For many, cooking at home can feel overwhelming. Without much experience in preparing meals from scratch, it’s easy to end up with less-than-ideal results, which can be discouraging for novice chefs. To help at-home chefs prepare the dishes of their dreams, Ahmed Abdalla, Head Chef at Legacy at The Grand, York, shares three simple things to master in the kitchen to make home cooking more impressive.
A Perfect Loaf
Bread recipes have been passed down for thousands of years, making them a great starting point for anyone looking to build their skills in the kitchen. Baking a simple loaf is a fundamental skill for any aspiring cook.
Ahmed says, “Baking fresh loaves at home has been an ongoing trend since the pandemic when people began to see the joy in the simplicity of the process. After all, a nice white loaf or focaccia is easier to make than some curries!
The trick to turning a basic loaf into something more impressive is adding extra flavour to wake up the senses. If you take chopped herbs, such as parsley or coriander, add them to some melted butter and mix them through the dough, it creates an amazing finish to the loaf and fills the room with an elevated fresh bread smell.
Another excellent addition to any loaf is dry yeast flakes. These bring a fantastic umami flavour, as well as health benefits like being full of B vitamins and antioxidants. It’s an ingredient many overlook, but using it will leave you a slice above the rest.”
Fresh Pasta
Whilst dry pasta is a pantry staple for most, mastering a fresh pasta dish allows you to create a quick yet impressive meal.
Ahmed explains, “Many people assume making pasta from scratch requires hours of work and a long list of ingredients, but in reality, all you need is good-quality flour and rich egg yolks. Professional kitchens often recommend Burford Brown eggs for their deep, vibrant yolk colour, which enhances the pasta’s appearance.
Once the basic dough is done, the possibilities are endless. You can shape it into ravioli or cappelletti, and any leftover dough can be made into tagliatelle or simple spaghetti to minimise waste.
A quick toss in the pan with the addition of truffle, parmesan or olive oil transforms the pasta into an effortlessly luxurious dish.”
Beautiful Presentation
In addition to mastering delicious dishes, Ahmed emphasises the importance of thoughtful presentation.
“Presentation really matters to me. We eat with our eyes first, and the rise of social media has heavily influenced this, so how a dish looks is just as important as how it tastes.
In a professional kitchen, we’ll use an array of micro herbs and beautiful flowers, but the presentation is best kept simple for home cooking. Simple touches like a bed of rosemary and thyme for your Sunday roast chicken or beef can elevate this traditional dish to an eye-catching main event.
One tip for presentation that we can take from the professional kitchen straight into the home is the use of dry beans, barley and cous cous.
These ingredients are typically hiding away in the pantry, so it’s a great opportunity to give them a new lease of life. If you add the dried ingredients to a bowl and place other elements of the dish on top, it provides an interesting visual element to your plates. It’s a trick that works particularly well for canapes and small bites.”
Ahmed concludes, “For any aspiring chef, the most important thing to remember is to taste everything! You’ll soon start to see how different ingredients, herbs, or seasonings can elevate a dish, and this understanding is key to becoming a better cook.
One of the best things you can do in the kitchen is experiment with seasonal products and fresh ingredients to see how they can upgrade a basic dish to something really special.”
You can learn more about Ahmed and the Legacy at The Grand, York, by visiting www.thegrandyork.co.uk.
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