11 top cooks share the best kitchen tip they've ever been given

Boost your kitchen confidence and transform your cooking with these tried-and-true tips from the UK's top cooks. Perfect for impressing family members or dinner guests with dishes that steal the spotlight.

For more time-saving kitchen tips, see our 10 quick kitchen hacks everyone needs to know, the kitchen formulas you need to know to master pastry, cakes, pasta and more, plus our top 10 money-saving tips for your weekly shop.

Don't salt too much – Niklas Ekstedt

Niklas Peter Ekstedt is a Swedish Michelin-starred chef and restaurateur

It sounds simple, but it is the hardest thing to master. People always think more salt equals more flavour, but it actually just kills the raw taste of the ingredients. You have to learn to season with restraint so the natural quality of the produce can come through.

Season as you go – Si King

Si King is a cook and broadcaster

The best kitchen tip I’ve ever been given is season as you go because what that makes you do is taste for seasoning as you’re developing the dish and it gives a deeper flavour to either savoury or sweet. It’s such a simple thing and it revolutionised the way that I looked at recipes and the way that I approached writing recipes. It’s so simple but a top tip.

Trade gadgets for good pans – Paul Ainsworth

Paul Ainsworth is a Michelin-starred chef

I often get asked about my favourite kitchen gadgets; I don’t really use gadgets. For me, it’s brilliant pans; sharp knives; and a well-crafted wooden chopping board from HexClad. If I have these three things, then I honestly don't need anything else to create beautiful dishes.

I haven't been given this as a tip, but something that has always been at the heart of my cooking is using top-quality produce – it's why I called my debut cookbook ‘For the Love of Food’. Whether I'm cooking a beautiful piece of turbot with St Enodoc asparagus at Paul Ainsworth at No6, dressing the fish and chips on the pass at The Mariners, or coming up with the next pizza at Caffe Rojano, it all boils down to the quality of the raw materials and working with suppliers who care about their produce as much as I care about cooking it.

Julienne by arranging in a long line then cutting down the line – Tamar Adler

Tamar Adler is a chef, writer and author

The best tip I've ever been given was to brunoise by placing julienned vegetables in a long line, then cutting horizontally down the line. It was during my first week at Chez Panisse in Berkeley. Before I even worked there, when I was just doing what's called a stage (an unpaid visit where you essentially trade work for training). Cal Peternell, then one of the two chefs of the upstairs Cafe, showed me that I could julienne a carrot, for example, and then make a long trail of little clumps of julienned carrot, then move down the trail, cutting across, for a perfect brunoise. Or, almost perfect.

Infuse your saffron in a tablespoon of vodka – Gurdeep Loyal

Gurdeep Loyal is an award-winning food and travel writer

Always infuse your saffron in a tablespoon of vodka. The neutral alcohol acts as a flavour extractor which pulls out all of the flavourful molecules from the crocus stems, as well as all of the aromas.

Don't skip the salt – Alice Shields

Alice Shields is Good Food's food editor and test kitchen manager

Don’t skip the salt, especially if you’re cooking a dish containing dried herbs and spices, as it really helps to bring out the flavour. If I’m developing a curry recipe, I’ll often include a measured amount of fine sea salt, to make sure enough gets added in. Vanilla works the same way for sweet dishes.

Put charcoal in your fridge – Ranie Saidi

Ranie Saidi is a London-based recipe developer

If your fridge starts smelling funky, just pop a few pieces of charcoal inside and leave them there for a while. They’ll slowly absorb the smell until it disappears.

Wash your hands! – Rhiannon Lambert

Rhiannon Lambert is a registered nutritionist, bestselling author, podcast host and founder of the Harley Street clinic, Rhitrition

Always wash your hands before you cook your food! It might sound simple, but our hands pick up bacteria throughout the day, so good food hygiene is one of the easiest ways to reduce the risk of food-borne illness, especially when cooking for little ones. Beyond that, I'd say keep your cupboard stocked with versatile staples like tinned beans, lentils, nuts and seeds. They're an easy way to boost fibre, increase plant diversity and help a nutritious meal come together quickly.

Buy an oven thermometer – Matt Adlard

Matt Adlard is a pastry chef and bestselling author

Get an oven thermometer! We often assume that when we set the oven, the temperature we choose is always accurate. But unless your oven is brand spanking new, it’s very likely to be slightly off. In baking, even a difference of 10-20C can make or break a recipe. An oven thermometer removes that guesswork by showing the true internal temperature, helping you achieve more consistent, reliable results every time.

Freeze fresh herbs and veg – Maunika Gowardhan

Maunika Gowardhan is a UK-based chef, food writer and bestselling author

The best way to get the most out of them is to freeze fresh coriander, curry leaves and even spinach. The only thing to remember is make sure to use it straight from frozen while cooking to prevent discolouration.

Respect your ingredients – Jad Youssef

Jaf Youssef is a Lebanese chef, restaurateur and author of Lebnani

The best kitchen tip I ever received was to always respect your ingredients. Let fresh herbs, spices, and good-quality olive oil speak for themselves — sometimes the simplest touch makes the biggest difference in a dish.

Enjoyed this? Discover more tips and kitchen inspiration below

source https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/news-trends/best-kitchen-tip

Tasting the World: A Street Food Blog

Search This Blog