11 Cooking Skills Every Young Adult Should Learn

If you are like me and you love to be in the kitchen, then this is the post for you! Everyone can benefit from having a collection of basic cooking skills in their repertoire, whether you are just starting out or have been in the kitchen your whole life.

With a little practice, and patience..
Master this list to help you make better meals, save time, and stay safer in the kitchen, as well as having more fun.

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“no one is born a great cook, one learns by doing”- Julia Child

Making stock. Taking the time to make your own stocks gives you control over how much salt and fat go into your meals. It’s also ideal for customizing the spices and herbs that you use in dishes like ramen.
Properly cooking pasta. Most people can manage to boil water to cook pasta, but it’s a surprisingly easy food to get wrong. Refresh your memory by looking at the packet to check you’re using the right amount of water and not adding ingredients you don’t need.
Creating a flavorful sauce. If you have time, skip jarred sauce, make your own for a more satisfying experience. Learning the basics of making sauces should leave you with the ability to make a tomato sauce, cream sauce, and pesto.
Cooking a hot breakfast. Many people think breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so it’s good to know how to create a hot breakfast. Learn more here about the perfect technique for boiling an egg, and learn other egg preparation techniques like scrambling and poaching. Learn to cook bacon, toast with easy toppings, and french toast, and you’ll breakfast like a king.
Mixing cocktails. Lots of us still drink as we did as students, long after graduation. Gain a basic repertoire of classic cocktail recipes to up your game and impress your friends when you entertain.
Saving time with one-pot dinners. Learn some recipes that call for everything to be thrown into one pot or one baking sheet. This can make impressive meals, with very little prep time and hardly any dishes to wash up afterward.
Making homemade salad dressing. Start with learning to make a basic vinaigrette, then turn your new skills to mixing oil, vinegar, and herbs to make a tasty salad dressing for much cheaper than store-bought bottles.
Prepping meals. If you don’t want to get up early to make your lunch for work or want to cut back on how much takeout you order, learn to meal prep. Invest a few hours each week, and buy some reusable containers, and you can make healthy meals that will last all week.
Roasting a chicken. This can seem intimidating at first, but if you can learn to roast a whole bird, this will boost your culinary skills.
Roasting vegetables. Roasting is one of the most delicious ways to cook vegetables. Many veggies are pretty boring with raw or steamed but will have bags of flavor when roasted.
Properly using a knife. Knife skills and being comfortable with knives is an important kitchen skill. Choose a knife that fits comfortably in your hand, is sharp (this causes fewer injuries than a dull one), and is the right size for the food that you want to cut.