Thread by @LenMarkidan, I cook a lot.Friends, co-workers at @podia, and family often ask me [...]

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

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(Disclaimer: I’ve worked in a restaurant, but I’m by no means a chef.)

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 https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable=

(Disclaimer: I’ve worked in a restaurant, but I’m by no means a chef.)" title="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 https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="👇" title="Rückhand Zeigefinger nach unten" aria-label="Emoji: Rückhand Zeigefinger nach unten">(Disclaimer: I’ve worked in a restaurant, but I’m by no means a chef.)">

Salt is magic.

It adds its own flavor, of course, but it also draws out moisture that’s 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 you’ve 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.

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">https://www.thespruceeats.com/kosher-to...

How to Convert Between Different Types of Salts

If you want to swap table salt for kosher salt or fine sea salt you'll need to change the measurements since each salt is a different shape and size.

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.

I’ve 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 don’t need much, and you get no points for a spice “collection”.

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).

You DON’T need to challenge yourself to cook a 5-course meal (though you could), but figure out what the “next level up” is for you, and start with that.

Don’t 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.

The “Quick and easy” collection from @seriouseats is a great place to start.

https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/topics/meal/quick-and-easy

Make">https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/t... it something you look forward to, rather than a chore.

Quick and Easy Recipes

https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/topics/meal/quick-and-easy

On kitchen stuff:

There is no “essential set of tools for every kitchen”.

Get fewer things, but better ones.

(I.e. you probably don’t need an 18-piece set of anything).

With that said, here are some non-obvious tools I love in MY kitchen

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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">https://www.amazon.com/Microplan...

Microplane 40020 Classic Zester/Grater, Black

Microplane 40020 Classic Zester/Grater, Black

https://www.amazon.com/Microplane-40020-Classic-Zester-Grater/dp/B00004S7V8

Mandolin slicer

Thinly slice even the toughest veggies (potatoes, squash, etc…) 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 I’ve ever tried.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01JPS9AMG/ ">https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01JPS...

Again, watch your fingers.

Better yet, get this glove: https://www.amazon.com/Dowellife-Resistant-Protection-Shucking-Processing/dp/B06XBGR2L9/">https://www.amazon.com/Dowellife...

Dowellife Cut Resistant Gloves Food Grade Level 5 Protection, Safety Kitchen Cuts Gloves for Oyster...

Dowellife Cut Resistant Gloves Food Grade Level 5 Protection, Safety Kitchen Cuts Gloves for Oyster Shucking, Fish Fillet Processing, Mandolin Slicing, Meat Cutting and Wood Carving, 1 Pair (Large)

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">https://www.amazon.com/Victorino...

Victorinox Swiss Army Cutlery Straight Paring Knife, 3.25-Inch

Victorinox Swiss Army Cutlery Straight Paring Knife, 3.25-Inch

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 you’re ever annoyed by how long it takes to transfer a pile of chopped veggies to a pot, 1 “knife-full” at a time, then get this and watch your troubles disappear.

https://www.amazon.com/OXO-Multi-purpose-Stainless-Scraper-Chopper/dp/B00004OCNJ">https://www.amazon.com/OXO-Multi...

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.

Here’s 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">https://www.webstaurantstore.com/choice-8-... use case: toddler drum kit

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Choice 8 Qt. Standard Weight Stainless Steel Mixing Bowl

Use this Choice 8 qt. standard weight mixing bowl to add a great, useful addition to your kitchen. Use this mixing bowl for basic food prep in your restaurant, to mix up delicious batter in your...

https://www.webstaurantstore.com/choice-8-qt-standard-weight-mixing-bowl/176MXBSS8.html

Knife stand

If you rent, don’t want to drill holes in kitchen tile, or just don’t have a great place to hang a knife strip, this knife block from @MaterialKitchen is excellent. https://materialkitchen.com/products/the-stand">https://materialkitchen.com/products/...

The Stand

A minimal look with maximum purpose. Hidden magnets behind our 100% American walnut or Midnight Black create a uniquely compact footprint that keeps your knives within reach, and the substantial...

https://materialkitchen.com/products/the-stand

Keeps your knives easy to access, and you can see what you’re reaching for better than with a knife block.

Looks great on your counter, too.

(I may revisit this recommendation as the toddler gets older

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@Thermapen meat thermometer

You may have heard about the “feel test” 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 on…

The problem is that this test is often wrong.

The “feel” 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 that’s 1/2 the price, and I’m told is nearly as good.

https://www.thermoworks.com/Classic-Thermapen">https://www.thermoworks.com/Classic-T...

