Work Like a Pro in any kitchen

Whether you are a professional cook or baker or not, you should work like a pro whenever you are in a kitchen. You may be saying to yourself, I’m not a pro and just a home cook. There’s no such thing as “just” a home cook. Everyone is a home cook at some time. Even Thomas Keller cooks for his family at his home. But when he does, he approaches every aspect of cooking in a professional manner. If you do this, your food will improve, your technique will improve and most of all you will become a more confident cook. I have some ideas for you that may change the way you cook.

Don’t cut corners

It’s very important that cooks make good habits for themselves and stick to them. You should always begin cooking by sanitizing your work area. Get your equipment and cooking supplies in order. You should always use a cutting board with a towel underneath it. Sure, you could just use a loose cutting board but it’s so much safer and more enjoyable to work with a secure cutting board. 

When you are peeling fruit, peel the whole fruit. Go back and look to see if you left any skin on it. I had a chef who once asked if I cared about my customers. I said of course. He then asked why I didn’t finish peeling my fruit. This stuck with me. I want you to finish the job at hand. Don’t rush to the next thing to do. This also goes for vegetables as well. While we are talking about fruits and vegetables, work quickly and efficiently. If you are doing a very small amount of potatoes or apples, you don’t need to soak them. They won’t turn brown in just a couple of minutes. Learn to use your knives and other equipment with a minimum exertion. It may take some time but it’s worth it. 

Preheat your oven before you bake. This insures proper and even cooking time. This goes for boiling water for pasta or rice. If the water should be boiling, get it boiling before cooking. Don’t just toss the item in the water if it’s not ready. The real lesson here is to take your time. I used to say, “Take your time, but hurry up!” in the kitchen. This may sound like an oxymoron but it’s really not. Learn to do the operation with ease and a minimum of effort. Learning how that works for you may take some time. 

I remember taking all day to make one pie or a pan of lasagna. Today, I can do both in less than an hour. How did I learn to do that? One of the things we learned in culinary school was to clean as we go. Not only does this keep your work area clean, but it gives you more space to work in. Cooks tend to spread out whatever they are working on. If you need less space, you can work more efficiently. Put away tools and food items you are done working with. Work cleanly and accurately but try to get a little looser in the way you work in the kitchen. This leads me to my next point.

Be ready to play in the kitchen

Cooking should be fun. You should play more in the kitchen. Obviously, accuracy is important but if you are worried about doing something wrong, rethink your workflow. Be open to playing in the kitchen. Once I freed myself from worrying about whether flavors should go together, I just started experimenting. If you think cumin and basil might go well together, give it a shot. If you like it then it will be fine. If you don’t like it, think about how you can change it up next time. When you think of something you might like to make, check out 3-5 recipes online and then take the best of what you think each of those suggested. Think about the broad strokes of what it is you are making. The other day I wanted some pickled red onion. I looked online to see what most cooks were suggesting. They all had apple cider vinegar, salt and sugar. But some had some flavor infusions. You could add ginger, anise or any other sort of flavoring. For what I was going to serve the onions with, I thought that caraway seeds might be a nice addition. It turns out they were. I love fennel seeds. I’m going to use them next time. It could have turned out badly, but it didn’t. Even if it did, what’s the harm? I would have wasted an onion and some vinegar. Big deal. It’s worth it to find out what I can do and what I like flavor-wise. 

Experiment building on what you have learned so far. Try to build on the skills you already have and gain some new ones. I love croissants and I think I’m pretty good at making them. But I can always learn more. I watch videos and watch other bakers making them. Each time I make them, I pick up something new I can use to make them better. Sometimes I mess them up. It’s ok to screw something up. It’s just food and we are always learning. I want you to approach the kitchen as a place you can mess up and not get in trouble. Taste what you make and see if you like it. If you do, get someone to taste what you made. I mean really, share it and ask for an honest opinion. Sharing food is essential to growth in the kitchen. I work on making new bread formulas all the time. This is lucky for my neighbors. I share with them. But I insist that they give me real feedback. They don’t like everything I give them. Some have given me concrete suggestions on what they like and don’t like. I hope you have some neighbors or family members you can work with like my neighbors. 

Acquire some pro level tools

I have already mentioned my cutting board. It’s from Boos walnut and pretty large. It’s 2 inches thick. You might not think that you need that cutting board. You do. It changes the way you cook. I approach each new tool that way. Will it change the way I cook? I don’t really go in for gadgets or one-use tools. Slowly acquiring pro level tools helps you cook like a pro. When I was getting started in cooking, I bought one of those knife blocks with all the knives in it. Do you need all those knives? Probably not. You’ll need a good paring knife, chefs knife, a utility knife and a serrated knife. That’s it. With those four knives, you will be able to do every job in the kitchen. Get quality knives that will last a long time. I like the beautiful Japanese knives from Shun. But others prefer the German knives of Wustof. Whichever knives you choose, don’t cheap out on them. You’ll just end up replacing them in the end. This process takes years but you can start today. Just replace one tool every few months. In a year, you’ll have a collection you can be proud of.

Approach all of your tools in the kitchen with a pro level attitude. 

I hope this has helped you to think about how you will work in your kitchen. It’s different for everyone. If you have questions or want to get more detailed information on any of the concepts I have discussed, please feel free to contact me. I would love to help you get to the next level and work like a pro in your kitchen.

Chef Tom