In the past, your only teaching tools when it came to cooking were hardcover recipe books, note cards from family members, and anyone you knew who was able to cook really well. While those are all still things you can take advantage of in order to improve your cooking skills, there is a lot more out there. One of the most powerful tools, of course, is social media like Pinterest and Twitter, though there are many other options.

So how exactly can social media help improve your cooking skills? How can you use it to become an expert in the kitchen? Below you will find three of the most popular ways social media can work to your advantage when it comes to cooking.

Increased Exposure to Recipes

With platforms like Pinterest, you have a dramatic increase in exposure to new recipes. Users can post ones they have created or ones passed down in their families. This opens up a range of potential recipes you cannot get through traditional cookbooks. With that said, some authors will publish select recipes from their cookbooks as a way to tease the audience and entice them into buying the full book.

As you see more recipes online, you will also find an increasing range in difficulty levels, which means you have more recipes at your skill level. They also tend to be broken down more, in that the transition from beginner to expert recipes is more gradual than what you might see in a traditional cookbook.

Ability to Obtain Expert Advice

Many popular chefs and cookbook authors are available on social media platforms like Twitter, which means you have the ability to ask specific questions about a recipe or cooking technique you are trying, as well as obtain general advice about improving your cooking skills. Since it is social media, rather than writing a letter, you also tend to get faster responses. Popular chefs are not the only ones you can ask as well. Social media allows you to connect with others on your skill level, as well as food bloggers. The range of potential sources of advice you have access to is astronomical.

Learn New Tricks

In addition to the wealth of recipes you now have access to through social media channels, you can also find lots of tricks for cooking. This includes details on cooking times for different varieties of rice, information on ingredients that can act as popular substitutes (great for making gluten-free recipes or managing other dietary restrictions), as well as information on how you can use different pieces of kitchen equipment and utensils in unconventional ways while you are cooking. These tricks can make complicated recipes much easier for you to handle.

The sheer volume of recipes available to you through social media is enough to be a significant help in improving you cooking skills. However, what tips social media over the edge and makes it a powerhouse is the ability it gives you to ask experts for advice and how it shares simple tricks to make your life easier in the kitchen.

Image: dolgachov

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