Culinary Inspiration by Otao Kitchen

How to Buy, Store and Prepare Chicken?

Australians eat more chicken every year than any other meat or protein. It can be a nutritious and tasty choice, but raw chicken often contains nasty salmonella. If not handled properly, the bacteria could make someone really sick! Poultry is a product that deteriorates quickly, so it’s important to know when it is fresh or not. Here are some hints to find the freshest chicken and the best way to store it.

Buying Chicken

• When purchasing chicken, make sure there’s no ‘off’ smell. Fresh poultry should have very little, or no aroma.
• If buying a whole bird, ensure the skin, flesh and bones appear undamaged.
• Chicken breasts should be plump with a very pale pink flesh.
• Chicken thighs have a darker meat. They should have a dark pink flesh and a little white fat.
• Make sure to purchase from a reputable supplier who has been approved by local authorities.
• Check that the chicken is delivered at 5C or below.
• Confirm that frozen chicken products are completely frozen and inspect the packaging for any signs of thawing.
• Don’t accept any chicken that is soft, discoloured or sticky. Pay particular attention to the wings and joints.

Storage

To store chicken, leave it in its original packaging or place in a container and cover completely. Store on the bottom shelf (or the coldest part) of your the fridge for up to 2 days. This helps prevent contaminating any foods below. Cook any raw chicken within two days of purchase and freeze whatever you don’t use. Ensure to wrap your chicken in airtight packages. Label, date and keep refrigerated at 5C or below, or frozen at -15C or below.

If freezing fresh portions, do so immediately after purchasing (in its original packaging) for up to 2 months. Alternatively, separate the chicken into serving portions, thoroughly wrap in plastic bags or cling film and freeze for up to 2 months. It is very important to thaw chicken completely before cooking. To defrost, place the chicken in the fridge on a large plate (in its original packaging). This will take between 12-24 hours. Never refreeze chicken that has already been thawed. Cooked chicken can then be frozen for later use.

If you’ve ever been to a Chinese, Indian, or Thai restaurant, you likely already know how intentional Asians are when it comes to preparing food. Their dishes can’t be easily replicated using the typical options you find around you, so you’ll need to look for a good source of Asian ingredients. 

It’s popular knowledge that to make the best Asian cuisine, you should have the best ingredients. You probably want to try cooking some Asian meals at home, but you don’t even know where you can get everything you need to do so. Fortunately for you, the answer is right here. Just read on to know how you can search for and get your hands on quality ingredients for Asian cuisine.

1. Browse Catalogues

You’re probably wondering why you haven’t thought about this. Or maybe you have. Either way, checking catalogues is a great way to locate specific shops where you can get good ingredients for the Asian food you want to serve.

Not only will a catalogue provide you with store names, but it’ll also help you know the prices of the ingredients you’re after. Browsing a Coles catalogue and others similar to it will even allow you to discover special offers you can take advantage of.

1. Visit An Asian Supermarket

You may have already gone to different supermarkets in your area numerous times to purchase ingredients for your everyday meals. However, those places might not have the specific ingredients that’ll allow you to prepare Asian dishes the right way. You have to go to Asian grocery stores to buy those, so keep an eye out for one whenever you’re walking around or traveling from one place to another.

1. Do An Internet Search

In a world where nearly every business is online, you’ll surely be able to find an Asian online store offering high-quality ingredients. Some of them may even offer discounts on certain items. You only have to take your time and ensure that you choose the right one for you. 

Although many of them have physical shops, it may be more convenient for you to order from them online and have your items delivered. In doing so, you’ll save time and effort and get your Asian ingredients at excellent prices.

1. Ask An Asian Friend Or Neighbour

Of course, your Asian friends and acquaintances would know exactly where you can buy fresh ingredients for Asian cuisine, and they’ll be delighted to share that sort of information with you. Don’t be surprised if they even offer to accompany you to the particular stores they mention. And when they do go with you, they might just be able to teach you how you can determine the freshness and quality of certain food items.

There's no better time than now to take a full check of your kitchen essentials as a budding chef. If you still keep old and destroyed pots, stubborn knives, and worn-out chopping boards, it’s time to change those. These essentials have reached their end of life when it doesn’t serve its purpose anymore. Chefs know that while cooking skill and technique matter, it doesn’t hurt to invest in top-quality materials to make cooking easier, more efficient, and speedier, too.

