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I cook a lot.
Friends, co-workers at @podia, and family often ask me for advice.
A collection of tips for home cooks from 15+ years of studying and trying to get better
(Disclaimer: Iāve worked in a restaurant, but Iām by no means a chef.)
Friends, co-workers at @podia, and family often ask me for advice.
A collection of tips for home cooks from 15+ years of studying and trying to get better
(Disclaimer: Iāve worked in a restaurant, but Iām by no means a chef.)
Salt is magic.
It adds its own flavor, of course, but it also draws out moisture thatās inside your food, often intensifying its flavor.
Try this:
Salt a tomato slice, and leave another slice alone. Try both after 10 minutes. Pick the pieces of your blown mind off the floor.
It adds its own flavor, of course, but it also draws out moisture thatās inside your food, often intensifying its flavor.
Try this:
Salt a tomato slice, and leave another slice alone. Try both after 10 minutes. Pick the pieces of your blown mind off the floor.
If youāve only ever used table salt, try kosher salt. I prefer Diamond brand, though others work.
It less of a difference if the salt gets dissolved (e.g. in soup), but because of the size and shape of the crystals, the difference is huge when seasoning vegetables and meats.
It less of a difference if the salt gets dissolved (e.g. in soup), but because of the size and shape of the crystals, the difference is huge when seasoning vegetables and meats.
Important: different salts will make your food saltier or less salty.
If a recipe calls for kosher salt, do NOT swap table salt in 1:1. Your food will be inedibly salty.
Good guide to conversions: https://www.thespruceeats.com/kosher-to-table-salt-measurement-conversion-3060123
If a recipe calls for kosher salt, do NOT swap table salt in 1:1. Your food will be inedibly salty.
Good guide to conversions: https://www.thespruceeats.com/kosher-to-table-salt-measurement-conversion-3060123
Do your fresh herbs wilt too fast?
First, wash them (one of the reasons they spoil is the bacteria they come home with).
Dry gently, and place stems-down in a glass of water, just like a bouquet of flowers. Refrigerate.
Iāve had parsley and cilantro stay fresh for weeks.
First, wash them (one of the reasons they spoil is the bacteria they come home with).
Dry gently, and place stems-down in a glass of water, just like a bouquet of flowers. Refrigerate.
Iāve had parsley and cilantro stay fresh for weeks.
Upgrade your spices, upgrade your life.
Taste test your supermarket garlic powder against a brand like @burlapandbarrel, and prepare to be ruined forever.
You donāt need much, and you get no points for a spice ācollectionā.
Just focus on upgrading the few you use most.
Taste test your supermarket garlic powder against a brand like @burlapandbarrel, and prepare to be ruined forever.
You donāt need much, and you get no points for a spice ācollectionā.
Just focus on upgrading the few you use most.
Like anything, the easiest and fastest way to get better at cooking is to practice.
Similarly, the easiest and fastest way to hate cooking is to bite off way more than you can chew, overwhelm yourself, and fail (because you set yourself up to do so).
Similarly, the easiest and fastest way to hate cooking is to bite off way more than you can chew, overwhelm yourself, and fail (because you set yourself up to do so).
You DONāT need to challenge yourself to cook a 5-course meal (though you could), but figure out what the ānext level upā is for you, and start with that.
Donāt cook at all, but want to start?
Set a goal to cook a simple dinner once a month.
Start with recipes that mostly use skills you already have, and build up from there.
Set a goal to cook a simple dinner once a month.
Start with recipes that mostly use skills you already have, and build up from there.
The āQuick and easyā collection from @seriouseats is a great place to start.
https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/topics/meal/quick-and-easy
Make it something you look forward to, rather than a chore.
https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/topics/meal/quick-and-easy
Make it something you look forward to, rather than a chore.
On kitchen stuff:
There is no āessential set of tools for every kitchenā.
Get fewer things, but better ones.
(I.e. you probably donāt need an 18-piece set of anything).
There is no āessential set of tools for every kitchenā.
Get fewer things, but better ones.
(I.e. you probably donāt need an 18-piece set of anything).
With that said, here are some non-obvious tools I love in MY kitchen
Microplane
Try using this to add lemon, lime, or orange zest to any (sweet or savory) dish.
Grate nutmeg into your morning coffee.
Throw out your garlic press and use this instead.
Watch your fingers. https://www.amazon.com/Microplane-40020-Classic-Zester-Grater/dp/B00004S7V8
Try using this to add lemon, lime, or orange zest to any (sweet or savory) dish.
Grate nutmeg into your morning coffee.
Throw out your garlic press and use this instead.
