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My dad is the best and most eclectic cook I know. After retirement, he did some catering and I got to watch him take things to the next level. I've been thinking about him a lot (he's doing fine, healthy, phew) and of course cooking more. Here are some things I've picked up...
You can never have enough garlic. Like most good home cooks, if you ask how you can help he'll probably ignore you because you'll just get in the way. But if he does let you help, it's likely he'll hand you like no joke 15 cloves of garlic and say "okay, you can chop these."
Season every step. Obviously season a ton, but specifically I've picked up that every time you add something new to your dish, re-season. I don't know why, but it just carries things along.
You may as well take the battery out of the smoke alarm now. No such thing as cooking w/o smoke. Unless you have commercial ventilation you’re gonna set an alarm; or have windows open even in winter; or get a visit from the fire department on Thanksgiving, several years in a row.
Presentation matters. You spent all that time cooking, spend a little time putting it on a nice platter, or layering things in an interesting way, or drizzling some sauce at weird angles, or finishing it off at the table. I don't know, get fancy.
Don't fidget with things as they're cooking. Obviously, there are times you need to stir and whatnot, but often just put it on the heat or in the oven and walk away -- that's the best bet. That's where you get good caramelization, even cooking, etc etc..
Sharp knives. Basically if my dad’s in the kitchen and not using a knife, he’s sharpening one.
Variations on dishes are just as effective as new recipes. Take a recipe that you like and play around with adding an ingredient, or trying a different technique. See what happens. Note that this advice does not work for cocktails.
Also, recipes are your friend. A lot of good cooking is just competently following a recipe. I’m amazed at how much he cooks off the book, even though I know he could improvise if he had to.
That's probably it for now. I know a lot of this is simple but, like in most things in life, simple competence goes a long way.
