planning ahead

eating well needs a bit of planning, but it doesn't have to be hard work - think ahead a bit when trying a new dish or meal:

• what have i got in stock?
• what ingredients do i need? - can i get them easily? can i afford them?
• what equipment do i really need? - can i improvise? 
• does the recipe tell me exactly how to make it and what to do if things go wrong?

a few tips about recipes from books and online: 

• don't trust the photos, they are rarely realistic - the commercial ones pay people to make the stuff look that good, but it might not be what it says - many food bloggers use various food styling tricks and techniques (i use my own photos of my own food .....and it shows!)  
• check a few different ones  - it they vary hugely you might need to decide whether you trust one more than the others
• always try it out before cooking it for someone else, specially if you want to impress them!

i find that recipes and instructions from trusted sources are the most reliable e.g. people you know who cook well and care about you (or a really reliable celebrity cook,  in my experience celebrity chef recipes require higher levels of skill and expereience )

..........i will be updating this with further thoughts and tips as i go along