Buzz
Credit: Ilya Rocket/ Getty ImagesMy journey into cooking began later in life, well into adulthood. After dabbling in recreational cooking classes, I decided to pursue formal training at a professional culinary school. Years later, after various roles and authoring five cookbooks, I now serve as Mytour's food director, dedicated to helping home cooks create flavorful meals with ease. While culinary school primarily trains restaurant chefs, the lessons I learned there remain invaluable in my daily cooking. Now, I’m sharing those insights with you.
1. Always Taste Your Dish Before Serving It
From the very beginning, my chef-instructor emphasized this golden rule: always taste your dish before serving to determine if it needs a final touch. Is the soup lacking depth? A splash of lemon or a dash of vinegar can work wonders. Is the salad too bitter? A pinch of salt will balance it. Is the pasta too dry? A drizzle of olive oil can revive it. The key takeaway? You won’t know what’s missing unless you taste it. I’ll admit, sometimes I skip this step when I’m in a hurry, and it’s always a mistake.
2. Clean the Plate’s Edge
Splatters are unavoidable when plating food, whether it’s from a pot to a plate or a shallow bowl. You might think it doesn’t matter if there’s a bit of sauce around the rim, especially if it’s just for family or yourself. However, taking a moment to wipe the edges with a clean cloth or paper towel instantly elevates the presentation. You’ve put effort into the meal—show it off with pride.
3. Master the Art of Salting
One reason restaurant dishes often taste exceptional is chefs’ mastery of salt. Sometimes it means using a generous amount, but more importantly, it’s about knowing when and how to use it. Salt enhances flavors, so don’t shy away from it. I could dedicate an entire piece to salt (and I have), but here are some basics: when boiling vegetables (except potatoes), the water should be as salty as the sea. For pasta, slightly less salty, but not by much. And a sprinkle of flaky sea salt, like Maldon, just before serving can make the flavors truly shine.
4. Don’t Overthink Recipe Cooking Times
In culinary school, whenever we started a recipe, someone would inevitably ask, “How long does this take to cook?” The instructor would simply shrug and reply, “I don’t know.” While frustrating, it made perfect sense. Cooking times vary based on factors like burner heat, pan size, and material. That’s why reliable recipes provide both time estimates and visual or temperature cues. Treat the times as a rough guideline and focus more on the other indicators.
5. Always Label Your Food
It’s easy to assume you’ll remember what’s in that food storage bag or container in the freezer (surely it’s chili) or the creamy mixture in the fridge (leftover salad dressing, right?). But chances are, you’ll forget. The simple solution? Keep a roll of masking or painter’s tape and a Sharpie in the kitchen, and label everything with its name and date. This is especially helpful if you share your kitchen—others will know what’s what, and maybe they’ll start labeling too. One can hope!
6. Choose the Appropriate Cutting Board Size
When it comes to chopping, size matters. Using a small or medium cutting board for broccoli is a surefire way to create chaos. Tiny florets will scatter everywhere, and you’ll run out of space to move chopped pieces aside. In culinary school, we always used large boards. Yes, they’re a bit more work to clean, but they save time and effort overall. It’s also smart to have smaller boards for tasks like slicing apples and medium ones for vegetables like zucchini.
7. Maintain Sharp Knives
It might sound odd, but a sharp knife is safer than a dull one. A dull blade is more likely to slip, risking injury, while a sharp knife cuts through ingredients like butter with minimal effort. In culinary school, we were taught to sharpen and hone our knives regularly. While I don’t do it myself anymore, I make sure to have my knives professionally sharpened often. Many kitchen supply stores offer this service, and it’s worth the investment.
8. Ditch the Oven Mitts
In culinary school, oven mitts were nowhere to be found. Instead, we used dry dish towels to handle hot pans, just like in professional kitchens. Oven mitts feel cumbersome to me now—why fuss with them when you can grab and go? I prefer oversized pot holders, which offer better protection from wrist to fingertips. Small square pot holders? Forget them—they’re a burn waiting to happen.
9. Measure Ingredients by Weight for Baking
Weighing ingredients is a game-changer for baking, ensuring precision and better results. As I learned in culinary school, using a scale also eliminates the hassle of measuring cups and the cleanup that follows. Pouring honey directly into a bowl by weight is far simpler than dealing with sticky measuring cups.
10. Pay Attention to Texture
When evaluating a dish, we often focus on taste, but texture plays a huge role too. Compare a smooth butternut squash soup to one garnished with toasted pepitas, or a Caesar salad with croutons to one without. Adding a crunchy element—like nuts, seeds, breadcrumbs, or flaky salt—can elevate a dish from ordinary to extraordinary.