Watch your fingers. https://www.amazon.com/Microplane-40020-Classic-Zester-Grater/dp/B00004S7V8
Mandolin slicer
Thinly slice even the toughest veggies (potatoes, squash, etcā¦) in 1/10th of the time and with 10x the consistency.
Make cole slaw, potato chips, and sliced veggies for lasagna in minutes.
@benrinerusa make the best Iāve ever tried.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01JPS9AMG/
Thinly slice even the toughest veggies (potatoes, squash, etcā¦) in 1/10th of the time and with 10x the consistency.
Make cole slaw, potato chips, and sliced veggies for lasagna in minutes.
@benrinerusa make the best Iāve ever tried.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01JPS9AMG/
Again, watch your fingers.
Better yet, get this glove: https://www.amazon.com/Dowellife-Resistant-Protection-Shucking-Processing/dp/B06XBGR2L9/
Better yet, get this glove: https://www.amazon.com/Dowellife-Resistant-Protection-Shucking-Processing/dp/B06XBGR2L9/
@Victorinox paring knives
I have fancy knives and I still reach for these for 50%+ of my cutting.
Anything smaller than a fist gets cut with these.
Cheap, dishwasher-safe, short-term indestructible, long-term easily replaceable. https://www.amazon.com/Victorinox-Cutlery-Straight-Paring-3-25-Inch/dp/B0019WXPQY
I have fancy knives and I still reach for these for 50%+ of my cutting.
Anything smaller than a fist gets cut with these.
Cheap, dishwasher-safe, short-term indestructible, long-term easily replaceable. https://www.amazon.com/Victorinox-Cutlery-Straight-Paring-3-25-Inch/dp/B0019WXPQY
Bench scraper
Useful for SO much more than what it says on the box.
If youāre ever annoyed by how long it takes to transfer a pile of chopped veggies to a pot, 1 āknife-fullā at a time, then get this and watch your troubles disappear.
https://www.amazon.com/OXO-Multi-purpose-Stainless-Scraper-Chopper/dp/B00004OCNJ
Useful for SO much more than what it says on the box.
If youāre ever annoyed by how long it takes to transfer a pile of chopped veggies to a pot, 1 āknife-fullā at a time, then get this and watch your troubles disappear.
https://www.amazon.com/OXO-Multi-purpose-Stainless-Scraper-Chopper/dp/B00004OCNJ
Mixing bowls
Rather than spending $20 on a fancy mixing bowl, go to a restaurant supply store and buy 6+ thin metal bowls of dif sizes.
Hereās a solid online source (get small, medium and large ones, and nest them): https://www.webstaurantstore.com/choice-8-qt-standard-weight-mixing-bowl/176MXBSS8.html
Bonus use case: toddler drum kit
Rather than spending $20 on a fancy mixing bowl, go to a restaurant supply store and buy 6+ thin metal bowls of dif sizes.
Hereās a solid online source (get small, medium and large ones, and nest them): https://www.webstaurantstore.com/choice-8-qt-standard-weight-mixing-bowl/176MXBSS8.html
Bonus use case: toddler drum kit
Knife stand
If you rent, donāt want to drill holes in kitchen tile, or just donāt have a great place to hang a knife strip, this knife block from @MaterialKitchen is excellent. https://materialkitchen.com/products/the-stand
If you rent, donāt want to drill holes in kitchen tile, or just donāt have a great place to hang a knife strip, this knife block from @MaterialKitchen is excellent. https://materialkitchen.com/products/the-stand
Keeps your knives easy to access, and you can see what youāre reaching for better than with a knife block.
Looks great on your counter, too.
(I may revisit this recommendation as the toddler gets older
)
Looks great on your counter, too.
(I may revisit this recommendation as the toddler gets older
)
@Thermapen meat thermometer
You may have heard about the āfeel testā for checking when steaks are done.
Rare should feel like the fleshy part of your palm when you touch it with your pointer finger, medium-rare is like touching it with your middle finger, and so onā¦
You may have heard about the āfeel testā for checking when steaks are done.
Rare should feel like the fleshy part of your palm when you touch it with your pointer finger, medium-rare is like touching it with your middle finger, and so onā¦
The problem is that this test is often wrong.
The āfeelā of a medium-rare steak can vary drastically based on thickness and fat distribution, among other things.
The āfeelā of a medium-rare steak can vary drastically based on thickness and fat distribution, among other things.
If you cook a lot of meat (or if you cook meat in high-steaks situations), use a thermometer.
