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By: Michael Longsdon
Looking to boost your baking skills? Or maybe your family is tired of the typical Tuesday taco scene. When you are looking to make cooking more interesting or fun, the answers might be right at your fingertips. These days, you can find just about any tip, trick, or tutorial you need online. Presented by The Southern Edge, below are some exciting ways that you can use technology to up your cooking game and spice up your meals.
Stream Recipe Tutorials and Cooking Shows
When you want helpful tips for livening up your cooking experience, online videos are a safe bet. The Kitchn suggests checking out some top cooking channels, where you can find step-by-step recipes for everything from fried ice cream to Korean street food. These cooking channels are updated regularly, which means there is always something new to explore.
If you need further inspiration, you can also check out fan-favorite cooking shows via streaming services and put together a menu inspired by top chefs and competitions. Whether it’s through your phone, tablet or a plug-and-play streaming device, these cooking programs can open whole new worlds of cuisine. Got a device that can’t keep up? Consider an upgrade so you can easily stream or use cooking apps without any glitching. Also, if you’re using your smartphone as a cooking aid, be sure to shield it from damage with a protective case.
Use Social Media to Connect With Local Chefs
Do you have some local faves for food and drink? Well if so, reach out to those top chefs and cocktail masters for a few specialty cooking tips! Since social media has become such an essential marketing tool, most local and small businesses have profiles on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter, making it easy to connect with your local favorites. Just keep in mind that you may not get the exact recipes you are looking for since chefs and bartenders often guard their secrets to protect their profits.
Even if you can’t snag recipes for your favorite menu items, you can look for similar recipes online to guide your kitchen adventures. These copycat recipes can also be a great way to recreate popular food, snack, and beverage items from national chains, and Cooking Light points out you can even tweak recipes to make them much healthier.
Create Family Fun With Kid-Friendly Recipes
The internet is also full of helpful resources and tips for getting kids into cooking. Little ones will love “playing with” kitchen tools like potato mashers and salad spinners, and you can even add a few tools tailored to their ages and skills. Some knives and measuring tools made just for them can make them that much more excited about cooking up a storm! Many parents like to cook their kids’ favorite foods (e.g., french fries) in an air fryer. Cooking with an air fryer is healthier because while the food stays crispy, it doesn’t have all the excess oil.
Speaking of storms, save yourself some stress by planning out recipes to avoid giant messes, which reduces the headache of cooking with your kids so that you can enjoy more time together as a family. You can also check out kid-friendly recipes online, for dishes that children of all ages will enjoy making and eating. Many of these recipes are so simple that your kids can make them on their own, so long as you are nearby to supervise. There are also easy dishes you can prepare using items in your pantry, including wild rice soup and chicken alfredo baked ziti.
Find Promo Codes to Save on Kitchen Essentials
There are so many ways to make cooking fun for yourself and any little ones who may be running around in your home, but you’ll need some kitchen tools and equipment to take the hassle out of all of that food prep. If you’re starting from scratch and need to purchase things like pots, pans, knives, and appliances, the costs of your new hobby can really add up fast.
NerdWallet notes it’s helpful to download discount apps, like Coupon Cabin and Shop Savvy, so that you can find promo codes and special offers on all of your kitchen purchases. As an added bonus these apps can also come in handy for stocking your pantry and fridge full of ingredients.
Cooking doesn’t have to be complicated to be fun! In fact, keeping things simple by using online videos and tech tips can keep you motivated to stick to your new kitchen hobby. Before you know it, you will be wowing your friends and family with all of your new cooking skills!