Free your mind in the kitchen with the Silver Spoon Classic
Our luxury edition of the famous Italian cookbook says make something simple - then master it completely!
Success or failure in the kitchen doesn’t always come down to ingredients and method. Sure, you can mismeasure or overcook, but as the text in The Silver Spoon Classic - the new, luxurious collection of the best recipes from the world's leading Italian cookbook – explains, sometimes you can just be in the wrong frame of mind.
“The ultimate success of a dish can also depend on how you feel when you are cooking,” explains The Silver Spoon Classic “Don’t rush or look for shortcuts in your recipe but instead, follow all the steps with patience, especially when making a dish for the first time.
“Even though Italian cuisine is relatively straightforward, you should never be overconfident about your skills. Start by making something simple and mastering it completely, then only move on to more complicated recipes as your skills develop and you can face them with confidence.”
There are a good number of practical tips in the new book too, such as this one: Or this one? “The secret of cooking with serenity is to shop with intelligence. In your refrigerator, you should always have all the basic products that you use regularly to make your meals. That means that you will need to shop frequently but in small quantities and only ever choosing good-quality products. An Italian refrigerator will always contain fresh milk, butter, eggs, and some kind of cheese. Remember that the quality and freshness of the ingredients you use are the basis on which to build delicious meals.”
Also remember before you start to, "read the recipe carefully, especially when you are cooking a dish for the first time. This will allow you to balance the relative difficulty of the recipe in relation to your skills.”
And this is a good tip too. “It’s a good idea to follow the restaurant practice of mis en place, which simply means preparing all the ingredients before you start cooking by chopping them and peeling them, etc. If you do the cutting and peeling ahead of needing to use the ingredients, this will save you time and ensure a better result.”
You’ll be cooking like an Italian in no time. For all the recipes, tips and more cucina insight, buy a copy of The Silver Spoon Classic here.