How To Improve Your Cooking Skills And Make MasterChef-Worthy Dishes

Since most of us are stuck at home indefinitely, it’s time to level up those cooking skills and make MasterChef-worthy dishes that will win your house over. Follow this guide on investing in the most essential kitchen equipment, recipe books or getting the help of meal plan services to give you just the boost you need.

If you haven’t started watching MasterChef Australia 2020 just yet, we suggest getting on the bandwagon and catching up ASAP. It’ll give you the inspiration to work on making your home kitchen a haven for cooking up a storm (and even replicate meals produced on the show).

Here’s our guide to get you cooking like a pro in no time.

Invest in the right kitchen equipment essentials

There’s no point wasting your hard-earned money on kitchen equipment that won’t lost long.

We have just the list of things to get you started.

There’s nothing more important than a basic cookware set: The Ovela 5-Piece BlackStone Non-Stick Induction Cookware Set available at Kogan is a great one to add to your basket, as it offers stone-coated interiors that are scratch-proof and perfect for non-stick cooking, has superior heat distribution and high thermal conductivity and is suitable for cooking with a gas, electric or induction cooktop. Best bit: it costs only $59.99, which is a steal.

Visit the Kogan website to buy this cookware set today.

You can’t cook without a solid set of kitchen utensils: The TuffSteel 20-Piece Kitchen Utensil Set from Catch is the best gift you’ll give yourself. It includes a serving spoon, slotted spoon, ladle, peeler, grater, a set of measuring cups and so much more — all for the discounted price of $29.95.

Visit the Catch website before the offer ends.

There’s nothing better than a pressure cooker: The one kitchen investment you’ll be bragging to friends about for years to come is the beloved pressure cooker. It produces big flavour in less time and you can get super creative with the dishes you make in it.

The Crock-Pot Express Multi-Cooker (CPE200) from Kogan is an affordable option at $119. Instead of just pressure cooking your food, you can also slow cook, steam or saute it. So many wins all around. Additionally, there’s an airtight locking lid which stays locked until pressure is released and it is also dishwasher friendly.

Visit the Kogan website to buy it.

Don’t screw up your meal with an under-cooked chicken or well-done steak: To get the temperature just right of the meat you’re cooking, it’s always advisable to have a meat thermometer, especially if you’re not a pro just yet. The Weber thermometer from the Good Guys gives an instant digital read which is super useful when you’re cooking under pressure.

Visit the Good Guys’ website to purchase it . This way you can avoid cutting into your precious meat ahead of time.

Who doesn’t need a solid knife set: The Ovela 17-piece knife set from Kogan is another great addition to your list of essentials because absolutely no one has the patience for a blunt knife or a knife that doesn’t do the job right. This is a comprehensive set that will meet all your food-cutting needs and best of all, it’s available at a big discount. Its original price was $169.99 but you can get it for just $69.99 if you hurry as it’s selling out fast.

Visit the Kogan website to buy it.

Uplift your meals with the help of these cookbooks

Forget hunting for recipes online and invest in cookbooks with some outstanding recipes that you’ll want to keep close to you for years to come. These bestsellers from Booktopia will leave you highly satisfied. Here are a few to get you started:

• Ottolenghi SIMPLE: 130 brilliantly simple, brand-new recipes from the bestselling author of Plenty, Plenty More, Jerusalem and Ottolenghi: The Cookbook. It’s available right now for $37.74 (24% off).
• Community: Salad Recipes From Arthur Street Kitchen: This cookbook offers endless ideas for delicious salad recipes that give vegetables, legumes, herbs and nuts their moment to shine.
• Basics to Brilliance: Donna Hay believes mastering the basics is how you build confidence. In this book, she shares all her favourite, tried and true recipes which include the perfect tender steak, golden roast chicken, crispy pork belly, her nan’s sponge cake, and of course the fudgiest brownies. You can buy it now for $40.75 as Booktopia is currently offering a 24% discount.

For more ideas, visit Booktopia and start your cookbook collection today.

Make life simple, and opt for meal plan services instead

If you’re not a big fan of planning out your groceries and are concerned about food wastage, opting for meal plan services might just what’s missing from your life.

You can choose from a selection of delicious meals and get the ingredients straight to your doorstep. All you’ll have to do is throw them altogether and ta da. Your food will take half the time to prepare with the help of the kitchen essentials we listed above.

HelloFresh AU is a great one to opt for. It will deliver to your doorstep super fresh ingredients and easy-to-follow recipes for stress-free home cooking. Currently, Hello Fresh AU is offering $40 off your first box, $20 off your second box and $10 off your third box. That’s a total of $70 in savings.

Visit the HelloFresh AU website to see the weekly list of meal options and select a plan that’s best-suited to your needs.

Alternatively, Marley Spoon offers 27 deliciously different meals to pick from each week, and they have both family-friendly and healthy options on the menu. Their meal kit is also delivered straight to your doorstep so you cook on the daily with almost zero fuss.

Visit the Marley Spoon website to find out more about their flexible subscription model and sign up.

[referenced url=”https://www.lifehacker.com.au/2020/04/recipes-to-batch-cook-and-freeze/” thumb=”https://www.lifehacker.com.au/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2020/04/GettyImages-642879368-1-410×231.jpg” title=”5 Essential Recipes To Batch Cook And Freeze” excerpt=”Cooking each day can often be mission impossible and ordering takeout isn’t feasible if you’re doing it on the daily. Batch cooking meals and freezing them can massively help out when you don’t want to spend time in the kitchen, and we’ve got just recipes for you to use.”]