Culinary Inspiration by Otao Kitchen

Many of us have overstocked essentials and thus we must learn the art of storing food with an extended shelf life thus minimizing food waste. Here are the tips which can help keep your food fresh for an extended period of time.

 A stocked pantry is the best way to ensure you'll have everything you need to make a healthy and flavorful meal every day. A combination of classic pantry staples such as tin tomatoes, chicken broth and tin beans and flavour-boosting convenience items like herb mixes, soy sauce and jarred pesto are key to keeping your kitchen dinner-ready. 

Planning your weekly meals doesn’t have to be complicated. With a little forethought, you can simplify your routine, save time and money, reduce waste, and enjoy healthy, delicious food all week long. Here’s a practical approach to building your weekly menu with ease.

1. Assess Your Week

Start by reviewing your upcoming schedule. Look at work hours, events, social plans, or kids’ activities—anything that affects how much time and energy you’ll have to cook. This will help you identify which days need quicker or more flexible meal options.

2. Take Stock of Your Pantry

Before planning meals or shopping, check your fridge, freezer, and pantry. Use what you already have to cut costs and reduce waste. Think about how you can incorporate those ingredients into your meals for the week.

3. Choose Your Recipes

Pick meals that match your dietary needs, skill level, and the time you have available. Try mixing in a variety of cuisines, ingredients, and cooking methods to keep things interesting.

For inspiration, explore Otao Kitchen's recipe collection—you’ll find easy and exciting recipes from all over the world.

4. Build a Weekly Meal Plan

Assign meals to specific days, keeping perishable ingredients in mind so they’re used early in the week. Here’s a sample layout:

• Monday: Grilled Chicken and Vegetables

• Tuesday: Stir-Fried Tofu and Rice

• Wednesday: Pasta with Homemade Tomato Sauce

• Thursday: Seafood Tacos with Fresh Salsa

• Friday: Leftovers or Omelettes

• Saturday: Homemade Pizza Night

• Sunday: Slow-Cooked Roast with Veg

Having a plan helps you stay organised, reduces last-minute decisions, and makes grocery shopping easier.

5. Write Your Shopping List

Once you’ve picked your meals, write a shopping list. Organise it by category—produce, pantry, dairy, proteins—to make your trip efficient and stress-free.

6. Do Some Prep in Advance

If possible, prep a few items on the weekend: chop vegetables, marinate meat, cook grains, or make sauces. Small steps like these can save lots of time during busy weekdays.

7. Be Flexible

Life happens. Be prepared to swap meals around or replace them if needed. Keeping one or two simple backup meals—like soup, pasta, or frozen dumplings—can be a lifesaver.

Planning your weekly menu helps you take control of your food, eat better, and make cooking more enjoyable. For more recipes, meal ideas, and kitchen tips, visit the Otao Kitchen Blog.

Each year, foodborne illnesses affect millions of people—many of whom don’t realise the symptoms can mimic the flu. These illnesses can lead to serious complications, especially for pregnant women, older adults, and individuals with weakened immune systems. By following proper food hygiene and safety practices at home, you can significantly reduce the risk of food poisoning and ensure your kitchen is a safe place to cook and eat.

1. Personal Hygiene: Your First Line of Defense

Bacteria that cause food poisoning are often invisible and can live on our skin, clothes, and surfaces. Proper personal hygiene while cooking is essential.

• Wash your hands thoroughly with warm soapy water for at least 20 seconds—before and after preparing food, after touching raw meat, using the bathroom, or handling rubbish.

• Avoid touching your face, hair, phone, or clothing while preparing meals.

• Stay out of the kitchen if you are feeling unwell or have flu-like symptoms.

• Don’t chew gum, smoke, or handle food while sneezing or coughing.

2. Safe Food Handling and Storage

Improper handling or storing of food can allow harmful bacteria to grow quickly.

• Thaw food safely in the fridge, under cold running water, or in the microwave. Never defrost food at room temperature. Learn about safe thawing.

• Refrigerate promptly. Your fridge should be at or below 5°C (41°F). Store perishable foods as soon as possible and avoid overfilling.

• Freeze smartly. Label and date frozen items and aim to use them within 3–6 months for best quality. See Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) for storage guidelines.

3. Cooking and Reheating Food Safely

Cooking and reheating foods to the correct temperature ensures that harmful bacteria are destroyed.

