I’ve been a chef for over 15 years. Here are 12 tips I learned in culinary school that at-home cooks should know.

If you’re tired of your cutting board moving around while you use it, place a damp paper or dish towel underneath it.

Whether your board is wood or plastic, this trick will help keep it in place and create a more stable work surface.

A sharp knife is a safe and effective tool, but dull ones can slip off food and cause all sorts of unintended injuries.

You can buy tools to sharpen your knives at home if you don’t want to visit a professional. Just do a bit of research to see what type of sharpener works best for your particular knife.

The more you prep, the more you can sit back and relax when it’s time to actually cook. Chop up your ingredients, measure out your spices, and set yourself up for success and save time later.

For example, most restaurants strain scrambled eggs the day before, then pour out individual portions to cook.

You can do something similar if you’re having people over for brunch — crack your eggs in a container with a tight-fitting lid, mix them up, and keep them in a very cold fridge until you’re ready to cook them.

Plus, ingredients like scallions and greens can be washed, sliced, and wrapped in paper towels or kept in an ice bath until ready to use.

When making pasta, get that large pot of water salted, filled up, and on the stove first thing. A lot of prepping can be done while the water boils.

Make sure to salt each individual component of your dish, not just the finished product. If the parts taste great, the whole will too.

Most restaurants actually thin dishes with water. If they can do it, so can you.

If your sauce is too dry or soup is too thick, you don’t need to run to the store for more stock or broth — simply turn on the tap.

Just make sure to add a little bit at a time, since you can always pour in more, but you can’t take it away.

If a recipe is telling you to use a specific oil or butter, you may want to listen. Not all fats are created equal.

Butter and olive oil burn at high temperatures, so use avocado or grapeseed oil for sautéing.

If you want to use butter, you can clarify it — or remove the milk solids by melting and pouring off the liquid — to keep the flavor high and the risk of burning low.

Butter is the secret to a rich risotto as the ingredient tones down acidity, adds creaminess, and generally makes things taste really good.

Following the beurre monté technique, add a pat of cold butter to a saucepan with a bit of simmering water and swish it around until the mixture is thick and emulsified.

Then, to make the most of the fat, add it to your risotto at the end. This can upgrade things like veggies or pasta, too.

If your sauce is boring or a bit flat, acid may be just the thing to fix it.

Whether it’s lemon juice or vinegar, just a splash of acid can make all the difference in brightening a dish.

For the fluffiest pancakes and the lightest desserts, mix all your ingredients only until they’re just combined (unless a recipe states otherwise).

Don’t worry about leftover lumps. They’ll generally absorb and hydrate into the batter as it cooks, making those light-as-air baked goods a reality.

You shouldn’t cook everything in your oven the same way or at the same height.

Roast veggies at high heat on the bottom rack for maximum browning, and finish dishes up top under the broiler for a crispy, melted look.

For baking, you should cook most things in the middle so the heat is evenly distributed from top to bottom.

Pull meat and fish out of the fridge about 30 minutes before cooking to temper them, which can help them cook more evenly.

Also, rest your meat on a paper towel to absorb surface moisture and help achieve an evenly browned finished product.

This story was originally published on April 23, 2022, and most recently updated on September 29, 2026.