Becoming A Genius In The kitchen – Tips & Lessons from

my cooking journey

Task: Format the TOC as a menu at a restaurant

Chapter1: Introduction
Chapter2: The Cooking Mindset - Cooking with Confidence
Chapter3: Just do it…..My Food Exploration Journey
Chapter4: Comfort in the Kitchen-Know your Equipment’s
Chapter5: Know your Ingredients
Chapter6: Live your best life, Go ahead and COOK!
If you are like me, since the time you became old enough to
hold a plate steadily, you would have heard a certain set of
instructions whenever it was almost time for food to be
cooked.

“Jess! Measure a cup of rice and put the kettle on”.

“Go & wash the meat, I am coming to make stew”

These words haunted me for a while and especially before I

took a liking to cooking like; ‘mom, can’t you cook on your
own?’ (PS: if you are an African child, please do not say this out
loud – I will not be responsible for the outcome, lol!).

Now that I am my own boss in the kitchen (well, almost fully my

own boss), I can willingly chop onions and fry beef because it
not only gives me pleasure, but so much pleasure and this can
be your experience too.
If you are young as I am, (under 16 years) and have been
thinking to start learning to cook or you are just looking for
an expressive art, you are in luck – you have got me so be sure
to stick with me.
Through this eBook and my YouTube channel, I would like to
show you my baby steps on the road to culinary adventure
where all is blissful and your reward is great, healthy and
beautiful food that no one else will stress about cooking for
you.
(Jessie is whispering: “as much as people love to cook when they
cook something special for you, they will remind you) PS: this
is our little secret, right” *winks*

You see my friends, cooking is easy. Do you know why?

All that is needed from you is just to know and love your
ingredients - know what to add, what the right measurement
is and when to add it.

Since you are getting caught in this book, you might also be needing
a snack.
What will you pick between
coconut chin chin or plantain
chips?
Courtesy of LamiFoods, you
can pick both and have it
delivered. Click the image
 How & when my journey started

My cooking journey started when I was a little girl, I was

always with my mother in the kitchen. I would always try to
help out by helping to chop the vegetables or bring the stock
cube canister. But to be honest I continuously built on this as
my passion until I was about 9 years old.

Before then, and as the oldest child of my parents, I would

always be the one called upon to help mom wash the meat or
fish and this thoroughly disgusted me (sometimes it still does).
So I tried to stay away from the kitchen as much as possible
but soon got used to this meat cleaning adventure; it also gave
me ‘time with mommy’.

At the age of 9, I started experimenting to ‘upgrade’ the boring

and old noodle dishes – as an intentional parenting
practitioner, this caught my mom’s attention. My mom then
decided (within herself) that she was going to successfully lead
me through the rocky dusty roads of amateur cooking to the
smoother roads of being a decent cook where I can stand on
my own.

Today, I am not only standing strong but also marching

confidently towards the well paved roads of becoming a
cooking pro even though I am just 12 years old.
I dare to say anything is possible if you believe in it.
As I march along, I am stopping along the line to help all the
inspired people join the culinary road. I hope to help break the
stereotype that only ADULTS cook.

I mean, doesn’t everyone eat? Cooking is for everyone – young

& old. If you like the sound of Onions hitting the hot pan or
the exotic aroma of home from cinnamon being mixed into a
batter, please keep reading on to find out what you need to
pave your own way to this goal of culinary perfection
(Heaven).

By the way, have you watched any of the videos on my

Youtube channel?
I created them especially for you to be able to see and learn
with me. Please click the photo below to be directed straight
to the channel – “Cooking with Jessie”
 “As a being of power, intelligence, and love, and the lord of
his own thoughts, man holds the key to every situation and
contains within himself that transforming and regenerative
agency by which he may make himself what he wills”
- James Allen

The above quote is the perfect advice for any go-getter or

someone who wants to try their hands at something new.
Remember: “everything you want to achieve in life starts with
your mind”

To gain the confidence to cook, you must first eliminate the

fear and doubt from your mind; it must be a fact in your mind
that you are already cooking.
You have to simplify cooking mentally and as you do this, your
mind will realise that cooking is not a DAUNTING task – and
that cooking is whatever YOU want it to be!!!

