10 Fundamental things to learn in the kitchen

My mother had a saying, you live life forwards and understand it backwards which is along the same lines of everything happens for a reason. As cases of the COVID19 pandemic escalate and countries shut down their borders and mandate self-isolation, I have been wondering what the reason for all of this is. What will be the outcome of business closures, ongoing travel restrictions, and social isolation?

What will we learn from all of this?

Already we've seen many nice things on social media with humorous memes, and beautiful musical collaborations that make your heart sing. We've seen support groups spring up and volunteers signing up in their thousands to help those in need. And we've seen our Government release billions of dollars to help people who are suddenly left unemployed. It's a wonderful reminder that we are all connected by love and humanity.

Arguably without Netflix, and in my case, 12 seasons of The Big Bang Theory, we'd be close to killing each other, but one of the most positive things that I have discovered this past week is time.

We have plenty of time.

So often I've put off doing things because I didn't think I had time, and now, with my morning coffee gone I've gained an extra 35 minutes, and at least an extra 2 hours which would have been spent in the car and stopping to chat.

This week I've tended to microgreens, fermented kimchi, and made a rye sourdough starter ready for breadmaking. I've wanted to do all this for ages but haven't had time.

If you're someone who normally races around like a chook with your head cut off, the chances are that you now have time too.

There are podcasts, and exercise classes, and languages to learn online, but there's also your kitchen to test out new recipes and teach the kids to cook if they haven't learned how.

With restaurants closed and only takeaway outlets open for now, this is the perfect time to get back to basics and teach your kids the fundamental things every cook should know how to do.

Here's our list of things we would recommend

10 Cooking Fundamentals

1. Eggs - Boiled, poached, scrambled, omelette, frittata, spanakopita, mayonnaise, pancakes
2. Basic pasta sauce for pasta, pizza, parmigiana and minestrone
3. Mince/Bolognese/ Chilli
4. Roast chicken
5. Stock, sauces, soups and salsas
6. Grilled fish, steak and chicken fillets
7. Roast, steam and stir fry vegetables.
8. Bread and pastry
9. Pickles
10. Spices

You probably know how to do most of these but if there are some you don't, how about you embark on the self-isolation cook off. Chances are, when all this is over, what you will understand is that your cooking is tastier and cheaper than most takeaways.

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