You have that drive within you now to take your cooking to the next level. So, as you hone your skills, your kitchen tools should contribute to that purpose as well. Yes, there are gadgets and gizmos for just about everything in the kitchen. But you don’t need to have them all at once as a budding chef. You can start with the bare essentials.

With that said, here’s a list of the top kitchen essentials you must have as a budding chef:

Best Team Building Activities to Do While on Conference Calls

In today’s increasingly remote workplace, corporate teams across the world have embraced virtual collaboration. As we adapt to this new way of working, one key challenge remains: how do we stay connected and build a strong team culture from a distance?

The answer lies in regular and meaningful team building activities—even during conference calls. These virtual team-building efforts are essential for cultivating trust, boosting morale, and improving collaboration.

Why Virtual Team Building Matters

Remote work can make communication feel transactional. In-person interaction naturally builds rapport through body language, eye contact, and shared experiences. But when working virtually, we need to be more intentional about creating emotional connections.

Getting the whole team together in person is not always feasible—flights, accommodation, and the environmental impact of travel (each roundtrip flight adds about 0.5 metric tons of CO₂) can be significant. Instead, virtual team building during conference calls offers a low-cost, sustainable, and accessible way to stay connected.

Here’s how to build a more bonded and collaborative team during your Zoom, Teams, or Meet calls.

Otao Kitchen: The Best Way to Learn Multicultural Cuisine in Melbourne

Cooking is more than just a daily necessity—it's a cultural experience, a bonding activity, and a life skill that connects people across the globe. Whether you're preparing a weekday meal or celebrating a special occasion, food plays a central role. But for many, learning how to cook international cuisines can be challenging—where do you start, and who do you learn from?

That’s where Otao Kitchen steps in. Based in Melbourne, Otao Kitchen offers a unique solution for food lovers and travellers alike by providing hands-on cooking classes that celebrate multicultural cuisine and culture. More than just a cooking school, it’s a space where authentic food traditions are preserved, shared, and celebrated.

Why Otao Kitchen Is a Top Choice for Cooking Classes in Melbourne

Otao Kitchen offers a wide variety of cooking classes—from Vietnamese, Thai, and Japanese to Greek, Indian, Mexican, Korean, Spanish, and even dumpling-making workshops. Their classes cater to individuals, groups, tourists, and even corporate team-building events.

Best Corporate Cooking Classes in Australia

Looking for a fun and engaging way to bring your team together? Corporate cooking classes are an excellent way to boost teamwork, creativity, and communication while enjoying delicious food. Whether you want to host a virtual event or an in-person workshop, Australia offers a variety of top-rated corporate cooking experiences. Here are some of the best options available:

1. Otao Kitchen (Melbourne & Online)

Otao Kitchen specializes in interactive team-building cooking classes that cater to corporate groups. Whether your team prefers an in-person experience or a virtual cooking session, Otao Kitchen offers tailored programs to suit your needs.

✅ What Makes It Special?

• Hands-on, chef-led experiences with professional guidance.

• A variety of cuisines, including Vietnamese, Japanese, Mexican, and more.

• Virtual cooking classes with delivered hampers for remote teams.

📍 Location: Melbourne & Online
🔗 Learn more

2. Sydney Cooking School (Sydney, NSW)

Sydney Cooking School provides corporate cooking classes designed to enhance teamwork in a fun and relaxed setting. Their classes range from BBQ Masterclasses to Sushi Making and Classic French Cooking.

✅ Why Choose Sydney Cooking School?

• Customizable team-building packages.

• Professional chefs guide your team through hands-on experiences.

• Options for large corporate groups.

📍 Location: Neutral Bay, Sydney

3. The Essential Ingredient Cooking School (Multiple Locations)

With locations in Sydney, Melbourne, and Canberra, The Essential Ingredient Cooking School offers corporate cooking workshops featuring top-tier chefs and diverse cuisines. Their hands-on approach ensures an engaging and rewarding experience for all participants.

✅ Highlights:

• Custom corporate cooking packages tailored to your team’s preferences.

• High-quality ingredients and expert-led instruction.

• Specialty courses including pasta-making, Asian cuisine, and more.

📍 Locations: Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra

4. Vanilla Zulu Culinary Adventures (Brisbane, QLD)

Located in Brisbane, Vanilla Zulu offers fun and interactive corporate cooking classes designed to build stronger teams. Whether it’s a competitive cooking challenge or a relaxed group experience, their classes are great for bonding over delicious food.

