The Rules of Cooking

Visiting family over Christmas it was my pleasure to hear that one of my nieces would like to learn how to cook and as the only member of the family who has braved the wrath of perfectly starched French chefs at the Cordon Bleu school I have been chosen to help. I envy her the chance to learn so young and want to give her the best advice I can but where do I start and can the rules of cooking be boiled down to (no pun intended) one simple list?

Here's my top 10

The really important stuff...

1.Use the best ingredients you can afford - with these, almost anyone can make a great dish. The reverse is not true
2.Season properly. Salt, Pepper and Herbs on the windowsill are natures way of allowing you to improve any meal for free.
3.Taste as you go - if you don't know how it tastes you don't know if you can serve it or not.
4.Cook with the seasons. It's cheaper, the food is fresher and you'll bring variety to your dinner table.

The practical advice...

5.Keep your knives sharp and clean and your kitchen organised. This is how the pro's do it and why it looks so effortless.
6.Never catch a falling knife, in fact, never try to catch anything. I have learn't this from painful personal experience.
7.Use the right tools. You don't need much to create a good meal but nor should you out cook your kitchen. No chef would try to serve a Michelin Starred meal from a domestic kitchen. Sometimes simpler is better.

What they never tell you

8.In the kitchen, mistakes always happen. One of the secrets of a good cooking is knowing how to fix it.
9.Cooking at home is creative, relaxing and rewarding. If you find it stressful, relax and take a fresh approach, you are trying too hard.

And lastly, but most important of all...

10.Breakfast Lunch and Dinner are three daily opportunities to be happy. Our bodies are designed to take pleasure from food so make the most of it. Cooking can be your way of ensuring you can always eat well.

Right - I'm off to plan lesson no.1