This is probably the most important thing you can learn- how and when to salt food. Some things are best salted early, and some are best salted later, and some things really do require a shocking amount of salt.
Beyond that, I’d say that if you can cook, then you probably have a pretty good internal “feel” for when things should be properly done, enough so that the cooking times in recipes are more of a guideline than a hard and fast rule. You also know that if you’re going to err, it’s better to err on the under-done side than over-done, because you can often apply more heat, but once it’s done, it’s done.
Oh, and if you really know how to cook, you intuitively understand mise en place, even if you don’t actually know what the French term means. (it means “putting in place” and it’s basically getting your ingredients measured, cut and prepped ahead of time so that when you’re actually cooking, you don’t have to measure out a quarter cup of this, or that, you just put it in.)
Dirty knives do NOT go into the sink. Yeah, I’m looking at you, my dear, and rubbing the scar on my thumb, which I ran down the blade of an 8" santoku.
Nevermind, I know why. Because I live in an area where all the really good bakers are Anabaptists. I’m going to put some vodka in the freezer now so I can try this tomorrow.
Don’t ever buy anything chrome-plated if you can possibly get the same thing in stainless steel.
To paraphrase Ben Franklin, yeast loves you and wants you to be happy. It’s very easy to make bread. Don’t be afraid of yeast. If you don’t kill the yeast, the bread will be edible. You might not make the best bread at first, but you’ll get better if you only just start.
Don’t add cold liquid to hot roux. The result is lumpy gravy.
OMG that makes so much sense, keep the ginger in the freezer.
Many many many things freeze and reheat well. Test your favorite recipes by freezing small portions and if it works, double them when you’re cooking. Your own frozen dinners are both healthier and tastier than the cardboard crap from the grocery store.
If your recipe doesn’t work, see if there is anything you can adjust. For instance, I hate frozen potatoes in stews and soups so I’ve started freezing just stewed meat and broth/gravy. I toss it into a pot, add in potatoes, onions and carrots and an hour later it’s like I’ve been cooking for hours. Not so good for lunches but great for dinners.
You can do all of your cooking with cast iron and one stainless pan.
Never put your knives in the dishwasher. (Recently taught to Mrs. Cad. Thank god for a good steel).
(The FoodTV rule) If you are a pastry chef you are the complete package, or in other words if you are a savory chef chances are close to 100% that you are afraid of making dessert.
(The Cooking Channel rule) As a whole, today’s TV chefs are a step below Julia Child, Graham Kerr (before and after he went healthy), Yan and the Froog.
(The Cad dating rule) If you are a guy, the statement, “I love to cook.” is an extremely successful pickup line.
true that baking is science, but when you’ve done it enough, you can still mess with the recipe. I can’t play with cake recipes because I don’t make those enough, but a cookie recipe is fair game for me. I know what can be played with and what proportions of things work for me and what don’t. I still measure exactly, though, because if you screw up the flour or fat or leavening you have crap cookies.
cooking wise: Everyone should have an arsenal of at least 5 meals they can throw together at a minutes notice without opening a recipe book or going to the store. Those last minute meals save us a lot of money on take out.
A new recipe is just another opportunity to learn a new technique that you can make your own with your own ingredients later.
