10 Cooking Tips from Professional Chefs

A professional chef has mastered using the best cooking tips in the kitchen. They make some of the most complicated meals look like a walk in the park. Even their food preparation techniques such as chopping are so clean, neat and professional.

Do you ever wish you could do that? Whip something in the kitchen according to professional chefs’ standards?  

Well, you can. There are very easy cooking tips professional chefs share with their students in class and online. So you don’t have to enroll for a cooking class just yet!

Photo credit: Wooden Earth Ltd

These Are the 10 Helpful Cooking Tips and Tricks You Can Use In Your Next Meal.

Tip #1: The Knife Technique

This is one of the basic areas taught in culinary skills. You must know how to hold and use a knife. Reason being, you do not want to serve diners food with bits of your flesh and blood in it!

Professional chefs advise this when using a knife. Hold the knife using your dominant hand by placing your thumb beside the blade where it meets the handle. Rest your thumb on the blade nearest to the handle. Curl the fingers on your nondominant hand and use your middle finger lower knuckles to guide the cutting. Roll the knife on the board as you cut ensuring your wrist is relaxed.

This is one of the best cooking tips from chefs you can ever learn. This technique not only gives you uniformity but also ensures you do not injure yourself.

Tip #2: Allow Your Meat to Rest

What does that even mean? Resting meat is allowing it to sit for a few minutes without cutting into it. This works more so for steak. If you notice juices pouring out the minute you cut, it means the meat did not rest enough.

Resting meat allows it to soak up all the juices after removing from the heat. The flavor is distributed evenly in the meat and moisture is absorbed.

Tip 3: Season Well Enough

This is perhaps one of the best cooking tips any professional chef will ever give you. If you want your food to be enjoyable and memorable, you must season! You can season with salt, herbs, spices or anything that will enhance flavor.

Chefs also advise that you must taste as you cook. This will help adjust the seasoning. E.g. more salt, less rosemary, more ginger paste etc. You can’t tell how well your food is seasoned if you don’t taste.

Another helpful cooking tip is to add the seasoning at the right time during cooking. For instance, you can’t add dry herbs at the beginning of cooking. They need to be added in the last few minutes for the flavor to be there. Tip #4: Use the Right Oils When Cooking

Cooking oils can alter the taste and flavor of your dish. Moreover, different oils smoke at different temperatures. On high temperature, use oils such as canola or avocado oil. On low or medium temperature, use oils such as butter.

Using the wrong oils will burn your food or cause a fire in your kitchen.

Tip #5: Sear Meat and Vegetables in A Cast Iron Pan

A cast iron gives meat and vegetables a perfect sear. The cast iron distributes heat evenly and the food cooks and browns uniformly.

The non-stick coat prevents damage caused by wear and tear. To avoid damaging the pan while cleaning, use salt and oil as opposed to dishwashing soap.

Tip #6: Cooking the Perfect Boiled Potatoes

I’m sure boiling potatoes is one of the things you’ve done at least once in your lifetime. But do you end up with overdone potatoes falling apart?

Professional chefs advise that when boiling potatoes, always start them off in cold water. Once the water begins to boil, the inside will cook and the outside won’t start falling apart.

When parboiling potatoes, gently poke with a knife. If the knife cuts through with a little resistance, remove the potatoes and allow them to cool.

Tip #7:  Scoring Meat and Fish

Scoring is a process of making small even cuts on meat. This helping cooking trick will help your meat or fish to cook faster.

Additionally, this easy cooking tip helps heat to penetrate faster into the meat. Also, you can make cuts for if you want to marinate. Scoring helps the marinade to infuse more deeply into the meat or fish. Always leave it for a few hours or overnight for the full flavors to be infused.

Tip #8: Rotate Foods in the Oven

Baking tricks are some of the most common cooking tips from chefs all over the world. One of the tips they give is to rotate your food in the oven half-way through cooking. So if you are cooking dishes like potatoes, fish or chicken, rotating them will ensure they cook evenly. This also prevents the food from burning on one side.

Tip #9: The Perfect Fried Egg Eggs are by far one of the most common meals in any home or restaurant. Chefs offer these helpful cooking tips when making eggs. Always cook on low heat, use a thick-coated pan and a light oil such as butter.

Start off by heating the butter. Once the pan is hot, break the egg and pour gently on the pan. Cook for 3-5 minutes. Season with a pinch of salt, pepper, and chives (optional).

A well-done egg (sunny side up) is served seasoned with a slightly runny yolk. The egg can also be flipped with the yolk still runny or cooked hard.

Tip #10:  Flavor Your Spices

To get the best flavor from spices like cumin seeds, toss them in a pan on low heat. Transfer the spices to a motor and pestle and grind until fine. You can also use this simple cooking tip on spices like peppercorns.

This method also drains moisture from the spices allows them to be crispy and flavorful. Once heated, spices release a burst of flavor which greatly improves the taste of your meals.

Work Like A Chef…

Now you know some of the tricks professional chefs use to create great meals. Try these helpful cooking tips and tricks and be on your way to changing your entire kitchen experience!

Learn more about our cooking classes and learn more about our cooking classes and Meet SelfUps Professional Chefs.

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Photo credit: Wooden Earth Ltd