Episode 28 - Setting Yourself Up for Success in the Kitchen

Tara from the popular food blog Tara Teaspoon shares her tips for setting yourself up for success in the kitchen. Learn what tools are best to keep on hand, how to entertain without stress and how to get more enjoyment out of your time in the kitchen.

Today's episode is all about how to set yourself up for success in the kitchen.

I chat with Tara from the popular food blog, Tara Teaspoon.

Tara has created thousands of original recipes that inspire people to spend more time in the kitchen, and enjoy food with friends and family. She makes delicious things and food styles for magazines, books, television and food brands. Before creating her blog, TaraTeaspoon.com, she was the Food Director of Ladies’ Home Journal magazine, and Food Editor at Martha Stewart Living, Kids and Weddings magazines. Her first cookbook will be published in Fall 2020 and you’d better believe it will include a variation of her favorite food, Chocolate Chip Cookies! Tara believes you can Live Your Life Deliciously! She loves sharing approachable recipes for weeknights and inspirational creations for those slower weekends.

Tara shares some great advice on how to set ourselves up in the kitchen to be successful with every meal, including tools that are great to have and how to prep for dinner parties.

RECIPE OF THE WEEK

This week's recipe of the week is my air fryer corn on the cob. It's been awhile since I chatted about an air fryer recipe but seriously - an air fryer is one of my most recommended appliances! I absolutely love making corn in it by wrapping the corn in foil with a dab of butter. The kernels become deliciously soft and buttery, just like corn from the fair.

LISTEN IN

Listen in to today’s episode on Apple, Stitcher or Spotify.

Episode 28 - Setting Yourself Up for Success in the Kitchen

Tara's Cooking Philosophy

Enjoy your time in the kitchen - create a space you love, try to remove barriers that are stopping you from enjoying cooking and invite friends and family in to enjoy meals with you.

Setting yourself up for success

Have the right tools on hand:
- Start with sharp knives and know how to take care of them.
- Invest in good cooking board.
- Get a few simple gadgets that make life easier.
- Get a hand or stand mixer.
- Food processor or blender or both.
- Quality set of pans - doesn't have to be big or expensive.
- Mixing bowls.
Set up kitchen zones so it's comfortable and more fun to cook.
- Organise your drawers to make it easy to find things.
- Get a canister for your tools and put them near the stove or the sink.
- Organise your pantry and arm yourself with pantry staples that you'll need and make sure you have enough. Get doubles if needed.
Read through your recipe several times before making it. Visualise the steps before you start cooking and pull out any equipment and tools you'll need before you start cooking.
Keep it simple - don't try to do everything all at once, start off small and simple.

Tips for successful entertaining

Visualise the party. Think about the dishes and platters you'll need. Plan your menu before you start and what you'll need to serve it on.
Manage your clean up along the way - clean as you go.
Tara's Cheat Sheet for knowing how much to serve when entertaining:
- Main dishes - make 1.5 servings for each guest.
- Appetisers and snacks - make 6 pieces for each guest. If there's no main dish, double it to 12 pieces.
- Dessert or cupcakes - 1.5 servings for each guest.
- Cookies or small sweets - 3 pieces for each guest.

Kitchen expectations

Set achievable expectations. You might not be able to create a curry exactly like the one at your local Indian restaurant with 3 spices BUT you can make something that's great.
Be happy with where you are as a cook and what you create and acknowledge your progress.
If you're going to try a recipe for the first time, make it as it's written to start off with to get an idea of what it should be like. After that, feel free to try making substitutions and modifications.

Why bother being successful at cooking

Cooking becomes less stressful and more enjoyable when you have all the right tools and a well set up space.
The more you cook, the more confident you'll become in the kitchen and the more you'll enjoy it.
Make better food that is so much more enjoyable to eat.