For me cooking is relaxing. I get to express myself through

food. If I feel sad, unhappy, insecure, confused or frustrated, I
go to cooking……And voila in minutes my mood changes and
anger melts away and assurance comes as I stir the contents
of the POT.
Cooking can be anything from a quiet moment, therapeutic
time, to a fun and expressive period...who does not like the
lovely aroma from a good dish?
Again, I dare to say that cooking is not a daunting task.
Surely, there are dishes where precision is needed but aren’t
there a few complicated things in every profession or hubby
too?

Being an excellent cook will require you to eliminate all

limiting beliefs and borrow a positive belief system or
mentality, this is the “I CAN DO IT MENTALITY”.
You have the power to make yourself what you will. So,
eliminate fear and convince yourself totally that YOU CAN
DO IT.
Say it repeatedly to yourself… I CAN COOK AND I LOVE
TO COOK
Then just go ahead and do it, START COOKING.
As you continue to cook, the clanging of the pots and pans in
the kitchen will become second nature to you.
Remember “As a man thinketh so is he”, what to cook, how to
cook, cooking measurements and all these thoughts may be a
problem for some young and older people alike, but it should
not be a limitation or an uphill task.
My favourite trick to making cooking easier is in my meal
prep.
Meal prepping as relates to cooking is when you are able to
prepare the ingredients before you need to actually get started.
For example, if I am going to cook soup tomorrow morning, I
could boil the meat or pepper a night before.
Another way I meal prep is to lay out all the ingredients so
that as I need them I am just reaching out for them.
Who wants to start peeling and crushing garlic or ginger at
the point of making a smoothie or cooking jollof rice? By the
way, with all the importance of adding natural immune
boosters like ginger and garlic to our diet, I have started
enjoying to use a little bit of it in things like the coconut rice.
Let’s just say that I add just a little to the meat when boiling
or to the sauce for rice, stew or soup as I am going to make.
I LOVE THE ZING THEY GIVE!!
Click image for more
 “Consistent action over time creates extraordinary results”
- Zig Ziglar

Cooking is a food exploration journey that allows you to travel

the World exploring different recipes and food styles.
Today, you can be on a culinary trip to India, tomorrow to
China, France, Namibia or Germany….
This sounds like fun right? It is.

So, what is holding you back from this cooking journey?

The thought of a World of possibilities and discovery of a new
recipe should kick off fear and all that is holding you back from
experimenting and taking this journey to greatness and joy.

“Courage is being afraid but going on anyhow”

 - Dan Rather.

In cooking, you must be able and willing to

explore different dishes, methods and culture.
Think of the endless possibilities and the
discovery of new recipes, one week you are
mentally in India, searing lamb chops for a curry
to eat with Basmati rice, the next week, you are
in Spain adding your rice to the Paella pan, the
week after that, you are in Nigeria eating your
Jollof Rice with fried beef or goat meat.
There are endless possibilities in the cooking
world. There are different recipes that will
intrigue you and you will learn to make them
through Trial & Error.

Trying a recipe, not getting it right and trying

it again helps you build experience and get it
right.

With practice, best practices, tips and tricks are

learnt for how to make the recipe perfect every
time. I’ll share my cupcake experience.

My first batch of cupcakes came out ninety-five percent burnt

with only five percent good cake left and only at the top of the
cake. My second batch was quite similar. I could have quit and
tried something else but I persevered and persisted.
And on one fateful day, I made the perfect vanilla cupcakes
after a few trials and errors.
The joy I felt was one only felt by a creator gazing at her
creation. My point is….try, fail, persevere and then try again.
It is all part of the learning process. Do research by looking at
videos and blog posts from other foodies. You will eventually
get the hang of it if you are consistent in your attempts. You
have to be willing to fail before you are able to succeed.
It is OKEY to make MISTAKES.
Now for the best part of it all – the kitchen!!
We definitely can’t talk about cooking without mentioning the
kitchen. Like!! The kitchen IS the home of all things cooking.
Your kitchen is the headquarters or base of operations of all
your culinary exploits and experiments. That is why you must
know your kitchen like the back of your hand.

