• Home
  • Cooking 101
    • Handbooks
    • How To
    • Skills + Tips
  • Cooking 102
    • Cooking Hacks
    • Healthy Recipes
    • Quick & Easy Meals
    • Seasonal/Holiday Recipes
  • Recipes + Videos
    • Course
    • Cuisine
    • Entertaining
    • Ingredient
    • Videos
  • Homemade Products
    • Beauty & Skincare
    • Everyday Products
    • Household Cleaners
    • Natural Health
  • Kitchen + Cookware
    • Supplies
    • Appliances
    • Books
  • Food + Drink
Logo
  • About HR
  • Contact Us
  • Contribute
  • FAQs
  • Homemade Recipes Coupons
  • Cooking Hacks
  • Healthy Recipes
  • Quick & Easy Meals
  • Seasonal/Holiday Recipes
Home » How To Be A Master Chef In 10 Days – Poaching, Steaming & Boiling

How To Be A Master Chef In 10 Days – Poaching, Steaming & Boiling

September 30, 2022 By Louie Levey 1 Comment

Welcome back to our comprehensive guide on How To Be A Master Chef for beginners and food enthusiasts! In today’s posts, we’ll go over tips on how to properly stock your kitchen and fridge for all your home cooking and baking endeavors! If you’ve ever wanted to be a master chef, the time is now, so let’s get started!

Learn how to Chop, Slice & Dice Like A Pro!

Poaching, Steaming & Boiling For Beginners

How To Be A Master Chef in 10 Days - Cooking for Beginners | Homemade Recipes https://homemaderecipes.com/cooking-101/how-to-be-a-master-chef-in-10-days-poaching-steaming-boiling
Learn culinary terms and how to properly steam your vegetables!

Over the course of this post, you will learn a variety of cooking techniques that will allow you to utilize the power of water! You will be able to cook vegetables, eggs, and seafood with water after reading this section! At the end of the post, you will try out a recipe for making mussels!

Dive In: Cooking With Water

Cooking with water is easy to do and makes for some great meals! These are the terms you need to know when cooking with water:

Parboiling & Blanching: These techniques are used to precook foods. If food is too tough or salty, these techniques can fix that. Rice is one of the more commonly parboiled foods to lessen the cooking time while keeping nutrients intact. You can also do this with tough vegetables to make them a little softer.

Simmering: Bring the liquid to a gentle boil where there are small bubbles breaking the surface. You will achieve this by have the water at a low temperature. 180 degrees should do the trick. This technique is used to slow cook and braise foods.

Boiling: To boil, you’re going to want to bring the water to 212 degrees in a tall pot. Once the water comes to a complete boil (bubbling rapidly), you can boil the food. To make the water boil faster, cover your pot with a lid. Make sure you supervise your pot, so it does not boil over, but don’t watch it too carefully! Watching water boil seemingly makes it take longer to boil!

Steaming: Through this technique, you can keep your foods color, texture, shape, nutrients, and flavor intact. This gentle way of cooking uses the power of simmering water to cook. Simmer water and place your food on a perforated rack in a covered pot to steam it.

Reducing: This technique is used to boil down liquids to thicken and intensify the flavors. Usually, people use this technique for sauces, but it is very easy to burn them so make sure to avoid too much reduction!

Boiling Eggs With Ease

How To Be A Master Chef in 10 Days - Cooking for Beginners | Homemade Recipes https://homemaderecipes.com/cooking-101/how-to-be-a-master-chef-in-10-days-poaching-steaming-boiling
Hard boiled eggs may seem easy to do, but it’s hard to get them right.

For such an easy technique to master, there are plenty of people who have had trouble boiling eggs. This section will show you how to make perfect boiled eggs every time!

  • First, you will put your eggs in a saucepan or pot in a single layer.
  • Next, put cold water in, covering the eggs with an excess of 1 inch of water.
  • Place your cover on the saucepan or pot and boil the water over high heat as quickly as you can.
  • Take the concoction off of the heat and allow the eggs to remain covered for 15 to 18 minutes depending on the size of the eggs (the larger they are, the more time you need).
  • Remove the eggs using a colander and run cold water over them, allowing them to cool completely.

Keeping Nutrients In Your Vegetables

Cooking vegetables to make them super tender is usually what the goal is. Boiling veggies is a process that can leave your veggies too soft, but there are other techniques that will leave them tasting incredible and keep the nutrients intact!

