How to step up your cooking game

The past months we’ve had to spend more time at home and many of us have had to step up our cooking game. We decided to have a chat with the chef and cookbook author Markiz Tainton who gave us her best tips on how to gain more confidence in the kitchen.

More and more people cook at home, but some might feel a bit lost in the kitchen - do you have any key tips on how to get started?

Well of course it’s very individual what level you’re at, but if we assume that most people have their 5-10 recipes that they rotate between, it’s always possible to develop these dishes. Take your favorites and start from there, make them 2.0. I think that step is big enough, rather than diving into a new food culture - then it’s easy to get disappointed if the result isn’t that good. Find the pleasure in what you like and build from there!

For those who are a little more comfortable in the kitchen and want to step up their game - what type of kitchenware or unique ingredients should they invest in that give great effect?

If you’re a bit nerdier when it comes to food you’ve probably found a favorite cuisine to enjoy when going out for dinner, but it might seem a bit intimidating to try to cook at home – just go for it! Why just eat Japanese out? It’s so exciting to learn new techniques and traditions from a new food culture. Other tips can be to invest in a kitchen appliance and then use it for EVERYTHING, to really master the technique. You can get pretty far with a sous vide!

Do you have a simple dish that you return to when your family is hangry and the time is short?

I have plenty! But often you’re a bit stressed out during these times. You want to cook something that ticks all the boxes and then I frequently turn to stews. People often think of slow cooking when thinking of stews but you can get out a lot of flavors in short time! To me, stews are cozy and comforting and make you calm down together at the dinner table. And it’s a big plus for not leaving a lot of dishes afterwards!

Any hyped dish or ingredient that you don’t fancy?

Brussels sprouts… I’ve really tried but it’s impossible! I don’t think much is disgusting but brussels sprout just doesn’t work for me… Yuk!

And do you have a favorite ingredient that doesn’t get enough love?

I think we often use pumpkins just for soups, and only during the fall. Pumpkins are so healthy, versatile and should really get a more prominent place at our dinner tables. It’s so much more than a Halloween decoration!

Which are your guilty pleasures?

Tough one…. But I like making ‘ugly food’ a bit sexy. As a parent you often have ingredients for tacos at home, and chicken nuggets in the freezer. I made a nugget taco the other day and topped it with black garlic sauce, insanely good! But I’m also the kind of person that can eat sausage and stewed macaroni before going to the gym. I never had semi-processed food growing up so it can feel luxurious when I have it.

Where do you find inspiration for your recipes?

My inspiration might come from an ingredient, a plate, a person… a lot of different things in life! Regardless of what inspired me, the most important final step is to find out which country I want to highlight in the recipe. I am passionate about highlighting different food cultures and also think it’s important that we understand where food comes from!

Markiz’s best food day – what do you eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner?

Breakfast: If I have time I will have vegetarian shakshuka with freshly made bread. Lunch: Steak tartar with French fries, I love the Korean version at Urban Deli. Dinner: Sashimi! Expensive but so good!

Looking ahead, what do you think we'll eat in 2021? Any food trend you think will pick up speed?

Sustainability is something we have time to work with more now, we all have more time to become more aware. I think many want to find more balance in life and follow the seasons more. We are also so well-traveled in Sweden and it’s easy for us to embrace different cultures, we have, in some way, done all the food trips already. I think we will continue to eat greener but that it’s more about wanting to eat balanced, rather than becoming 100% vegan.