This meat thermometer from @Thermapen is the best there is. They also make an entry-level version thatās 1/2 the price, and Iām told is nearly as good.
https://www.thermoworks.com/Classic-Thermapen
This meat thermometer from @Thermapen is the best there is. They also make an entry-level version thatās 1/2 the price, and Iām told is nearly as good.
https://www.thermoworks.com/Classic-Thermapen
Apply your own filter for how you cook, and buy equipment based on that.
What do you like to cook?
What do you cook most often?
Focus on the necessary equipment to make those processes as enjoyable as possible, and donāt worry about everything else.
What do you like to cook?
What do you cook most often?
Focus on the necessary equipment to make those processes as enjoyable as possible, and donāt worry about everything else.
Your kitchen probably isnāt āincompleteā without a stand mixer, promise (of course, there are exceptions, based on your own cooking habits).
Yes, great pans do make a difference (IMO).
All-Clad (their stainless steel stuff, NOT the aluminum-lined), Le Creuset, etcā¦, make pans that are a joy to cook with.
BUT they don't have to be expensive.
All-Clad (their stainless steel stuff, NOT the aluminum-lined), Le Creuset, etcā¦, make pans that are a joy to cook with.
BUT they don't have to be expensive.
You can often buy these used from formerly-aspirational home cooks at steep discounts.
Exceptions: stock pots (which exist solely to heat liquid) and nonstick pans (which need to be replaced regularly for effectiveness and safety/health reasons) never need to be fancy.
Exceptions: stock pots (which exist solely to heat liquid) and nonstick pans (which need to be replaced regularly for effectiveness and safety/health reasons) never need to be fancy.
Generally, you donāt need to buy special equipment for recipes youāre making for the first time, and may never make again.
Think about what the tool does, and figure out another way to replicate it.
Think about what the tool does, and figure out another way to replicate it.
For example, a decent homemade tortilla press can be fashioned with a cut-in-half Ziploc bag, a heavy cutting board, and your body weight.
It wonāt work 100% as well, but itāll work well enough to justify not buying extra stuff you might never use again.
It wonāt work 100% as well, but itāll work well enough to justify not buying extra stuff you might never use again.
Food bloggers are taught that Google rewards long-form content with lots of photos, heavy content, and short cooking times (yes, thatās why food blog recipes often take more time than stated).
Use a recipe extension like RecipeFilter for Chrome, which finds the recipe on any page and highlights it for you: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/recipe-filter/ahlcdjbkdaegmljnnncfnhiioiadakae?hl=en
If you know of anything like this for Safari, please share!
If you know of anything like this for Safari, please share!
You probably spend too much time pre-rinsing your dishes before you put them in the dishwasher.
Itās (mostly) unnecessary. https://www.consumerreports.org/dishwashers/dont-bother-pre-rinsing-your-dishes/
Itās (mostly) unnecessary. https://www.consumerreports.org/dishwashers/dont-bother-pre-rinsing-your-dishes/
Cooking dogma sucks.
Just like anything else that people do often, everyone has an opinion on the best way, and they're happy to tell you.
Smile, nod, and ignore them if it doesnāt fit with what you enjoy about cooking.
As the CEO of your kitchen, you get to make the rules.
Just like anything else that people do often, everyone has an opinion on the best way, and they're happy to tell you.
Smile, nod, and ignore them if it doesnāt fit with what you enjoy about cooking.
As the CEO of your kitchen, you get to make the rules.
Learning to love cooking ā and getting better at it ā is about understanding what makes YOU happy about it, not what makes anybody else happy.
Thank you to all of the food people Iāve read/watched/followed over the years, and continue to learn from.
If youāre looking for more food-related content, my advice is not to follow me, but to follow these greats instead
If youāre looking for more food-related content, my advice is not to follow me, but to follow these greats instead
@CiaoSamin is like if @michaelpollan taught you how to make the best garlicky green beans youāve ever had.
Her ability to educate without talking down is incredible, and her cookbook (buy it!) is one of my favorites.
10/10 would invite to my dinner party.
Her ability to educate without talking down is incredible, and her cookbook (buy it!) is one of my favorites.
10/10 would invite to my dinner party.
@kenjilopezalt simultaneously satisfies my need for delicious, fail-proof recipes, as well as my need for nerding out on them.
His cookbook is another favorite.
Has been dropping
dad jokes since before he was a dad.
His cookbook is another favorite.
Has been dropping
dad jokes since before he was a dad.
If thereās a classic recipe you want to cook but are scared of, he probably published one at @seriouseats that youāll fall in love with.
@rachelama_ (more active on YouTube than Twitter) teaches great vegan cooking better than anyone Iāve come across.
