Some people are okay eating the same thing every day, but others have an itch to try new things. Some wonder if there’s a new wonderful dish to try that they don’t know about, and they are willing to experiment. The following are five ways to introduce yourself to new dishes.
1. Try New Menu Items
There’s a chance you haven’t tried everything on the menu at your favorite restaurants. Stop ordering the meals you know and venture out a little. This is a simple way to introduce yourself to a new dish.
You may not like some of the dishes you get, but this is the risk you take. Remember that just because something doesn’t taste great doesn’t mean it can’t be better. If you can imagine a dish being good, maybe the cook just didn’t know how to prepare it. A more talented person can make the dish taste spectacular.
2. Take Cooking Classes
This is another great idea to try. If you’re in San Francisco, just look for cooking classes in San Francisco. It’s great to take these classes in cities like San Francisco or New York City because these places are known for their food. You’re bound to learn a lot.
Keep in mind that teachers love to expose students to new dishes, which is what you want. Plus, you’ll gain the confidence to make new dishes on your own. You can’t rely on restaurants all the time. Sometimes, you can do your own thing. The great thing is you can also take classes online if you want. This will allow you to learn from whoever you want.
3. Look for Great Cookbooks
Once you feel confident enough to try your hand at cooking, you can take the next step. The best way to expose yourself to new dishes once you’ve got the skill is to get a few cookbooks. Start with what you know, like familiar food, and move on to things you don’t know.
Don’t skip dishes. Try them out because you never know what you’re going to fall in love with. People often skim through cookbooks and only try the dishes that look appealing, but it’s better to try every dish. You shouldn’t skip a meal because the picture didn’t look appealing. If you have dietary restrictions, look for cookbooks that respect those restrictions. Then, you don’t have to worry about finding substitutions that may alter the recipe a bit.
4. Look for Exotic Restaurants
This doesn’t mean only going to restaurants that serve foods from different cultures. Any restaurant you don’t normally frequent is exotic to you. If you only eat American food but don’t go to steak houses, you could try that. If you’ve never been to a BBQ restaurant, you need to put that on your to-do list.
Beyond that, you can look for restaurants that serve meals from different cultures and countries. Don’t be afraid to try every meal. You could ask the waiter to recommend a meal that’s popular amongst the restaurant’s patrons. Don’t limit yourself to that though. You may love the popular meal, but there’s no telling what other treasures are on that menu.
5. Look for the Culinary Artists
The next thing to do is to look for culinary artists. These are chefs. These people are willing to fuse cultures into one meal. They are willing to create a new dish that no one’s tried before. You may not be able to do this often because chefs are usually found inexpensive restaurants.
Even so, you have to try to visit these establishments at least every so often. Not only will you be exposed to new flavors, but you’ll be exposed to new possibilities. You are going there with your skills as a cook, and these folks can feed your imagination and help you create your interesting dishes. Take notes, pictures, and try to focus your taste buds so that you can figure out what these chefs did.
Now, you have all the things you can do to learn new dishes. Most of these are easy to do. Plus, they are quite exciting, so go ahead and start exploring.