Your kitchen should be efficient and not just be the gas cooker
and the fridge with a few table tops. There are all the nook,
crannies, cupboards, drawers and everything else.

A well planned kitchen should have a place for spices, canned

stuff for baking supplies and even for your pots and pans. You
should be able to navigate your kitchen with a blind fold on.

When I got serious about going on this journey of cooking

food, my mom knew that to get really good, we would need to
tune up our kitchen some more.
Because I need to be able to shoot videos, there also had to be
more lighting; see the picture below for a behind the scenes
look from a shoot we were doing.

“At first, nothing would be perfect but it should be a continuous

work in progress” – Jessica
A few tips that helped us and can as well help get your
kitchen organised in a way that suits you include
1. Arrange your ingredients in a system that you are
comfortable with and in one that you can remember.
2. Keep an area free and clean as your work area for cutting,
chopping, sifting dry ingredients and stuff like that.
3. Keep your kitchen well aired, open and close the windows
as needed (before & after cooking OR morning and night)
4. Arrange your equipment in a way that they are easily
accessed, always wash and dry them before putting them
away – keep any one that has a lid, ensure you keep it
closed/shut at all times.

P.P.S: if anyone wanted to be super nice to me, they could just donate these kitchens to
my mom and I, hehehhehe!! **dancing already – these are just photos of kitchens I have
seen and liked from Google (I don’t own any rights to them)

Your kitchen is your free-to-work space and you should know

how to use all the equipment’s in it. Here are some basic
kitchen equipment that should be in your kitchen:
 Your Spoons – Now, I am not just talking about the
cutlery, I am speaking of the good-sized iron or wooden
spoons you use to stir the contents of a pot while you
 cook. This is basic equipment and you should have four
or five in your kitchen
 Your Knife Collection - Some people have only one knife.
Some have a twelve-piece set! Whenever you decide to
get, I feel a Chef’s knife, Butcher’s knife and a small
carving knife are just what you need for any dish. You
can also get a serrated knife if you are interested in
baking.
 Your Gas Cooker/Oven - Some people only care about
switching the burners on and off. Knowing your
gas/oven’s intensity can help a great deal when baking or
grilling.
Technically and in cases where you don’t regulate the
temperature or settings properly, it is easy to mess up
meals and treats like caramel if you don’t know how to
manage your cooker.
As ovens and cookers vary, whatever temperature is
required for a recipe is subject to change in your kitchen
and time may vary as well. It is up to you to know and
master your own gas cooker.
 Your Baking Supplies- Things like your Stand-mixer,
hand mixer and even whisk should be in an aspiring
pastry chef’s kitchen. Your bowls, sieves, your piping
bags, baking trays and cookie cutters should all be
present.

When the time is right, all your dessert making

aspirations will come to pass with a recipe and the right
tools present in your kitchen.
  Pots, Pans and other Knick Knacks- All that’s left are
your pots, pans and other equipment you can do without
but might come in handy, like your thongs, spatulas, fish
forks etc.
As far as pots and pans go, I say you can have as many
varieties as you can manage to keep. Let there be pots of
all sizes and pans of all depths.
They could be cast-iron or non-stick aluminium. As long
as they are useful and there is space, you can keep it.

