10 Essential Home-Cooking Tips You Need to Know

I come from a long line of talented cooks – my grandmother and mom were both amazing in the kitchen, so I had the privilege of learning many skills from the start. As a young adult, I worked in restaurant equipment sales, which introduced me to a variety of chefs and their invaluable cooking tips. Later, when my younger sister married a classically trained French chef, the knowledge continued to flow. This is my list of 10 tips to elevate your home-cooking game.

10. Shop Like Your Grandma Did

My grandmother's kitchen was always a feast for the senses, filled to the brim with delicious smells – cinnamon, cloves, and countless other spices. Her pantry was never short on food, and here's the key: no instant meals, no pre-packaged sauces, and definitely no canned ravioli. Both she and my mom always prioritized buying ingredients that made cooking easier, not ready-to-eat meals. So, while you can explore prepared food, don't rely on it – use it as inspiration. I've updated the 'Larder List' slightly to include low-sodium options and avoid trans fats, but the essentials remain: flour, sugar, oils, and more. Here's a great place to start:

Essential Canned Goods to Have in Your Pantry: Diced or whole canned tomatoes Tomato paste Basic canned tomato sauce (not spaghetti sauce) Cream soups like mushroom, chicken, and of course tomato Lipton dry onion soup mix Beef stock Chicken stock Worcestershire sauce Dark soy sauce Ketchup Grainy and regular mustard Vinegar (I keep white, red wine, and balsamic, but white will suffice) Wine – preferably red, but white works too, and buy the kind you’d drink Spices – all the usual ones, plus a good seasoning salt (Hy’s is my favorite, but avoid Lawry’s – it tastes sweet, and make sure it’s the no-MSG kind). Also, dry mustard, Mrs. Dash or other vegetable-based salt substitutes, lemons, and basil pesto in the fridge.

Check out recipe 1 and recipe 2 on the recipes page for more details.

Properly browning your meat is key to unlocking its flavor – the natural sugars caramelize, creating a beautifully crispy and flavorful crust. While I prefer my steak rare, it must be dark brown on the outside! The pan needs to be scorching hot – like water-bouncing hot. Don't worry, hot pan, cold oil – food won’t stick (thanks, Jeff Smith, The Frugal Gourmet). This technique works for all cuts of meat, even if you're stewing. Be sure not to overcrowd the pan, or the meat will steam and boil instead of browning. Grey meat is unappetizing. Don’t stir or flip until you’ve checked one corner for the deep, dark caramelization. And make sure to invest in a sturdy pan that can handle the heat, or be prepared to replace the cheap ones frequently as they will warp.

Check out recipe 3 on the recipes page for more details.

No, not the one related to Nautilus shells! This golden ratio is for making a basic white sauce: 2 tablespoons of fat, 2 tablespoons of flour, and 1 cup of milk. Keep this formula in mind, and you'll be able to create a wide range of delicious dishes. This simple technique is also the foundation for making gravy, cream soups, and of course, cheese sauce.

Check out recipe 4 and recipe 5 on the recipes page for more delicious ideas.

None of the first four recipes required added salt. Not because I'm anti-salt, but because the base ingredients, like canned soup or stock, already contain plenty of salt – even the low-sodium versions. The same goes for cheese sauce; cheese has its own salty kick. Soy sauce and don’t forget margarine and butter – they all pack salt as well. If you're making your own stock from scratch (though, honestly, who has the time?), you'll need to add salt to taste.

Dried spices get a flavor boost from crushing and toasting. Just crush them lightly with your hand and sauté them for a few minutes before adding them to soups, stews, or casseroles. Be cautious with spices, though. I once saw a recipe that called for 1/4 cup of basil pesto for a pasta dish serving 4 people – it would’ve been the same as drinking Aqua Velva, with an overwhelming aroma. Start with a little, and you can always add more if needed.

Check out recipe 6 on the recipes page for more delicious ideas.

Jamie outlined the five fundamental flavors in his food list: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and earthy (he knows the proper term; I just refer to it as dirt flavor, as raw mushrooms and soy both share it). My main focus here is on the sour component. Acidity is often overlooked but is crucial. Stews that taste too beefy, desserts that are overly sweet, or soups that feel flat – they all lack that essential acid. Try making the stroganoff without tomato paste, and it just won’t hit the mark. While there’s almost no tomato flavor, the acidity balances the richness of beef stock, browned steak, and mushrooms. Sour cream does help, but its richness isn’t enough on its own.

Check out recipe 7 on the recipes page for more great ideas.

Gravy should be rich and velvety, not thin or runny, and it definitely shouldn’t jiggle on top of your meat. It should have a meaty texture, with a smooth consistency, but not be overly thick. You've already grasped the basics with white sauce, so decide how much gravy you want to make. Typically, you’ll need about a quarter to half the amount of flour to the final desired volume of gravy.

Cook your meat and remember tip #2: high-quality beef can be dry roasted over high heat to self-brown, but if not, brown it first. Once the meat is cooked, transfer it to a plate and wrap it tightly in plastic wrap—don’t skimp on the wrap, and use a towel for extra insulation. This keeps it hot and juicy. Place the roasting pan over the burner or use two if the pan is large. Adjust the fat in the pan, keeping the crispy bits. The only time you need to remove fat is when dealing with cheaper pork (which actually tastes better than loin) or poultry. Set the burners to high or medium-high if using gas. Add a handful of thinly sliced onions to the fat, cook for a minute or two, then add flour. Let the flour brown well by stirring constantly. It may stick, but keep scraping it off the pan until it turns dark brown. When it gets hot and smoky, and the flour is sticking, pour in a good splash of red wine and a few cups of beef stock. Whisk until it starts to boil, then lower the heat and let it simmer. And there you have it: perfect gravy. A hand mixer can help, but I usually skip it. If you don't have wine, you can omit it, but be sure to add a bit of vinegar or lemon juice.