Parboiling, Blanching & Steaming Vegetables

Parboiling vegetables is usually called for dense vegetables (potatoes, carrots, turnips). This process allows them to soften up a bit prior to cooking. With this technique, you will ensure that the dense vegetables will cook at the same rate as the other ingredients in your dish. Broccoli and carrots are also parboiled at times.

Blanching vegetables or fruits is another technique used in a lot of kitchens. Through blanching, the foods are placed into boiling water for a few seconds and then put in cold water to cease the cooking process. This is how chefs take the skins off of nectarines, tomatoes, and peaches. Green beans are also blanched at times, allowing them to keep their flavor and color.

Steaming, the gentlest way to cook, is also one of the healthiest ways to cook because the nutrients remain in the foods. If you plan on steaming a lot of foods, you will want to get a steamer. One of the most common ways to steam foods is in a two pot system. The smaller pot is perforated and goes inside of a larger pot. The larger pot has water in it, and as it heats, the steam is distributed throughout the perforated pot, steaming the food.

Cooking Seafood With Water

How To Be A Master Chef in 10 Days - Cooking for Beginners | Homemade Recipes https://homemaderecipes.com/cooking-101/how-to-be-a-master-chef-in-10-days-poaching-steaming-boiling
Enjoy fresh seafood meals at home.

Poaching seafood keeps the flavor and texture of it. This technique is commonly used to cook salmon, halibut, tuna, swordfish, and cod because they are firm-textured fish. The biggest issue with this technique is that poaching fish does not allow you to use spices to flavor it, meaning the fish usually is accompanied by a sauce. You can put a herby flavor in the seafood if you poach it in seasoned vegetable broth, fish broth or add some clam juice in the water. Make sure you do not overcook your dish. It is very easy to overcook fish!

Steaming or boiling shellfish is the best way to cook it. Mussels, shells, crabs, and lobsters are all absolutely delicious when steamed or boiled. You steam the shellfish the same way you would steam vegetables. Let’s test out your cooking skills with this simple recipe:

Steamed Mussels

How To Be A Master Chef in 10 Days - Cooking for Beginners | Homemade Recipes https://homemaderecipes.com/cooking-101/how-to-be-a-master-chef-in-10-days-poaching-steaming-boiling
Test your new skills with this recipe.

Prep Time: Around 20 min, Cook Time: About 15 min, Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (room temperature)
  • ½ cup of chopped onion
  • 1 cup canned chopped tomatoes
  • 4 medium cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 ½ cup chicken broth
  • 3 sprigs fresh thyme
  • Pinch salt
  • 2 pounds mussels scrubbed and debearded
  • Italian bread, sliced

Directions

  • Heat a tablespoon of butter and olive oil in a 6 to 8-quart pot on medium heat until liquid. Then put the onion in and cook until it is transparent. Make sure to stir it. Then add the tomato and garlic and cook for around 2 minutes, allowing the garlic fragrance to release.
  • Add the chicken broth, thyme, and salt. Cover the pot and put the heat on high, allowing the broth to come to a simmer. Lower the heat and let the mixture simmer uncovered for 4 or 5 minutes to reduce it a little.
  • Put the heat back on high and put the mussels in. Cover the pot until the mussels open up. This should take 4 to 6 minutes. Turn the mussels over in the broth once. Throw out any of the mussels that do not open.
  • Take a slotted spoon and put the mussels in a serving bowl.
  • Put the last of the butter and parsley into the broth and stir it in at medium heat, allowing the butter to melt. Pour the broth over your mussels and bring out the bread to dip in the sauce!

Make these guides your best friends; catch them below:

Chapter 1: Be A Master Chef in 10 Days

Chapter 2: Kitchen Storage Ideas

Chapter 2.1: Main Kitchen Appliances

Chapter 2.2: Creating a Safe and User-Friendly Kitchen

Chapter 2.3: Essential Pots, Pans and Cookware

Chapter 3: How To Organize and Stock Your Kitchen Pantry

Chapter 4: How To Buy and Use Your Kitchen Knives

Chapter 4.1: Knife Cuts – Chopping, Dicing and More

Chapter 5: How To Steam, Boil, Poach and More

Chapter 6: How To Saute and Make Homemade Sauces

Chapter 7: How To Braise Meat and How To Make Stew

Chapter 8: How To Roast Meat, Veggies and Poultry

Chapter 9: How To Grill Steak, Chicken and Veggies

Chapter 10: How To Bake Goods and Desserts From Scratch

Chapter 10.1: How to Make Pie Crust, How To Bake Cakes and More!

