Happy National Culinarian’s Day!
Today is National Culinarians Day, a day devoted to those who work in the culinary arts. Since culinary art is defined as the art of preparing and cooking food, this day of appreciation extends to not only professional chefs but at-home cooks as well; basically any individual who prepares meals on a regular basis.
While the thought of cooking may conjure images of laborious, time-intensive efforts, preparing healthy and tasty meals doesn’t have to be. In fact, some of the most delicious meals are the most simple to make. The best part is that when you cook, you get to choose the recipes and ingredients you use, which means you have total control over what you are eating.
If you’ve been thinking about dabbling in the culinary arts, now is the time.
Here are 8 essential tips to ignite your culinary quest to healthy, wholesome cooking:
- Invest in a few good pots, pans, cutting boards, vegetable peelers, knives, and measuring cups and spoons. Having the right tools can make all the difference.
- Stock your pantry and refrigerator with healthy, staple ingredients, like dried herbs and spices, low sodium broth, and unsweetened almond milk.
- Find a good cookbook, such as Simply Well™, that contains easy to prepare recipes filled with wholesome ingredients as well as nutritional information.
- Familiarize yourself with basic cooking terms by reading cookbooks and magazines or watching cooking shows.
- Shop in season. Look for fresh, seasonal foods at the grocery store and/or farmers market.
- Read through the entire recipe before you begin, and prep in advance when possible.
- Batch cook, slow cook, or use healthy convenience foods, like pre-washed and cut veggies or pre-cooked, un-breaded frozen fish or chicken, to save time.
- Experiment with new ingredients, like spaghetti squash or cauli-rice, and kitchen tools, such as a Spiralizer or immersion blender.
It’s easy to take culinarians for granted, but I think we can all agree that we are thankful for them. Why? Because when we eat better, we do better. A well-balanced, nourishing meal gives us the energy to live life fully and feel our best. In honor of National Culinarians Day, be sure to thank those who prepare the food you eat throughout the day.