For poultry gravy, I typically skip the wine and stick to stock, but adding a touch of beef stock makes a huge difference in flavor. You can substitute or mix in finely diced mushrooms with onions for a mushroom gravy. I often prepare this without the drippings, just using oil, flour, onions, red wine, and stock for a quicker version, especially for pork chops. Honestly, it’s faster than using packaged gravy.

A big thanks to my brother-in-law for this one. I spent years trying to get it right without success. Luckily, I know how to pay attention. There are a few key secrets to perfect breading, and I’m ready to share them all with you.

You’ll need two pans and a bowl—square cake pans are best because they have steep sides. Pan 1 is for plain flour. The bowl in pan 2 holds either beaten egg whites or whole eggs. While egg whites work slightly better, I usually opt for whole eggs unless I’m making custard. Pan 2 is for the breading, which includes dry bread crumbs, seasoning (for fish, try a packet of chicken Bovril and a teaspoon of lemon-pepper; for pork, I prefer seasoning salt, regular salt, and lots of pepper), and the secret ingredient—a generous handful of Parmesan cheese. Be generous with the seasoning; it’s what gives the breading its flavor. The Parmesan doesn’t contribute much flavor beyond a bit of salt, but it improves the texture significantly. Coat the meat or fish in the flour, shaking off the excess. Dip it in the egg mixture, using the edge of the bowl to remove any extra. Drop the meat into the bread crumbs, using a spoon to cover it and patting firmly. Flip it over and repeat the process. Now for the critical step: place the breaded meat in a single layer on a plate and refrigerate uncovered for an hour. The egg will evaporate, creating a crust before you even cook it. You can pan-fry with a mix of oil and butter, or just use olive oil. Alternatively, spray with Pam© and bake it. Baking is ideal for stuffed chicken, as it prevents cheese from leaking out, though it may get a little gooey on the bottom. Just scrape it off; that’s the side that faces the plate.

A good salad dressing needs the right proportions: 1 part acid, 1 part water, and 1 part oil. I typically make it in an old relish jar, but using a bowl and a whisk works just as well. This is our family’s favorite dressing; it’s perfect on Greek Salad or as a marinade for chicken. For the marinade, be sure to add a bit more salt and garlic. Mince 2 or 3 cloves of garlic, 1 tablespoon of onion, a generous scoop of grainy mustard, a dash of Mrs. Dash, a couple of grinds of pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Squeeze a lemon over the mixture. Since the lemons around here are often tart and not juicy, I double the juice with water to meet the acid requirement. Add the right amount of water and a good quality, light-tasting olive oil (unless you enjoy the strong flavor of extra-virgin, in which case, go for it). Shake or whisk it vigorously, then let it sit on the counter for about an hour to allow the flavors to blend together.

A fantastic way to cook fish: skip the water, throw in a bunch of chopped tomatoes, pour it over the fish, and bake… it’s absolutely delicious!

For a balsamic dressing: swap the vinegar for balsamic, skip the Mrs. Dash and mustard, and halve the garlic.

A perfect dressing for layered cucumbers and tomatoes: substitute white vinegar, quadruple the amount of onions, leave out the Mrs. Dash, halve the garlic, add a pinch of basil, and mix in a tablespoon of sugar.

Not the type of custard you put on trifle. Honestly, just thinking about getting out the double boiler gives me a headache. I say, buy Bird's—there's no way I can make it any better. What I mean is baked custard. Bread pudding is a custard. Rice pudding is a custard. The proteins in eggs firm up when heated, and that’s the basis of custard. Even a soufflé is a type of custard; the egg whites and yolks are beaten separately to incorporate air, but the underlying idea is the same. For my custard, I use a ratio of 1 part egg to 3 or 4 parts milk, with a few extra yolks for good measure. For example, with a dozen eggs, I add 3 additional yolks.

Check out recipe 8 and recipe 9 on the recipes page.

We have homemade soup once a week. It’s filling, inexpensive, and healthy. We usually pair it with crusty bread or brochetta.

Chicken Noodle Soup: Skin and remove the fat from a bunch of inexpensive chicken legs with backs. Season with a light dusting of poultry seasoning, a good shake of Mrs. Dash©, and a tiny sprinkle of seasoning salt (we'll be using prepared stock later). Bake the chicken on a rack at 350°F until fully cooked and even a bit dry to ensure most of the fat is rendered out. Once cooled, shred the meat off the bones and set it aside. Dice a large onion, a couple of celery stalks, and a small carrot, then sauté them in some oil in your soup pot. Add the chicken bones, tendons, and any leftover bits from the chicken. Once the veggies start to brown, add a generous amount of water and let it boil for an hour or two. Skim the scum off the top and strain it through a sieve. Discard the bones and veggie scraps, then return the shredded meat to the broth and bring it back to a boil. Let it reduce by about a third. Taste the broth and add 2 to 4 cups of prepared stock, depending on how much flavor the chicken seasoning gave. Bring it to a boil again, skim, and add a couple of cups of frozen mixed veggies. Once it boils again, toss in the noodles and adjust the seasoning (sometimes it needs a teaspoon of vinegar or a shake of Worcestershire sauce). Let it cook until the noodles are tender. Soups and stews often taste even better the next day, so I make this on the weekend and add the pasta last minute.

Check out recipe 10 and 2 bonus recipes on the recipes page.

Contributor: Mom424