Warm up for Sthlm Food & Wine with some of Leila’s best tips for success in the kitchen. Leila Lindholm is one of Sweden’s most beloved chefs and TV profiles. Leila is known from popular programs such as Leila’s food, Leila bakes and Leila’s sweet Christmas, and she is passionate about making cooking a joyful experience for everyone.
We took the opportunity to ask Leila about her secrets for creating magic in the kitchen, and she revealed some invaluable advice to enhance both taste and cooking pleasure.
You will of course also be able to meet Leila during Sthlm Food & Wine.
Leila’s tips
Good kitchen utensils. Cooking without the right utensils can be a challenge, and maybe not so much fun. Make sure you equip your kitchen with good tools to make cooking and baking more fun.
Here is my list of the tools I use almost every day.
- Sharp knives
- Good cutting boards, in both wood and plastic
- Silicone lollipop pots
- Whisks (balloon whisk and spiral whisk)
- Riveting iron
- Microplane grater
- Kitchen towels
- Wooden utensils
- Dough scraper
- Baking trays / oven trays
- Grill tongs / salad tongs
- Silicone spatula for frying
- Potato peeler
- Frying thermometer
Cooking with good ingredients makes a difference…
Put extra love and care into the ingredients. Making sure you cook with good and tasty ingredients makes a big difference to the outcome. I think we’ve all tried a tasteless tomato at some point or a ham full of nitrites. Focus on fewer high-quality ingredients, because when the raw material tastes good in itself, you don’t need so many other flavors. A really good olive oil can be a wonderful flavor enhancer. Baking pizza with a really good Italian flour makes a difference to the result.
Cook and shop in season!
Many vegetables and fruits are so much tastier when in season. Take advantage of citrus and exotic fruits in winter and primroses in summer. Of course, it’s also much cheaper.
Stock up your pantry!
A good basic pantry with frequently used seasonings and dry goods is a must. Then you always have most of what you need to cook. I use a lot of seasonings like garlic, lemon, Japanese soy, sesame oil.
I go through and check dates from time to time and of course do not buy more things than I need.