• Cook food thoroughly. For example, poultry should reach an internal temperature of at least 75°C (167°F). Check this with a food thermometer. See this guide to safe cooking temperatures.

• Reheat leftovers until steaming hot all the way through, also reaching 75°C. Only reheat food once.

4. Spotting and Responding to Foodborne Illness

Symptoms can include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and fever. If you or a family member becomes ill after eating:

• Seek medical advice—call your GP or dial 000 in an emergency.

• Keep the food or packaging as evidence if needed for testing.

• Report suspected food poisoning from a business to your local council or via Food Safety Victoria.

5. Special Precautions for Vulnerable Groups

Some people are at greater risk of severe reactions from foodborne pathogens:

• Pregnant women: Avoid raw seafood, soft cheeses, deli meats, and unpasteurised dairy. Read the pregnancy food safety guide.

• Older adults: Be cautious with high-risk foods like sushi, cold meats, and undercooked eggs. Learn more from Nutrition Australia.

• People with weakened immune systems: Take extra care with food preparation, storage, and reheating. Consult Safe Food Handling Tips.

Final Thoughts

Good food hygiene isn’t just for commercial kitchens—it’s a vital part of home cooking too. From clean hands to proper refrigeration and cooking, following these simple practices protects your household from unnecessary risk and keeps your meals safe and enjoyable.

For more tips and hands-on learning, explore our Otao Kitchen Cooking Classes—where we combine food safety with fun, interactive cooking.

Discover the joy of cooking from the comfort of your own kitchen with Otao Kitchen's online cooking classes. Whether you’re new to cooking or want to expand your culinary horizons, Otao Kitchen offers fun, interactive and delicious online experiences for everyone—from home cooks to food lovers and corporate teams.

Explore a World of Flavours

Otao Kitchen's virtual cooking classes bring global cuisine straight to your home. With hands-on guidance and pre-portioned ingredients delivered to your door, you can dive into a wide range of authentic cooking experiences:

• Vietnamese Cooking Class + Hamper – Learn to create fresh, vibrant Vietnamese dishes with expert guidance.

• Japanese Sushi Making Class + Hamper – Master the basics of sushi rolling with premium ingredients.

• Mexican Cooking Class + Hamper – Spice up your dinner with authentic tacos, salsas, and more.

• Chinese Dumpling Class + Hamper – Learn to fold, pinch, and steam dumplings like a pro.

• Italian Pasta Making Class + Hamper – Make pasta from scratch and pair it with traditional sauces.

• Japanese Ramen Class + Hamper – Create rich, comforting bowls of authentic ramen.

• Bush Food Cooking Class + Hamper – Explore Australia’s native ingredients and Indigenous cooking traditions.

Hampers Delivered to Your Door

Each online cooking experience includes a carefully curated hamper, packed with high-quality, pre-measured ingredients. You’ll receive everything you need (except for a few pantry staples), making it easy to enjoy a professional-level cooking session at home.

Perfect for Every Occasion

Otao Kitchen’s online cooking classes are ideal for:

• Family Fun – Cook together and make memories with the kids.

• Date Nights – Turn up the romance with a shared cooking adventure.

• Virtual Team Building – Strengthen your team’s connection with a fun, collaborative experience.

• Gift Vouchers – Treat friends or loved ones to a memorable cooking experience they can enjoy at home.

Flexible and Easy to Join

Classes are hosted via Zoom, and you’ll receive:

• A class invitation with Zoom details

• Step-by-step recipe instructions

• Pre-recorded videos to help you prepare ahead of time

You can cook along live or follow at your own pace—perfect for busy schedules or relaxed weekends.

Vegan and Plant-Based Options Available

Looking to explore plant-based cooking? Try the Vegan Cooking Master Class, featuring vibrant vegan recipes from Indian, Japanese, and other world cuisines. These classes are packed with flavour and designed for all skill levels.

Ready to Cook Something Amazing?

Cooking at home has never been more accessible or more fun. With Otao Kitchen's online cooking classes, you can learn new skills, explore world cuisines, and connect with others—all from your own kitchen.

Browse the full range of online classes and hampers here.

Cooking is one of life’s most essential skills, and while most of us can wrap our heads around a few basics, more advanced skills require tutelage to truly absorb and master. Unless you have a professional chef who’s eager to teach you in their spare time (something they probably don’t have a lot of to begin with), then your best bet is to enrol in a cooking class.

