With the approaching new year, it is time to think about how to be a better version of ourselves in the new year. If you are thinking about upgrading yourself, it may be time to consider picking up or polishing up a very useful & important life skill - cooking!

Learning to cook is an essential life skill that we should all possess. It is well acknowledged that good home-cooked food is the best way to be sure of what you are eating and contribute to a healthier lifestyle for you and your family.

Cooking can be one of the most enjoyable tasks if done well, as there are many tangible and intangible benefits associated with it such as:

1. Building your self-confidence and indulging in your palate on your own terms through putting raw ingredients together and creating a dish for your senses.
   
   
2. Unifying your family through a good sit down meal and letting them know that they are loved by you who painstakingly plan and prepare their favourite dishes and creating beautiful memories together in the kitchen and dining table.
   
   
3. Creating beautiful moments of celebrations with your new culinary creations or your tried and tested dish from grandma’s recipe or even to the trendiest patisserie coming out of your oven for your friends’ birthdays.
   
   
4. Appreciation of the farmers’ efforts and craft in their produce, be it the sweet taste of freshly harvested fruits and vegetables; to the perfect beef cut sizzling on a hot plate.
   
   
5. Appreciation and a better understanding of the world’s cultures, customs and flavours through different cuisines which will open your mind.
   
   
6. Boost your health and wellness with the food you love and a nutritional diet.
   
   
7. Saves money without the need for dining out and paying for fancy food and drinks which you could easily replicate at home.
   
   
8. Express yourself with your culinary creations through creativity & self-expression.
   
   
9. Enhances your critical thinking skills through recipes tweaking and develop a better grasp of science, reading and maths through cooking.
   
   
10. Beats stress as you wind down after a long day to reward yourself with your favourite home-cooked dishes.

All that being said, how do you get started on learning to cook or polishing your culinary skills in the new year?

Like anything, the first step to this happening is to want it to happen. The second step is to make it happen. How do you start?

1. Buy a Book or Download Recipes
   Invest in a good recipe book which is presented in easy to understand style and goes through the most basic recipes. There are many free recipes and free cooking tutorials online, so start googling!
   
   
2. Practice Makes Perfect
   Nothing can make you a better cook other than doing it again and again and again till you get it right.
   
   
3. Join Palate Sensations’ Chefs in Training Classes
   Our Chef in Training series is, for the home gourmand, a comprehensive launch pad to becoming a proficient cook or baker. Specially created for beginners, these chef training classes are taught by professionally trained chefs over 4 or 8 sessions. Participants will be guided through a series of basic culinary or baking skills that help establish a firm foundation.
   
   Our signature series, these intensive cooking or baking classes will allow you to spend focused time mastering specific skills such as different levels of culinary, pastry and even butchery skills!
   
   You will also be inspired by working with our chefs and with a group of other people who share the same passion and interests and support for each other’s efforts. You will be surprised at how quickly group bonding and praise can raise confidence levels in the kitchen.
   
   For more info or to sign up for the classes, visit https://www.palatesensations.com/book-classes/chef-in-training