✅ What Sets It Apart?

• Unique team-building experiences, including Mystery Box Challenges.

• Private and corporate group sessions available.

• Options for cooking competitions and themed classes.

📍 Location: Brisbane, QLD

5. Sticky Fingers Cooking School (Perth, WA)

For corporate teams looking for a unique culinary experience, Sticky Fingers Cooking School in Perth offers custom corporate cooking classes. Their classes focus on collaboration, creativity, and fun.

✅ Why Pick Sticky Fingers?

• Classes tailored to corporate team-building needs.

• Options for private bookings and larger team events.

• Cooking styles range from traditional Aussie BBQ to international cuisine.

📍 Location: Perth, WA

Final Thoughts

Corporate cooking classes are a fantastic way to strengthen teamwork, enhance communication, and create lasting memories. Whether you prefer a hands-on experience in a professional kitchen or a virtual cooking class with delivered ingredients, Australia has a variety of exceptional options.

For Melbourne-based and online corporate cooking experiences, Otao Kitchen is a top choice with its interactive, tailored programs. Explore the best cooking classes in Australia and give your team an experience they'll never forget!

🔗 Explore Otao Kitchen Corporate Cooking Classes

Kiwi Knife Asian Cleaver

When it comes to Asian household, everyone will have one of these. Cheap and Cheerful. The cleaver is mostly used to slice boneless meats, chop, slice. It is an excellent tool for smashing garlic and ginger and also use it to transfer food from cutting board to wok or frying pan. You can use for cut meat such as chicken, beef for making minced meats. It is multi-purpose kitchen knives. This Thai cleaver looks much like the butcher cleavers familiar in butcher shops in the west, but thinner. Made from high quality stainless steel. The blade is around 20 cm long, 28 cm height and 15 cm wood handle. Product of Thailand.

Buy On Amazon Fr $33.92

Japanese Santoku Knife

Santoku means three virtues is a blade-style perfect for chopping, mincing and dicing vegetables. This  16.5 cm Wasabi Black is the handy knife you'll turn to again and again in your kitchen. This Wasabi line of knives is made in the traditional Japanese blade styling. To reduce food sticking, the blades are sharpened on a single side or sometimes being slotted. Although it has a traditional blade-style, it is paired with a uniquely modern handle material, polypropylene blended with bamboo powder, and impregnated with an agent for super clean food preparation.

Buy On Amazon Fr $48.97

Cut Resistant Gloves

The cut resistant gloves let you handle your grater, knives, and mandolin slicer while worrying less about bandaging a finger or worse. Great for the kids too.
Made of food-safe ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene, glass fibre and Spandex, these gloves have been designed to resist cuts from even the sharpest blades. We use these gloves for clients to make a salad so they don't cut themselves. Different Size.

NoCry Cut Resistant Gloves with Secure-Grip Microdots and Level 5 Cut Protection. Comfort-Fit. Food Grade, Size Medium. Includes Free eCookbook!" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: rgb(46, 145, 252);">Buy On Amazon Fr $16.99

 Whetstone 

When your kitchen knives are being used during every service you'll need to revive the blade to keep it sharp.

Just a few minutes using the 400 grit side and you'll restore dull blades. A few more minutes on the 1000 grit side and that edge will be sharper than before.

Wet the whetstone's surface to float away from the swarf. The silicone base keeps the whetstone in place, so you can keep a consistent angle.

Buy On Amazon from $26.99

What Is Garam Masala? Everything You Need to Know

If you enjoy Indian cuisine, chances are you’ve come across garam masala — a warm, fragrant spice blend that adds depth and complexity to curries, soups, stews, and marinades. Whether you have a jar in your pantry or you're curious to make your own, let’s explore what makes this spice mix so special.

What Is Garam Masala?

Garam masala literally means “hot spices” in Hindi — but not hot as in spicy. Instead, the “heat” refers to the warming qualities of the spices on the body, according to Ayurvedic tradition. It’s a staple in North Indian cooking, where it’s used as a finishing spice or stirred in while cooking to enhance flavour.

This aromatic blend typically includes cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, cumin, coriander seeds, black peppercorns, and nutmeg. Some regional variations also use mace, fennel seeds, bay leaves, or mustard seeds. Each household or restaurant may have its own unique version, so garam masala can taste slightly different every time you try it.