If you’re seeking to improve your cooking skills in the coming year, you might be unsure about where to start and what abilities you should focus on in order to really become a better cook. Luckily, even if you only have the most basic knowledge of cooking to begin with, by doing a little better in just a few areas, you should be able to become a markedly better cook.

To help you see how this can be done, here are three tips for learning how to become a better cook. 

Taste Your Food More

One thing that many beginning cooks or cooks without a lot of experience forget to do while cooking is to taste their food. But regardless of the quality of the kitchen in your home, every person who cooks can and should be tasting their food while they cook. 

By tasting as you go, you can see while you’re in the middle of cooking if there’s something that’s amiss in your dish. This way, you can make adjustments as you go along so that your final product will be as delicious as possible. 

As you taste your food while cooking, make sure you’re keeping an eye on how much salt there is in the dish as well as how much spice you’ve added and the acidity level. All of these things need to be at the right level for your food to taste as good as you can get it. 

Become Familiar With Flavor Combinations

While you might know that there are specific dishes and flavors that you like, what you may not realize is that there are specific flavor combinations that generally go well together and that are used for specific types of cuisine. Once you know what these are, you can make food that will always taste good and that can hearken back to whatever type of food you’re seeking to make.

For example, if you’re wanting to make Italian food, you’ll want to use a lot of basil, garlic, and tomato. But with Japanese foods, using sake, mirin, and soy sauce can give it that traditional Japanese flavor. 

Invest In A Quality Meat Thermometer

One of the hardest things about cooking meat is knowing when it’s ready to eat. If you don’t have a quality meat thermometer, you really have to go by look and time. But these things can be deceiving. So rather than checking on your meat in this way, using a meat thermometer can help you see exactly when your meat is done without it being undercooked or overcooked. And when you’re making a dish that relies on meat, this can make a huge difference. 

If you’re wanting to learn how to become a better cook, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you see how this can be done.