Although I’ve been cooking professionally for thirty years, sometimes I still feel like a beginner. The culinary world is so vast that what I’ve learned is just a fraction of what there is to know. Aware as I am of my limitations, I hesitate to offer advice–but sometimes I do anyway!
So, here is my list of ten tips which, if you take them to heart, could help make you a more confident and polished cook. Much of this, frankly, I’ve learned the hard way, and I pass these suggestions along to you in hopes that you can avoid some of my missteps. Also, I’d love it if you’d offer some kitchen tips of your own. What kitchen wisdom have you discovered which you’d like to share? Comments welcome.
1. Start with a good knife.
You really don’t need most kitchen gadgets if you have a good knife. I like all purpose chef’s knives made by Wusthof or Henckels. While these knives can be pricey, they’re a good investment as they can last for decades. Try out various models to find the size and handle shape most comfortable for you. Shop around and you’ll probably find a deal. Also, invest in diamond steel to keep your knife sharp. If you have an old, dull, but quality knife, have it professionally sharpened and then maintain the edge with a steel.
2. These are also essential:
A roomy cutting board, a micro plane grater, kitchen shears and an instant read thermometer. The latter is especially useful if you cook meat, fish or poultry, but an instant read thermometer will tell you if your food is heated through, no matter what it is. From a food safety standpoint, food should be heated to 140˚ F or more. I prefer the non-digital thermometers because they don’t need batteries.
3. Maintain a properly-stocked pantry
By that I mean, stock the essential ingredients you constantly use: salt, soy sauce, miso, vinegars, oil, stock, canned tomatoes, pasta, whatever those are, for your cooking style. Also, herbs and spices. Buy these in small quantities in bulk, if possible, and toss away those more than a year old. Read seven more kitchen tips after the jump, etc.
4. Be a recipe skeptic
Believe me, writing recipes that will work for cooks with widely varying experience and kitchen equipment is a challenge. As always, use your own common sense. You have a better idea of how your oven works, and the level of salt you prefer, to cite two examples, than the recipe writer. If you think something in a recipe is askew, it probably is. Typos sometimes happen, even in well edited cookbooks.
5. Mis en place is a restaurant term and French way of saying:
All your ingredients are prepped and ready before you start cooking. This works for all cooking methods, but is essential for high-speed methods like stir-frying. Cook a light breakfast and then move on to the main meal at breakneck speed, and you’ll see it’s possible because she or he is full of mis en place. (Picture above: My Mis en place for a stir fry, recipe right here)
6. Stock
Vegetable cuttings, dried mushroom stems and other odd bits that you might normally throw into the compost, save them and use them to make stock (and then put them in the compost). Add a couple quarts of water, a little salt, simmer for an hour and strain. Rich soups, sauces and gravies are a lot easier to put together if you have stock on hand, and good quality vegetarian bouillon is also a pantry essential.
Believe me, the recipe is difficult for different experienced chefs with a lot of equipment because it is a real challenge. As always, use your common sense. You have a better idea of how to use the oven, and what saltiness is right for you, which are two examples that show you’re better off than the recipe writers. If you think something in the formula is wrong, it can happen. Spelling errors can still appear, even in well-edited cookbooks.
7. Develop flavor in layers:
Season early, middle and late. Begin developing flavor right away. Add a bit of salt early, as salt cooked in provides more flavor per gram of sodium. Dried herbs and spices need time to hydrate and should be dry roasted or cooked in a bit of oil to revive their flavors. Onions and garlic become milder, sweeter and richer tasting when cooked slowly. Fresh, tender herbs such as cilantro, basil, mint and parsley can be added at the very end or as a garnish. A squeeze of lemon or lime juice, a few drops of umeboshi vinegar or ginger juice can perk up flavor at the last minute. Taste, then taste again.
8. Clean as you go
This is something I’ve learned the hard way, and to this day, an area where I could improve. Tidy up after each step in a recipe or after a dish is completed. Wash and put away pots and equipment you won’t be using again. Doing this creates an orderly kitchen and makes the final clean-up ever so much more pleasant.
9. Parchment paper
Using parchment paper for most of your baking will save clean-up–always a good thing. It also saves having to use extra oil to lubricate your baking pans, also good!
10. A peaceful kitchen
While I’ve never listened to heavy metal while cooking, I’m pretty sure it’s not a good idea! And although I’m a baseball fan, a tense Giant’s game, I’ve learned, is not a good background for cooking either. Silence or light classical music creates a comfortable atmosphere for me. It’s up to you, but anything you can do to make your kitchen mood light, amusing and creative will be reflected in the food you cook. Keep in mind that cooking for people is a high calling, and a service that feeds others while nourishing you as well.
Author: Macro Chef