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 don’t worry about everything else.

Your kitchen probably isn’t “incomplete” 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, etc…, make pans that are a joy to cook with.

BUT they don& #39;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.

Generally, you don’t need to buy special equipment for recipes you’re making for the first time, and may never make again.

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 won’t work 100% as well, but it’ll 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, that’s 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">https://chrome.google.com/webstore/... you know of anything like this for Safari, please share!

Recipe Filter

Recipe Filter seeks out recipes buried in pages and shows them to you in a handy popup.

https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/recipe-filter/ahlcdjbkdaegmljnnncfnhiioiadakae?hl=en

You probably spend too much time pre-rinsing your dishes before you put them in the dishwasher.

It’s (mostly) unnecessary. https://www.consumerreports.org/dishwashers/dont-bother-pre-rinsing-your-dishes/">https://www.consumerreports.org/dishwashe...

Don't Bother Pre-Rinsing Your Dishes Before Putting Them in the Dishwasher

If you're pre-rinsing your dishes before putting them in the dishwasher, you're wasting time, energy, and water. Here's how to save all three from the pros at Consumer Reports.

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& #39;re happy to tell you.

Smile, nod, and ignore them if it doesn’t fit with what you enjoy about cooking.

As the CEO of your kitchen, you get to make the rules.

Learning to love cooking — and getting better at it — is about understanding what makes YOU happy about it, not what makes anybody else happy.

Thank you to all of the food people I’ve read/watched/followed over the years, and continue to learn from.

If you’re looking for more food-related content, my advice is not to follow me, but to follow these greats instead

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@CiaoSamin is like if @michaelpollan taught you how to make the best garlicky green beans you’ve 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.

@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

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🔥" title="Feuer" aria-label="Emoji: Feuer"> dad jokes since before he was a dad.

If there’s a classic recipe you want to cook but are scared of, he probably published one at @seriouseats that you’ll fall in love with.

@rachelama_ (more active on YouTube than Twitter) teaches great vegan cooking better than anyone I’ve come across.

I’ve loved steak my whole life, but her recipes don’t 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.

@jacques_pepin if you ever think you’re 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.

@chefkwame doesn’t post as many recipes, but if you’re interested in food-related content, he won’t disappoint.

His memoir, Notes of a Young Black Chef, reads like Part 1 of an amazing life story. Can’t wait for the rest. https://www.amazon.com/Notes-Young-Black-Chef-Memoir/dp/1524732621">https://www.amazon.com/Notes-You...

Notes from a Young Black Chef: A Memoir

Notes from a Young Black Chef: A Memoir

https://www.amazon.com/Notes-Young-Black-Chef-Memoir/dp/1524732621

@cpkimball is another one of the OG’s that got me interested in how cooking works.

When Chris ran Cook’s Illustrated, that was the only print food magazine I subscribed to.

Now he’s running Milk Street, and the same is true.

Sitting down without distractions and reading a print magazine with no ads to learn about something you’re interested in is a highly underrated form of media consumption.

Of course, @bourdain, whom I still miss terribly.

His legacy is so much more than cooking.

@nyeshajoyce is extremely LA in the best way possible.

I see her on IG and I can’t 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.

I’ll 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: “you could eat anything!"

Funny response, and maybe dangerous, but revelatory in the right context.

You don’t 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.

They sometimes had to store vegetables for up to 8 months before cooking!

You can make amazing food with whatever you have around you.

@aprilbloomfield of all of the food-related IG accounts, April’s is the one that most consistently makes me want to just go to the kitchen and cook.

Also, this is the best caesar dressing I’ve ever had: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIAdp_UNr2U">https://www.youtube.com/watch...

@alicewaters may not be for everyone, but if you’re 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 wouldn’t 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">https://www.amazon.com/Zahav-Isr...

Zahav: A World of Israeli Cooking

Zahav: A World of Israeli Cooking

https://www.amazon.com/Zahav-Israeli-Cooking-Michael-Solomonov/dp/0544373286

Gabrielle Hamilton isn’t 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">https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/2...

My Restaurant Was My Life for 20 Years. Does the World Need It Anymore?

Forced to shutter Prune, I’ve been revisiting my original dreams for it — and wondering if there will still be a place for it in the New York of the future.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/23/magazine/closing-prune-restaurant-covid.html

If you watch one season of @mindofachef, make it hers.

I’m sure I missed a lot of tips and people that I’ve come across and been influenced by over the years.

Just wanted to share a small part of a non-work-related journey I’ve been on for a long time.

Hope you find it helpful!

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