Do you eat to live or live to eat? If you’re a foodie, eating to just ‘not die’ is not what you do best. As a true food traveller you enjoy Brie for your brunch and saffron with your supper. Eating is a hobby and trying new food is your passion. It’s true to say, in a world of packaged food and instant meals, it’s easy to slip into eating the same old meals. Even if you enjoy cooking, the pace of life isn’t always conducive to experimenting in the kitchen. It takes effort to search for alternatives to cottage pie, egg and chips or plain old stir fry. But as with all hobbies, the more you do it, the easier it becomes. A true foodie will incorporate a new culinary delight every day. It doesn’t need to be labor-intensive, there are a plethora of online retailers around the world that specialize in unique cooking ingredients. So, how can you live up to your self -confessed foodie persona?
Be prepared
Like any practical hobby, having the right tools for the trade is imperative to accomplish an outstanding quality result. Just as a Carpenter needs appropriate wood chiselling tools, along with saws and drills, a chef needs kitchen utensils that can be used for creating different dishes. Depending on your specific tastes, investing in utensils needed to create gourmet meals is crucial. Investigating the instruments used in other cultures will help you decide if you need to buy new or can utilize existing items. If you frequent restaurants that have an open-plan kitchen visible to customers, observe some techniques used in the kitchen so you can try it yourself to achieve the perfect appetizing dish.
If you want to try your hand at Japanese cuisine, sushi make roller machines are perfect for creating the best sushi in town.
If you want to be uber creative using spiralizers enable you to spiralize a vegetable which looks impressive on a plate, or can be used to create vegetable noodle dishes.
Sweet treats
If you are a foodie with a sweet tooth, there are many exciting ideas to create a masterpiece with your favorite ingredients. If you’re more inclined to eat sweets than bake them, then you’re in luck. Cake baking has become an art-form in recent years and the guys over at emicakes, boast the best cakes in Singapore and offer a new gourmet cake range added to their existing variety of designer bakes. Sweet treats can even be healthy. In the spirit of trying new things, adding alternative sweeteners to your pudding choices is a great way to continue experimenting, without compromising your waistline. Swapping table sugar for honey, maple syrup or agave nectar provides a healthy alternative to processed sugar and can be used as a substitute in most recipes.
Vegan foodie options
If your love of fine cuisine is also coupled with your love of animals, you’re not alone. Veganism has become a lifestyle choice for many in recent times and doesn’t mean you have to give up enjoying tasty and unusual food to feed your soul. Plant based meals are a popular choice and chefs the world over have dedicated some time and effort to produce recipe books dedicated to vegan lifestyles. Investing in a recipe book can help you implement nutrient dense fruit, veggies and spices into your diet, feeding your foodie nature.
As a vegan can still dine at fine restaurants, enjoy unusual cuisine and explore the fulfilling nature of experiencing new flavors and textures. Most establishments will offer a vegetarian option and many will willingly change a dish on the menu to accommodate your wishes, giving you ample opportunity to learn some tricks of the trade (if you’re allowed to interrogate the chef).
Eat the best
As a foodie you understand the importance of good quality food and as such, always eat the best you can afford. Fine cuts of meat will ensure your dishes are juicy and tender. According to professionalsecrets.com meat that is hanged to tenderize develops great taste and ultimately that is the crucial element in all meals. If money is short, then learn some sneaky tricks to help tenderize meat before cooking.
Write a dining bucket list
I’m sure you have a list of favourite eating establishments you attend regularly to feed your tastebuds and enjoy an exquisite dining experience. But think of all the amazing places you haven’ been. Of course, most people won’t visit all the paces on their dining wish list, but writing them down will help you remember that there is always something new to try. When planning your holidays, search for local places that aren’t on the mainstream grid, often it’s these that can surprise you with an explosion of flavours from unique dishes. Many small restaurant owners are happy to chat with you and discuss local foodie traditions and the history of dishes. Don’t expect them to part with their secret ingredients, though!
Food festivals
Food festivals are enjoyed the world over, from tantalizing tacos in Mexico to the luscious lobster festival of Maine, there are festivals to tempt any foodie; festivals are greater parties with awesome food, what’s not love. Heading to your destination when the local festival is happening is a fabulous feast for food lovers. The guys at traveltriangle have a comprehensive list you can consult to tantalize you.
Memberships/recipe boxes
A must-have for serious foodies is a membership for companies such as ‘Thrive’ that specialize in quality healthy products delivered to your door. You can pay a monthly subscription and send you food products that are customized and based on your tastes. It’s low cost and is a great way to try something new each week.
You can also commit to a weekly box from various online retailers such as Abel and Cole that offer boxes that are organic and healthy. They also provide recipe boxes with unique dishes to try.
Food is life! And to a foodie, it makes life worth living. When let loose in the kitchen, the creative part of the brain is engaged, which is proven to ease stress and release feel-good chemicals. So get cooking!