The clanking of utensils, the sharpening of a knife on steel, the sizzling of vegetables on a pan of hot oil, and the whir of an electric juicer—if these things tend to tickle your pickle, then probably cooking is your higher calling after all. But like any other field, the world of cooking is quite intricate and requires a lot of attention and practice so you can only succeed by mastering the basics. So what are you waiting for? It’s time to pull up your sleeves and get down to business in the kitchen.

Max Delsid/Pexels | Like any other field, the world of cooking is full of surprises, and you can only accomplish it by learning the basics

#1 - Chopping an onion

The word onion might remind people of burning eyes and blurry vision, but whether you like it or not, it's a key component of almost every other dish and cuisine. Now, that in and of itself makes it very important to learn how to chop an onion properly. And thankfully, it's quite simple.

First, you have to peel off the onion’s top layer before slicing it in half. Now take one half and make two to three horizontal cuts, followed by two to three vertical ones. Repeat the same with the other half and then chop it downwards.

RODNAE Productions/Pexels | Onions are the base of most dishes, which makes it very important to learn how to chop them properly

#2 - Boiling an egg

Sounds simple, right? In reality, mastering a boiled egg that leaves you with a runny yolk and properly boiled whites isn't as easy as it sounds. Even experts take years to learn how to perfectly boil an egg, failing multiple times in the process themselves before eventually getting it right. Lucky for you, today, we've simplified the whole process quite a bit.

The trick to getting boiling an egg correctly is to cook it at the right temperature. For instance, if you need a soft-boiled egg, put a pan of water on a stove and leave it to boil before gently adding the egg with a spoon. Let it cook for three to five minutes before digging in with your knife and fork. Similarly, if you want a hard-boiled egg, add the egg right after you put the pan on the heat and then let it cook for seven to ten minutes.

Klaus Nielsen/Pexels | The trick to getting a boiled egg correct is to cook it at the right temperature

#3 - Basic knife skills

Now that you've learned how to chop an onion and boil an egg, you're ready to learn some basic knife skills. Using a knife is easy, but keeping it new and sharp is a challenge. One of the easiest ways to achieve it is to sharpen the knife every once in a while.

Take a piece of steel, hold the cutting side of the knife at a 45-degree angle, and stroke the blade downwards an equal amount of times on both sides. In most cases, that ought to do the trick and leave you with a very sharp blade.

Wrapping it up

While learning these skills, you might fail numerous times but it’s important to remember that every pro was once a beginner too. So keep practicing, keep perfecting and who knows, someday you might be teaching the same things to another budding chef in a cooking class.