Cooking can be so easy even if you’re still learning. You just need the right and comprehensive guide to give you the correct instructions. Yes, you do not need any expensive cooking course or an expensive cooking coach. You just need to start with the basic cooking techniques and you are good to go!

In this article, you will learn the five basic cooking skills that any amateur chefs should master. Also, take note of the tips that we provide you in each basic cooking skill!

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How to Dice An Onion Perfectly

Dicing your onion is a basic cooking skill you need to know when cooking. You need to use a good wooden cutting board as well as a comfortable and sharp knife to make sure that your onion is placed in a good way and doesn’t slip. There are many ways to cut an onion, and below is an example.


STEP 1	Remove the ends of the onion by cutting it with a sharp chef’s knife especially the tip and root.
STEP 2	Place in on a side-down angle on your cutting board.
STEP 3	Cut it in half (lengthwise) and peel off the outermost layer of the onion.
STEP 4	Just let the weight of the knife slices forward, where your three middle fingers are guiding the knife. Point it towards the root and try to get as close to the root.
STEP 5	Have vertical cuts. Hold the onion in place with the weight of the blade to cut all the way through the root. You need to leave a section of the root intact.
STEP 6	Turn over around half 90 degrees in angle and cut across the onion half, top to bottom, from right to left.
STEP 7	Store your onions in any mixing bowl while putting a wrap. Set aside for cooking use. When you want it to place in the refrigerator, make sure it is away from other foods to avoid contamination.

Tip: Make sure your foods are placed correctly in the ref.

How to Cook Rice in a Perfect Way

Having the perfect rice doesn’t just rely on a high-quality rice you buy. It also depends on your cooking method. Just make sure that you get the right measurements and the right heating temperature to come up with a good cooked rice.


STEP 1	Measure your rice (about 400 grams). Make sure you use measuring cups.
STEP 2	Wash and rinse off the dust and starch with cold water. Rinse it thoroughly until the water becomes clear. Drain.
STEP 3	Place your drained rice in a saucepan with a double amount of water. You can add some little salt, cardamom pods, star anise and pepper.
STEP 4	Close with a lid and put on the flame over high heat. Bring it to a boil.
STEP 5	Once it boils, turn down the heat down (lowest heat) and let it steam for eight to 10 minutes. Don’t uncover the pan. Close the lid tightly.
STEP 6	Take out the pods and star anise.
STEP 7	Using your fork, fluff up the cooked rice.

How To Skin And Debone Fish

Deboning a medium-sized fish is a fairly simple process, so you don’t need to sweat it out. You need to know that the skeleton structure is very simple, and you need to remove all the bones with some couple cuts. Make sure you do it very delicately. You also need to use a sharp knife and a very good cutting board. Again, using a wooden cutting board can greatly help you.


STEP 1	Remove the head of the fish. Start cutting through the neck a the gills’ grove. Angle the knife as if you are cutting toward the head. This is a way to preserve the meat.
STEP 2	ut along the top of the backbone to have your first fillet. Place the fish on its side and let the belly face away from you. Have a small cut in the top side of the backbone near the head. Place your fillet knife in between and in the opening and run it down the whole length of the fish. Slice at the base to have a good, clean fillet.
STEP 3	Have the second fillet. Repeat the process by cutting the head and slicing it through the edge of the backbone until you have the second fillet.
STEP 4	Remove all the pin bones you can find. You can scrape the flesh with your knife to expose the bones. You can use tweezers to remove all the pin bones you see. Tip: don’t worry if you can't unpin all the bones. It is practically normal.
STEP 5	Cut the skin off. Once the fish is filleted and deboned, have one cut to remove the skin. Hold the tail end and cut into the flesh at an angle until you reach the upper layer of the skin. Run the knife edge while tugging skin in the opposite direction.

Tip: Using a fillet knife is ideal for this process. This results in very neater and more economical cuts.

How To Sharpen And Hone A Knife

By using a good knife which is comfortable to use and a preferred sharpening tool, sharpening your knife can be easy. Here, you will need a honing rod.

When holding your sharpening, your thumb must never be pointed in the knife’s direction. Place it on a lateral side of the steel.

Here are some honing rod tips you can use:

Honing rod usage delays the need to use a whetstone or a diamond.
It only realigns the metal in a blade, while massaging the indentions, small nicks, and flat spots.


STEP 1	At a 45 degree, hold the knife against the steel. Hold the rod in your non-dominant hand, and the tip should be elevated above the rod handle.
STEP 2	Hold the knife in your dominant hand. Make sure that your fingers should hold the handle while the thumb is on the spine, away from the blade.
STEP 3	Hold your knife at 20 degrees angle and move the knife across the top of the honing rod. Have some longs strokes, making sure that the entire knife’s blade touches the steel.
STEP 4	Do six to eight revolutions with your honing rod.

How to Cook the Perfect Pasta?

Cooking a perfect pasta is as simple as cooking your rice. You just need the right measurements and the right temperature to cook your pasta. Also, you can also make your own preferred recipe of pasta sauce. Here, you are just required some ingredients. All you need are the following:

Pasta
Colander
Large pan
Salt, pepper, olive oil
Pasta sauce


STEP 1	In a large pan, pour some water. You can use at least four quarts of water for every pound of noodles. Add some salt (at least one tablespoon). Don’t worry, and more is fine. It gives taste to your pasta.
STEP 2	At high heat, bring the water to boil. Pour in your pasta. Don’t break your pasta. Worry not, your pasta will soften within 30 seconds and will eventually fit into the pot.
STEP 3	Stir the pasta using your tongs as it cooks. Make sure to stir very well (but gently enough to don’t break noodles) to make sure the pasta will not stick to each other or on the pot’s surface.
STEP 4	Test the pasta by tasting it. One way to have the perfect texture is to follow the cooking time on the pasta’s package. The rule of thumb is that your pasta should be al Dante - a little chewy.
STEP 5	Once you have the texture you want, have some good colander and drain pasta.
STEP 6	Add a light seasoning of pepper, salt, and olive oil and pour in your pasta sauce.

Final Thoughts

So, those were your five basic cooking basic skills that you need to learn as an amateur chef in the house. You see, cooking can be fun and – easy! You don’t need to have cooking course, which is very expensive, by the way. You just need to learn the basics and practice, practice, practice!

Again, you do not need to sweat out all your sweat just to make some perfect dish. Just make sure you cook with a heart, and also, do not forget to make cooking fun! It makes all the works easier! We hope you liked the article! If so, please give us a comment below and don’t forget to share this article to your friends, family, and to all amateur chefs out there!

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