The art of cooking and entertaining

Preparing a meal seems easy enough, doesn’t it? You whip up something and voila! Food to fill your stomach and stop it from grumbling. What you don’t know is, cooking is more than that. It’s an art. For some who take it up as a profession, it takes years and years of practice. However, for the other who just don’t have that time, we’ve got good news for you. If you want to spoil yourself and those around you to a luxurious yet within the budget edible experience, we’re here to show you all the different ways you can turn your mediocre kitchen habits into a 5-star affair. 

It’s all in the ingredients

First things first, make sure your ingredients are fresh. Nobody wants a struggling carrot that can’t keep up. The freshness of your ingredients reflects the flavor and we all know it’s all in the taste. Take your time to pick the right vegetables, poultry, meat or seafood and herbs you need to turn that meal from a 6 to a 10. Your crisp veggies not only play a part in making your meal taste better, but its vibrant colors play into the appearance of your food.

 On that note, don’t be afraid to mix it up a little. Use the green, red and, yellow bell peppers you’ve been holding off on to create a colorful display. 

Try out that new recipe you found

This is a risky one. But guess what? You’ve got this! Expand your palette but trying out new and exciting recipes to feed your soul. Ever heard of octopus in a pumpkin? I know right… Be bold and surprise yourself and your guests with learning something new. This is your time to be fearless and take charge. You are the warrior of your kitchen. Also, you can decide to put your twist on things to make them even more interesting and exciting. 

What’s the seating plan?

If you’re entertaining, it’s important to be a good host by putting some thought into where your guests are going to be spending their time. Placing people who have no common interests could be a deal-breaker as they’ll be spending the entire stretch trying to figure out what to say to each other. 

Use this opportunity to be innovative and imaginative enough by having place cards on the plates as a means to seat people. This also creates a fun yet professional look at your event to showcase your cooking skills. 

Cutlery is key

This is one of the important aspects of entertaining as it brings the entire shebang together. What your guests see before their much-awaited meal is where they’ll be eating off of. In this instance, you can choose to go the traditional way of matching your cutlery, but you could also choose to take a different route to mix and match. Pair a red bowl for soup with a blue plate for the main course. It may sound unordinary but trust me, it is quite interesting to the eye and it’ll make for a fun and new event. And remember, you can never have enough spoons!

If you’re lacking in the number of cutleries to mix and match, take a different direction, and use centerpieces to decorate your table and indulge the eye. Be careful with this though because you don’t want all the attention to go to the décor and not your food and conversation around the table. 

Be seen

When hosting, you can get carried away with making sure things run smoothly in the kitchen. This however is a major ‘don’t’. Your guests are not only there for your amazing food but more importantly for you. You’re the star of the event. Don’t spend all your time in the kitchen. Why not? Because if you do, that’s where you’re inviting all your guests to go. Instead, make sure you prep early enough, and as soon as your guests arrive, devote your time to them. This establishes an air of comfortability and confidence. 

Welcome madness

It’s no lie that sometimes chaos can come knocking on your door especially on those important occasions. You can’t be too sure at what moment and how. You just have to be ready. Bear in mind though that if trouble comes creeping, don’t panic, that’s expected. A wine glass spill should make for a laugh and not change your mood. Believe me, your guests will remember all the wonderful things you did to make their time worth their while. 

The right send-off 

After a fantastic event, the best way to send your guests home is with dessert. You can never go wrong with a little something sweet to end any occasion. This can happen in many ways. If you’re not able to assemble something on your own, make it enjoyable by giving your guests take home chocolate, packed either in tiny boxes or packages. It adds to an element of surprise and excitement and it’s a great way to end the event. 

Incorporating all of these useful tips will not only make you the host to remember but it will make you feel like you’re on top of the world!