While there are many apparent benefits to joining a cooking class (learning to cook, learning food-safety practices, etc.), there are also some hidden and lesser-known benefits as well. Let’s take a look at some of the less obvious benefits of joining a professional, group cooking class.

As a city that has more than 300 suburbs, there’s never a shortage of interesting places to explore in Melbourne. If you feel like going to a place that exudes a “melting pot of culture” kind of charm, a drive or a tram trip to Brunswick can give you just that.

Located only 6 kilometres away from the city centre, you can already feel what it’s like to be in significantly different cities all at once.

Brunswick Itinerary: What Can You Do In This Suburb?

Brunswick is a place that will surely be loved by curious tourists. Even locals don’t run out of things to do despite having been there for a long time!

If you’ve decided to put Brunswick in your Melbourne itinerary, here are 9 things that are worth checking out:

Have you ever gone to the supermarket to pick up something and you ended up walking out with other things you think you'll need? If so, keep reading. Supermarkets and groceries have secrets to get us to buy items we weren’t planning to buy. Here are the secrets you should know before your next grocery trip.

#1 Spraying Produce with Water

Once fresh produce is picked, they begin to lose its natural moisture so fruits and vegetables dry out. Spraying water on fresh produce helps keep it hydrated so that it maintains moisture and letting it taste fresher for longer. Plump produce also looks fresh and you are more likely to buy food that looks good.

#2 Milk Fridge In The Back of the Store

Few people said that milk needs to be refrigerated otherwise it goes off so when deliveries are made at the back of grocery stores so having milk fridges there would be the best location. However, the real reason is that people come to the supermarket to buy milk, placing the milk fridge in the back forces visitors to walk through the entire store to find it. The result is that you end up seeing interesting products and likely you will buy more than you planned.

#3 Music Encourages You to Linger

Many supermarket play music with a rhythm that’s slower than the average heartbeat, which encourages you to move slower, making you spend more time in the supermarket. 

#4 Supporting Local Causes

Supermarkets often have budgets laid out for supporting local causes. If the organisation is having a fundraiser, asking your local grocery store for a donation is a great place to start. 

#5 Price at the Unit Pricing

When buying everyday items like rice or pasta sauce, it can be tempting to reach for the item that’s $4.50, instead of the one that’s $5.99. If you look closely at the price tag and you’ll notice the price per unit. Usually, it’s the smaller, lighter and cheaper bags that end up costing you more.

#6 Fresh Produce Entrance

Having flowers, fruits and vegetables be the first thing you see when you enter a grocery store, gives your brain the impression that you’re entering a place that’s natural and fresh. Supermarkets know that this zen entry is not only welcoming but it also makes you feel good about shopping at the store.

#7 Almost Expired Produce Used in Prepared Foods

Ever wondered where all that excess meats and produces goes once it's on its last legs? Many stores give it one last appeal in the prepared foods section - marinaded meats, cooked pies, prepared sausages and so on.

You might stress out of finding something to do on Valentine day? Going out or staying at home? For sure, you might find more romantic than going out to eat on Valentine’s Day and that is cooking for someone at home. Whether you cook together or create a culinary masterpiece to surprise your love, step out of your comfort zone and try your hand at these Asian recipes to really set the mood for love.

#1 Vietnamese Spring Rolls 

It's really easy to make restaurant-quality spring rolls at home. This little spring rolls can be frozen and cook straight from frozen in the oven or better at home to shallow fry them!

Check out the recipe here 

#2 Thai Glass Noodle

Glass noodle salad belonged to my favourites. Like in the majority of Thai salads, it is a great mix of flavours like spicy, sweet and sour. You can garnish with peanuts however in the class we may not provide peanut as someone might have an allergy. 

Check out the recipe here 

#3 Green Papaya Salad

If you visit Thailand on the streets of Bangkok, food vendors pound together this combination of green papaya, chillies, fish sauce and lime. Make this salad as tradition dictates with a large mortar and pestle to create the unique flavours of Thailand. More Green Curry and Red Curry Making as a base for your dishes.

Check out the recipe here

#4 Making dumplings 

 It's easy to prepare, budget-friendly and great-tasting, so what's not to love about dumplings! We've got chicken, pork, beef, vegetarian and more dumplings to make. You can use the ready-made wrapper.

Check out the recipe here

#5 Chinese Custard Tart

Egg tart made with Chinese puff pastry is one of the best Chinese desserts among the dim sum spread in Cantonese cuisine

Check out the recipe here