Chapter 11: Cooking for Beginners – Breakfast

Chapter 11.1: Breakfast Bread – How To Make French Toast, Pancakes & Waffles

Chapter 12: How To Make Soup

Chapter 13: How To Cook Perfect Pasta and Hearty Grains

Chapter 14: How To Make Sauces From Scratch

Chapter 15: Easy To Make Homemade Desserts For Beginners

Chapter 16: How To Make Single-Pot Recipes From Scratch

Chapter 17: Thinking Like A Chef – Cooking Tips for Beginners

 

Don’t forget to catch the next part of our guide to How To Be A Master Chef In 10 Days! We love hearing your feedback and comments, so let us know if you have any other tips for beginner cooks or your thoughts on this series. HomemadeRecipes.com was founded to create an online community where foodies, epicureans and chefs can share recipes and learn new ones! We need your help, however, in creating this community where you can come, share and learn. If you love to cook, love food or have some great recipes and ideas you’d like to share with us, shoot us an email and make sure to stay in touch on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest! We’re always looking for contributors and want to hear from you.

Sign up for our daily newsletter here!

Do you have Instagram? Don’t forget to follow @HomemadeRecipesOfficial.

Click here to Like Us on Facebook.

Click here to Follow Homemade Recipes on Pinterest

Filed Under: Advanced Cooking Skills, Basic Cooking Skills, Books, Cooking 101, Intermediate Cooking Skills, Supplies Tagged With: 10 day chef, cooking 101, cooking basics, cooking for beginners, culinary skills, how to become a master chef, master chef

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
Summer Drinks: Why Everyone’s Ditching the Bottled Juices and Blending These Homemade Coolers

Summer Drinks: Why Everyone’s Ditching the Bottled Juices and Blending These Homemade Coolers

Pin it Hot days are more tolerable when you have a cold beverage in hand. The following summer drinks are simple to make and help you stay hydrated when the heat’s in full swing. Beat the Heat With These Homemade Summer Drinks Instead of cracking open another boring bottled juice, why not make a homemade…Continue Reading

BBQ Recipes: Grilled Dishes Worth Serving This 4th of July

BBQ Recipes: Grilled Dishes Worth Serving This 4th of July

Pin it You’ve got the guest list set, and the grill cleaned off. Now it’s time to figure out what to include on the menu. Instead of pulling something together last minute, why not start with BBQ recipes that actually work for hungry crowds in the outdoor heat? A 4th of July BBQ usually features…Continue Reading

No-Bake Dessert Fun for the 4th: Red, White, and Blue Treats Kids Can Make

No-Bake Dessert Fun for the 4th: Red, White, and Blue Treats Kids Can Make

Pin it If you’ve got little ones in the house, the Fourth of July holiday is a great time to bring them into the kitchen. Holiday-themed snacks and treats aren’t only fun to look at but they can also help kids get more comfortable with new foods. This roundup includes simple, red, white, and blue…Continue Reading

Calling All Cooks! We Want You! Click here to contribute!

Top Recipes

beef flank steak

Learn to Make this Fancy Steak Recipe+ Wine Pairing

chicken

2 Easy Chicken Recipes-Chicken Napoli & Thai Grilled Chicken

beef kebabs

How to Make Asian Beef Kebabs

AhiTuna

Seared Tuna with Soy Wasabi Glaze + Wine Pairing

Homemade Recipes RSS Feed
  • facebook
  • pinterest
  • instagram
  • youtube

Other Great Sites

  • Homesteading
  • DIY Projects
  • Garden Season
  • Sewing.com

Categories

  • Popular Recipes
  • Quick & Easy Meals
  • Appetizers & Snacks
  • Breakfast & Brunch
  • Healthy Recipes
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • FAQs
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
  • Become a Contributor
  • Advertise With Us
Homemade Recipes
Email Support: support@homemaderecipes.com
Phone: 737-249-2781

Product returns go to:
1889 E Maule Ave, Ste G
Las Vegas 89119

Copyright © 2025 · Homemade Recipes


This copyrighted material may not be republished without express permission. The information presented here is for general educational purposes only.

MATERIAL CONNECTION DISCLOSURE: You should assume that this website has an affiliate relationship and/or another material connection to the persons or businesses mentioned in or linked to from this page and may receive commissions from purchases you make on subsequent web sites. You should not rely solely on information contained in this email to evaluate the product or service being endorsed. Always exercise due diligence before purchasing any product or service. This website contains advertisements.