Did you know that a quick search for cooking videos online nets over 300 million options? The internet has taken users one step closer to the kitchen of their dreams. 20 years ago, if you wanted to find a great recipe, you either had to purchase a cooking book, ask a friend, or watch a cooking show and hope the right dish came along.
Today, online searchers have hundreds of different recipes at their fingertips. There are a lot of free cooking videos recipes. Having watched many of them myself, there are some things you should keep in mind before approaching one of these recipes. Here is my quick guide to using free online cooking videos to make a great dish.
1. Watch the video first. This seems obvious, but sometimes people like to work alongside the cook. This is fine, but watching the video before you actually start will familiarize you with the recipe and also prevent you from making mistakes in preparation. You do not want to start cooking only to realize you did not plan for enough time to refrigerate it afterward.
2. Free cooking videos online often give you complicated ingredient lists. If you are a fancy cook, you might not mind this. If, like me, you cook on a budget, look up some acceptable substitutes beforehand. Even fairly important ingredients like eggs and butter can be substituted out, which can help make meals more suitable for individual dietary needs.
3. Remember that free cooking videos recipes sometimes have an agenda. If they tell you only one type of pan will do, the pan they happen to be paid to promote, in 90 percent of cases, this is not true, and using any other pan will be just as good an experience. This is not meant to discourage you from buying better kitchen equipment, but just keep in mind that the basics are often good enough!