Learn cooking skills 

To whip up delicious meals in the kitchen, everyone needs a set of basic cooking skills. While some of these may seem simple, they can easily make or break a dish. Whether you’ve been cooking for years or want to learn how to cook in 2023, here is a list of essential cooking skills to master. 

Once you’ve got these under your belt, you’ll be ready to cook up an amazing meal at a moment’s notice:  

PS. How many skills have you mastered? Leave a comment to let us know 🙂 

1. Making a Broth from Scratch 

Take chicken-cube soups to the next level by learning how to make broth from scratch. All you need are the right ingredients and lots of patience for the flavours to saturate the soup. In Asian cooking, common ingredients to make a broth are aromatics like onions and ginger, as well as food with strong flavours such as dried anchovies and scallops. 

Another merit of making your own broth is that you can fully maximise the flavour from your ingredients, using what would otherwise go into the trash. For instance, fish bones, prawn heads and vegetable scraps can be used to make your broth even tastier! 

Practise: Easy Fish Broth Recipe

Preparation Time: 1 hour. Serves 3-4

2. Perfect a Tomato Pasta Sauce 

It’s time to grow out of canned sauces and to make your own from scratch. Not only can you impress your friends and family, but you can also control the amount of salt, oil, flavours and textures for the perfect pasta dish. If you’re clueless, we’re sharing our easy recipe for you to perfect for lunch or even a home cooked dinner date for two. Serve with your pasta of choice. 

Practise: Easy Homemade Beef Bolognese Sauce 

Preparation Time: 8 hours. Serves 8 pax. 

3. Master an Egg Dish

The humble egg is one of the greatest ingredients in the kitchen — so scrumptious and so easy to work with! To call yourself a good home cook, having at least one fail-proof egg recipe is non-negotiable. You can have it fried, fluffy, half-boiled or scrambled, but here we share a simple steamed egg recipe that uses 3 different types of eggs. The interesting mix of chicken egg, century egg and salted egg will highlight your eggs-pertise and be a welcomed addition to your dinner table and impress your in-laws. 

Practise: Trio Steamed Eggs with Minced Meat

Preparation Time: 20 minutes. Serves 4. 

4. Whip Up a Spicy Sambal 

This kitchen basic might be one that is unique to Singapore, and for good reason too! After all, chilli is one of Singapore’s most beloved spices, and a fantastic base for almost any meal. It goes well with seafood, for example, such as a delicious Sambal Sotong, not to mention vegetables like ladies finger, kailan and kangkong. 

Knowing how to make your own sambal from scratch is an instant +100 points for any home cook, so why not try it yourself, starting with our Sambal Stingray or Sambal Sotong recipe? You can also add more chilli, ground shrimp or shallots to your taste. 

Practise: Homemade Sambal Stingray

Preparation Time: 15 minutes. Serves 4. 

5. “Extra Crispy” Deep Frying  

The mark of a successful deep fried dish is the crunch in every mouthful. We’ve found that the best technique for deep frying is actually a double-fry method, which not only sounds cool but gives the food an extra crisp, all while retaining the tenderness and juiciness of the interior. As such, this method works super well with meat recipes that use chicken or pork. If you’re not familiar, get started with this marmite chicken recipe that’ll have you wanting to use the double-fry method on everything. 

Practise: Extra Crispy Marmite Chicken Recipe 

Preparation Time: 1 hour. Serves 4. 

6. The Art of The Air Fryer 

Air-fryer counted meh? As an essential appliance in any 21st century kitchen, air fryers are known for making cooking convenient. But a true master would know that there’s more to air fryers than just heating up nuggets or leftovers. 

In fact, air fryers can be used to cook a variety of very legit dishes. These grilled chicken recipes, for instance, turn frozen chicken thighs into tasty and juicy dishes in 10 minutes using the air fryer. You have a variety of options, such as Thai style and Mala flavour, and can save time by marinating a large batch at one go. Simply freeze the excess pieces to save for another day and another sumptuous meal. 

Practise: Air-fryer Grilled Chicken Recipe – 3 Marinades

Preparation Time: 10-15 minutes. Serves 2-3. 

PS Want more easy air-fryer recipes? Read here for more. 

7. Sharpening Kitchen Knives 

You’re only as good as your dullest knife in the kitchen. Instead of buying a new one, practise sharpening your knife (safely!) as a true chef would, even if you don’t have an expensive knife sharpener. All you have to do is a ceramic bowl, steady hands and our handy video guide right here. 

Basic kitchen skills

How many of these basic kitchen skills do you have under your belt? Whether you’re already a kitchen pro or want to learn just one of these skills in 2023, we’d love to hear from you! Share with us your journey on the Meatmen FB Cooking Community, or leave a comment. Cooking takes time to master, but we assure you, it’ll all be worth it.

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Some other recipes you might like: 

• Quick and Easy Hotpot Soup Base
• Easy Prawn Dishes 
• Easy Afternoon Snacks for Teabreak

P.S. We’ve got recipes for all your Singaporean and Asian favourites on our Youtube channel. Subscribe and share with your friends!

P.P.S. Can’t find a recipe you like? Drop us a comment or ping us on our socials. 

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