfectly every time!  Since I don’t typically eat many hard-boiled eggs by themselves, I used it just the other day when I made up some egg salad to use for sandwiches.   
KnifeSkills1
Once I purchased my set of Pampered Chef knives, I was pretty clueless on how to actually use them properly.  I still have a long way to go when it comes to knife and chopping skills, but my uncle showed me this method at one of our holiday gatherings.  I’m still fairly slow with chopping, but this has helped a ton with fatigue.  Maybe in 10 years, I’ll be able to chop as fast as Rachael Ray.
img_8446       I honestly didn’t knead dough until I started making homemade pizzas a few years ago or the very rare times I would attempt fresh rolls or breads.  I still think this skill takes a while to master, but this has been helpful in getting myself started in the right direction.  I need to bake breads more often so I can practice this more.  Is there anything better than freshly baked bread?  It’s like manna from heaven!

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What are some of your top kitchen skills for a newbie?



Linking up with:
Cindy for Made By You Monday
Sarah for Homemade Monday
Kristi for Inspiration Monday
Emily for Create Link Inspire
Kathy for Titus 2 Tuesday
Leslie for Twirl & Take a Bow Party
Kelly for Whimsy Wednesday
Karly for What’s Cookin Wednesday
Ruth for Thrifty Thursday
Carrie for Think Tank Thursday
Allison for Handmade Hangout Party
Wendy for Frugal Friday
Cheryl for I’m Lovin It
Jerri for Friday Favorites Linky Party
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Comments

  1. Carol says

    These are all some great tips, Sarah! Being the mom of a professional chef, I have picked up some skills along the way. I think your methods are "spot-on!"

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