by Victor Yap

Pix Credit: toonpool.com
Ever felt like you could cook a storm and be great at it after watching some cooking shows on the Asian Food Channel or one whole season of MasterChef US? And still look good while you’re at it?

It’s pretty simple to emulate the cooking style and flair like those seen on the TV. While trying to be like Gordon Ramsay or Nigella Lawson will be a tall order, some of their practiced ease in the kitchen can certainly be copied. Being dashing and looking stylish like them while they cook is an even easier task.
MasterChef participants showed that a chef can be fashionable even while in the midst of chopping onions, searing meats, and monitoring the oven. If these amateur chefs can prepare a stunning 3-course meal in a couple of hours and look great doing it, certainly the ones at home can pull it off too.
3-Course Basics
Hold up, what’s a 3-course meal? Does it consist of soup, a main and desserts?

That is mostly correct but the three proper terms used to define 3-courses are: appetiser, entrée, and dessert. Additional adjectives are not required as using such superlatives only hype up these dinner jargons. Knowing them, however, will definitely impress your dinner company.

So with that in mind, the next thing you need to take note of is preparation.

Take note of the recipes on those TV programmes that tickles your fancy and study the way they are prepared. It helps if you look them up on the Internet and discover alternative recipes or other meal ideas and evaluate on what would work for you. One of the best bets is to just pop onto Youtube and watch some of the stuff the celebrity chefs have personally uploaded.

Pix Credit: maninstitute.com
Man vs. Wild is NOT a cooking show.
In the wise words of many experienced chefs: always keep it simple. Don’t over-exaggerate or become too bold with your ideas. It may backfire and, worse yet, produce a horribly tasting dish. A 3-course meal need not be so extravagant that it loses its original objective: being delicious to the palate.

Kitchen Needs
Keep in mind that the same TV programmes have some critical pointers on how you should prepare to cook a fancy meal while you’re all dressed up and ready for the coming evening. One cannot be too careful with the knife as even the best of the best have experienced accidents with them - so do be careful!

If you watch any of Ramsay’s cooking lessons on TV (or you can check out his Youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/gordonramsay), it’s immediately noticeable that he has all the ingredients by his side and the utensils he needs are all in easy-to-reach-out-and-grab corners.

Point-to-note: always prepare and organise the ingredients before you start cooking, ensure there is adequate space to work in the kitchen and always place all utensils within quick reach. That is the cardinal rule for all professional chefs.

These are basics that every would-be-chef must adhere too as it is a rule of thumb to always have a clean, orderly, and spacious working environment when you cook. This will guarantee a cooking experience that is both fun and exceptional. It will also create an ambiance of zero frustration.

With enough research and having prepared extensively for a cooking extravaganza, it will be a real cinch to show and prove that you can man the kitchen with practiced ease and are able to cook up that great evening dinner. Style is key!

Ready, Set!
Before you dive into the mishap adventure of cooking the 3-course meal, make sure you have all the necessary items. Understanding the recipes and its nuances, having the ingredients prepped, and you being dapper in a nice shirt, a pair of khakis, and with just an apron for protection, you are now fully prepared to work your magic in the kitchen to produce that great evening dinner.

Oh and one more thing, start early…even Ramsay says so!

Pix Credit: fanpop.com
You do not want to mess with Ramsay.

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