Everyone faces a few embarrassing fails when doing introductory cooking. Even the glitterati of the culinary world had them when they set off on the journey of pleasing gastronomical cravings. You having them while living alone may be ignominious but never let them demean you. When you enter the kitchen for the first time with the prospect of cooking rather than looking for cooked food, open yourself to failures.

Failures in all dimensions can be humiliating which means your cooking practice sessions are best done behind closed doors of the kitchen, away from the scrutiny of your roommates. If the roti burns or pulao becomes mashed rice, you will only be laughed at by yourself. Record the amount of time you used for boiling the rice and reduce it the next time.

When cooking as an amateur, you are bound to have mishaps. Taking them in your stride is what will make you a winner. Try new recipes in small quantity. Not only will this be economical for the expensive ingredients you will be using, but also stop wastage. As an amateur, it is advisable to not try new stuff for large groups of friends. Make them an awesome omelette even if it is the only cooking skill you have managed to garner so far.

Recipes are just guidelines to follow, they cannot be followed rigidly. When making it for the first time, you will stick to it strongly and it is always advisable that you do so but there are always possibilities of it going wrong. Most of the time you will know where it went wrong, so scribbles down on the recipe to lower the amount of chili while cooking kashmiri dum aloo. It acts as a reminder the next time you make it.

Sharing a picture of your burnt kichidi on Facebook or Instagram will only give your mother a complex for not having taught you cooking and a chance for your friends to laugh at. Posting the same picture or commenting about your failure on the cooking blog you follow will allow the writer to give you positive feedback on where you went wrong.

Cooking gets better with practice. With repeated attempts, your tongue will get more receptive towards the level of salt and intensity of the chili. So never let one undercooked chicken recipe dishearten you. Keep stirring the pot!