Cooking can be intimidating. Whether it be baking a cake or preparing for a dinner party, the slightest mistake in a measurement can throw off the whole dish.
So, when Reddit user u/BigBadWolf44asked chefs to share their number one rule of cooking that amateurs need to know, I had my notepad ready. Here are a few of the top-voted responses:
1."When you take something out of the oven — a pot, pan, skillet, sheet, tray, whatever — drape a towel or oven mitt over the handle/edge of it. That way, you or anyone else understands that it’s hot and not to be grabbed bare-handed."
3."Mise en place. It's French for 'putting in place' or something like that. It means that, before you start the actual cooking, get everything you'll need for the whole recipe out on the counter, do all your prep work (measuring, chopping onions, peeling potatoes, seasoning meat, greasing pans, whatever the recipe says), and put it all within arm's reach of where you'll be cooking. As you become more experienced, you'll get a feel for what can wait to be done during down time mid-cooking, but even then, mise is just less of a hassle."
7."Don't rely on a single recipe. If you want to try to make something you had at a restaurant and google 'chicken alla whatever,' don't just randomly pick one of the results to try. Read a few of them and cook the one that comes closest to being the average of all the others. Way too many internet recipes aren't actually tested by their authors."
11."Fat, salt, sour, bitter. If it's bland, add some fat. If it's still bland, add some salt. If it's still bland, add some vinegar or lemon juice. If it's still bland, add some herbs and spices or green vegetables. This is even something you can do late in the cooking process to fix a recipe that's turning out boring — just remember that a little goes a long way."
12."Really think about what size you're cutting your vegetables in relation to the cook time. It's better to have a perfectly cooked, larger vegetable than a bunch of overcooked, mushy bite-sized pieces."
13."Never, ever EVER throw water on a grease fire. Don’t try moving it either. Turn off the heat and place a lid on it, or smother it with baking soda if you don’t have a fire extinguisher. Also, consider buying a fire extinguisher if you don’t already have one."
14."Keep it simple. I see so many young chefs coming into the kitchen fresh out of the classroom, going hell for leather to make some strange gels, jellies, dehydrated this and that. Yes it can taste great, but just chill out. Show me if you can properly cook a joint of meat or know how to bring the best out of a simple, humble vegetable."
15."Measure by weight, not volume. This is more for baking than cooking. Baking is very sensitive to small changes in the ratio of different ingredients, and you'll have a lot easier time getting it right if you use a scale."
16."Make your own vinaigrettes. It's easy, substantially cheaper, and tastes infinitely better and fresher than store-bought dressing. There are a million-and-one different ways to make a vinaigrette, and you'll figure out the exact ratios you like."
