How to Become a Better Cook Video with Tips

How To Become a Better Cook (Video!)

Whenever I meet someone new and we start talking about what we do for a...

How to Become a Better Cook Video with Tips

Whenever I meet someone new and we start talking about what we do for a living and I mention that I’m a food blogger, cookbook author and culinary entrepreneur (yes, it’s quite a mouthful!), their immediate response is, “Oh, I wish I liked cooking!” or “Ugh, I need to learn how to cook!” or “I just don’t have the time to cook!”

My theory is this: if you have good taste, you can be a good cook. It’s just like fashion – if you have a good sense of style, you can dress yourself well.

In this latest video on our YouTube channel, I’m sharing some of my best tips for becoming a better cook in the kitchen.

You may think that these “tips” are very broad and intuitive and that’s because cooking isn’t scary – it’s just another life skill, in my opinion. My dream is that everyone would cook for themselves – there’s nothing more powerful than being able to nourish your body with something delicious.

Also, for those of you looking to lure in a significant other (men and women alike!), cooking is the sexiest. What’s sexier than using all your five senses to create something?

Anyway, that’s a whole other spiel.

Here’s an outline of the video, in case you don’t have time to watch it today:

  1. Read your recipes in their entirety before starting to cook. With this, prep all of the ingredients in the recipe before starting anything.
  2. Have a side bowl, tub or bucket to hold all of your garbage while you prep and cook.
  3. When you prepare your recipe, also grab any kitchen tools you’ll need and keep them close by – spatulas, food processors, plates, etc.
  4. Accept that cooking isn’t a perfect science, so you’re bound to “mess up” but that’s okay. Accept that mantra, relax and have fun!

Oh, and a heads up! I got a little silly, because I edited this video at the end of the day, so I left in some of the “bloopers” when I was goofing around. You’ll see.

Let me know any other videos you’d like to see on our YouTube channel – leave a note in the comments! And make sure you subscribe, because I post these videos usually the night before, so you’ll get an e-mail update with my new uploads!

Nutrition Talk

During this latest module at IIN, a lot of discussion was around fighting cancer with food. I don’t want to get preachy and it’s easy to get preachy on this topic, but I wholeheartedly believe in treating illnesses (like cancer) through diet. There’s so much science behind how our society has evolved on a food level and how that has negatively affected our health. There are so many processed foods out there and now, our latest generations are grown off that stuff. It’s scary – I think about this all the time, and I’ve watched so many documentaries on the topic.

It’s so tough, because there are so many contributing factors to the growth of cancer, so I think it’s unfair to say entirely “You can cure cancer with food!” Apparently, lycopene (a phytochemical found in tomatoes) greatly reduces your risk for pancreatic cancer. Well, my grandfather has pancreatic cancer currently (he’s in remission) and I don’t think he’s eaten anything other than tomatoes for his life, haha! Tomato sauces, caprese salads – he bites into tomatoes like apples.

What are the lessons learned? Avoiding processed foods from the START, being active and eating whole, real foods can reduce your risk for many illnesses, including cancer and say, diabetes.

On the other side of it, what’s GREAT, is that now with better technology, we have better access to the healthiest of foods. With modern transit and online shopping, you can get the freshest vegetables delivered to your door in 24 hours (crazy, right?!)

On the other side of THAT (not to play devil’s advocate or anything), it’s important to eat in a way that reduces your carbon footprint. This module in IIN went into this with the example of kale, because leafy green vegetables are able to be grown in most environments, so they’re available locally for most everyone. Don’t order Instacart for kale, just walk to your local farmer’s market or grocer and pick up a bunch!

This module went much more into depth, but I just wanted to give you the highlights and the notes that struck a cord with me!

What do you think of this week’s Nutrition Talk?

In case you missed a previous ​Nutritional Talk, every week, I’ll be sharing some takeaways from the courses I’m taking at the Institute of Integrative Nutrition. If you’d like to start Nutrition School, IIN is offering anyone who signs up through Inspiralized a hefty discount off tuition. To learn more, click here.

Disclaimer: While IIN has offered these courses complimentarily to me, I have not been compensated in any other way and all opinions are always my own.

 

with love, Ali

leave a comment

comments

  • Great video. I have discovered all of these tips as I have "blundered" my way through my early days of cooking. Still it is actually validating to me, and this felt pretty nice. So once again, thanks for taking the time to make this video, and hopefully you will keep them coming. For me, once a week is perfect, and, inspite of some of the other comments I have read, I am perfectly OK if your videos extend to either 10 or 15 minutes. After all, good quality cannot be rushed!! Steven
    • Thanks for the great feedback, Steven! Let me know if you have any other ideas for videos, I'm happy to make them!
  • Thanks Ali, great video! and great reminder to always prep for the recipe. Makes it so much easier to prepare a dish with everything at hand! (and your hair looks fabulous BTW :)
  • Love the video! Everyone always complains to me about not being able to cook or not having the time, but I think it's all about getting your priorities straight and making time! It really is supposed to be an enjoyable experience--it makes the meal more rewarding when you know how much love you put into cooking it. Oh, and love the blonde! I miss your cooking Snapchat videos :/
    • I haven't cooked anything this week! I will today, so keep an eye out! :)
  • Ali, So enjoyed the video & all your tips...Wish there was someone like you when I ventured into the kitchen clueless, as a young bride..Now years later I have mastered my cooking skills...Hubby & I so enjoy being "Inspiralized" Wishing you all the Best, Pauline
  • Ali, what is the significance of your recently including "paleo" in the titles of your recipes? Paleo = a combining form meaning “old” or “ancient,” especially in reference to former geologic time periods, used in the formation of compound words: paleobotany. You are great. Continue to enjoy life! Tia
    • It's actually a popular diet! http://thepaleodiet.com/
  • Ali, I love the video and it is another thing I can suggest to those that tell me they don't cook. I always worry about what they are eating when spiralizing is so easy, healthy and you have the recipes portion controlled, thanks. I just spent a weekend with a friend using her fresh out of the box spiralizer and demonstrating two days of meals with your recipes. Yumm! Now on to Sedona. Sedona is one of my husbands and my favorite places. Thanks to Hike House we have gear, maps and knowledge. We always eat at Elote and Lisa Dahl's Cucina Rustica and are never disappointed. Please take a Pink Jeep Tour, you'll love it! I challenge you and Lu to come out of the Renee Gallery at Tlaquepaque Arts & Crafts Village empty handed. Have a great time.