That is all for the basic chef’s kitchen equipment, the next step
is knowing the ingredients – spices and all.
Being brought up with Eastern origin parents, a lot of my
cooking uses natural products; aside from giving a lot of
flavour, they are also less harmful to the body.
I believe that a larger percentage of what we eat needs to be
‘au naturalle’ & nourishing just as Amal botanicals helps us do
with our skin, so it looks/feels like we are still kids & babies.
Knowing your ingredients is an important step towards
cooking delicious meals. You’ve got to learn common food
combinations and the uses of spices and what not to use, i.e.
how they apply in each meal and recipe.
Therefore, research is key as you most likely won’t know all
this from the beginning.
Here are some tips for researching:
 Have specific search titles: You shouldn’t be vague when
typing in questions on search engines like Chrome or
Bing. You have to be specific and ask questions like
- “What is a list of spices and their uses”
- “What can be spiced up with ginger?”

These direct inquires will help clarify and simplify your

research

 Have a variety of options:

- Don’t just stick to one website, go to different
sites and seek knowledge from multiple areas.
- Don’t just stop at knowing the ingredients, you
can learn about where to source them, how to
clean them etc.
Having as many sources of information as possible, remember
your best search engine is your mother or anyone who has
successfully prepared that meal before, especially for some
traditional meals that Google knows very little about.
Never forget this.

 Research and follow other Foodies: Because other people

would have tried something before, they might have
written or shared about this before.
Reading blog, posts and videos from other foodies are
very beneficial. They often highlight problems with
certain foods and disclose methods of dealing with them.
It is free advice so you can avoid repeating mistakes
dozens of others have made.
These tips should help you learn about your ingredients.

With everything said up till now, now is the time to grab your
apron, get a spoon and whip up some delicacies. Which would
you like to try? I got inspired & tried Banga rice in this video,
go ahead and check it out for yourself.
Go ahead and COOK! By now, you must be excited and eager.
With everything that has been said, nothing should stop you
from marching to your kitchen and start to indulge in some
part of the Culinary Arts.

Do you see yourself cooking a meal for your siblings or

friends? Just do it, the worst thing to happen will be that they
don’t like it and they will tell (or tease you) about it – it’s all a
part of the process.

My first cooked meal had issues and mistakes, but I didn’t give
up so the next ones were better.
My first few attempts at baking, and I mentioned this earlier
in the book - gave me cupcakes that flopped. But with the help
of my mom, I figured out why and fixed it.
Just like life, cooking is also about making mistakes but fixing
them and getting back on track.
At various points, I have had my food burn because I wasn’t
focused or got distracted, all of these happened to me but they
hardly do anymore – because I focus and are better now.
Ooh yes, mistakes still happen and that’s life but for every
mistake I have made, I have tried again many more times. And
gotten to where I am today

The most important thing is that I am having fun doing it.

So I dare you to GO & START

1. Pick a meal you want to start with and tell your family
about it (starting at home makes it easier, because you are
at home and comfortable there)
2. Get your ingredients, your pans and spoon, your apron
and your confidence.
3. Assemble all these things and step into your own …in
your kitchen.
4. When you are done, take a photo with your plate of food
and of the food alone and save it.

Because I have had a lot of practise, I have now learnt to flow

with my ingredients, even if there is a recipe that I should
follow, I have learnt how to edit it to suit my preferences.
Cooking and being a chef is about being as creative as you can.
To stay motivated and inspired, you can find out:
- What got the fire going in you?
- Was it to impress friends or to create for
pleasure?
When you discover whatever it is, don’t lose sight of that
reason. Hold it close until you don’t need to be prompted to
cook.
Start now and there is no telling where it will lead you.
Take comfort in the Sizzling of Onions in the pan, let your
kitchen be your CREATIVE OUTLET.
And above all, have FUN Living, Learning and Cooking.
COOKING is a journey, Travel FOODUALLY!
Explore, Learn and COOK!

Peace to the chef in you.

Jess the Chef.

PS: Still have questions or want to connect with me on a more

permanent basis? Follow me on my social media channels and say hi.

Please feel free to reach out and tell me your thoughts on the book and the
information shared. Also, don’t forget to tell your friends and family who
might also be interested in cooking or learning how to cook.