Iāve loved steak my whole life, but her recipes donāt make me miss meat at all.
Iāve loved steak my whole life, but her recipes donāt make me miss meat at all.
@foodwishes is the OG YouTube cooking teacher, and was one of the first to get me excited (and less scared) about setting out to learn.
His original content still holds up perfectly well, and his new stuff is just as good.
His original content still holds up perfectly well, and his new stuff is just as good.
@jacques_pepin if you ever think youāre good at any cooking technique on the planet, look up a YouTube video of Jacques doing it, just so you can see how much you still have left to learn.
My favorite accent in food.
My favorite accent in food.
@chefkwame doesnāt post as many recipes, but if youāre interested in food-related content, he wonāt disappoint.
His memoir, Notes of a Young Black Chef, reads like Part 1 of an amazing life story. Canāt wait for the rest. https://www.amazon.com/Notes-Young-Black-Chef-Memoir/dp/1524732621
His memoir, Notes of a Young Black Chef, reads like Part 1 of an amazing life story. Canāt wait for the rest. https://www.amazon.com/Notes-Young-Black-Chef-Memoir/dp/1524732621
@cpkimball is another one of the OGās that got me interested in how cooking works.
When Chris ran Cookās Illustrated, that was the only print food magazine I subscribed to.
Now heās running Milk Street, and the same is true.
When Chris ran Cookās Illustrated, that was the only print food magazine I subscribed to.
Now heās running Milk Street, and the same is true.
Sitting down without distractions and reading a print magazine with no ads to learn about something youāre interested in is a highly underrated form of media consumption.
@nyeshajoyce is extremely LA in the best way possible.
I see her on IG and I canāt help but be convinced that this is what the future of food thought leadership looks like.
Her recipes on @eater are a great place to start.
I see her on IG and I canāt help but be convinced that this is what the future of food thought leadership looks like.
Her recipes on @eater are a great place to start.
@reneredzepinoma thinks more outside the box about food than anyone.
Eating at his restaurant was easily the most exciting meal of my life.
Eating at his restaurant was easily the most exciting meal of my life.
Iāll never forget getting a dish that had a twig on the side of the plate, and asking the team member if I could eat it.
His reply: āyou could eat anything!"
Funny response, and maybe dangerous, but revelatory in the right context.
You donāt need to be afraid to try anything!
His reply: āyou could eat anything!"
Funny response, and maybe dangerous, but revelatory in the right context.
You donāt need to be afraid to try anything!
@faviken is an inspiration to anyone who thinks that not being in California puts them at a severe disadvantage for fresh ingredients.
Magnus built one of the best restaurants on the planet, deep in the middle of the Swedish wilderness.
Magnus built one of the best restaurants on the planet, deep in the middle of the Swedish wilderness.
They sometimes had to store vegetables for up to 8 months before cooking!
You can make amazing food with whatever you have around you.
You can make amazing food with whatever you have around you.
@aprilbloomfield of all of the food-related IG accounts, Aprilās is the one that most consistently makes me want to just go to the kitchen and cook.
Also, this is the best caesar dressing Iāve ever had:
Also, this is the best caesar dressing Iāve ever had:
@alicewaters may not be for everyone, but if youāre interested in learning why food is politically important (because it absolutely is), you need to follow her.
She also paved the way for many of the chefs talking about farm-to-table cooking today, and in most cases, the best lessons still come straight from the source (her cookbooks).
@mike_solomonov wrote another of my favorite cookbooks.
I wouldnāt cook any Israeli recipe (or any cut of lamb) without seeing what he wrote about it first. https://www.amazon.com/Zahav-Israeli-Cooking-Michael-Solomonov/dp/0544373286
I wouldnāt cook any Israeli recipe (or any cut of lamb) without seeing what he wrote about it first. https://www.amazon.com/Zahav-Israeli-Cooking-Michael-Solomonov/dp/0544373286
Gabrielle Hamilton isnāt on Twitter, but her writing (including her memoir, which is a must-read for anyone remotely interested in the restaurant world) is superb.
This piece on the future of restaurants post-Covid is extremely important to read: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/23/magazine/closing-prune-restaurant-covid.html
This piece on the future of restaurants post-Covid is extremely important to read: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/23/magazine/closing-prune-restaurant-covid.html
If you watch one season of @mindofachef, make it hers.
Iām sure I missed a lot of tips and people that Iāve come across and been influenced by over the years.
Just wanted to share a small part of a non-work-related journey Iāve been on for a long time.
Hope you find it helpful!
Just wanted to share a small part of a non-work-related journey Iāve been on for a long time.
Hope you find it helpful!
