Chef Tips to Help You Cook Like a Pro

I‘ve had the incredible opportunity over the past number of years to work with national book publishers on several cookbooks including “Cookin’ it With Kix” (copyright W Publishing, an imprint of Thomas Nelson, 2016), “The Cash and Carter Family Cookbook” (copyright Harper Horizon, 2018), “Cooking with Nonna: Sunday Dinners with La Famiglia” (copyright Harper Horizon, 2022) and the actress Alicia Witt’s “Small Changes: A Rules-Free Guide to Add More Plant-Based Foods, Peace and Power to Your Life” (copyright Harper Horizon, 2021). My duties have included editing, copywriting and food styling, among others.

Zest citrus upside down to keep from cutting into the bitter pith. Credit: Donna Britt

Oftentimes I’ve gotten to choose certain members of my team for these projects, which means I can work with Central Oregonians I know and respect. Most recently, I worked with food photographer Tambi Lane and Chef John Kelly on a collection of keto-friendly recipes. That book is yet to be published but I’m able to share an excerpt from it now, a chapter entitled “Chef’s Top Ten Pro Tips.”

Covering everything from equipment to seasoning, these 10 simple tips from Chef Kelly are designed to elevate your cooking experience.

Pro Chef Top 10 Tips

1. Mise en place is a French culinary term which means putting in place or gathering. This is the setup before cooking. Follow these steps to ensure that you have the ingredients and equipment you need and also to get yourself in a good cooking mindset.

Read through entire recipe.
Gather all ingredients, bowls, pans, tools, etc.
Set up a trash bowl for vegetable peelings.
Collect small bowls to hold ingredients or other items.
Go over the steps in the recipe and set up your workspace to be efficient while going through the steps.
Place a layer of plastic wrap over the cutting board when peeling vegetables, then you can easily remove the peels and have a fresh board to chop on without having to wash it first.
Have a dry towel and a wet towel nearby to keep your hands and your workspace clean and tidy.
Wash hands thoroughly before beginning to cook and throughout the process as needed — and especially after handling raw meat or seafood.

A cast iron skillet is a good choice for your kitchen arsenal. Credit: Donna Britt

2. Invest in good gear. Aim for well-built and durable products. Must-have equipment includes:

Sharp knife
Professional knife sharpener or sharpening kit
Diamond steel honer. A honing steel doesn’t sharpen knives but helps maintain a good edge between sharpenings
Bench scraper. This tool is great for cutting dough, chopping veggies, scraping off the counter and more
Saucepan
Stock pot
Cast iron skillet
Nonstick skillet

3. Salt and pepper are the seasonings used in almost every recipe. Keep kosher salt in a bowl and use your fingers to measure it out in a pinch. Use a pepper grinder to grind fresh peppercorns like the pros do. Save fancy flake and sea salts for garnishing only. Don’t use table salt or regular ground pepper for seasoning.

4. Buy spices in small quantities, as they do lose potency over time. Whole spices are preferable over ground spices. Get a coffee grinder to use as a spice grinder for grinding whole spices. Make sure to store spices in a dark, dry place away from light.

5. Unheralded ingredients and staples to have on-hand:

Miso: It keeps a long time and is very versatile. It’s good in soups, salads, dressings and more.
Kimchee: It also has a long shelf life and is delicious in scrambled eggs, atop sandwiches, served on rice, etc.
Good, canned pantry items to have on hand include whole tomatoes, a variety of beans and coconut milk. These can be paired with fresh ingredients to make a nice meal. It’s smart to buy “around your pantry” and keep your fresh inventory lower to eliminate waste.

Keep your kitchen knife sharp between actual sharpenings with a steel honer. Credit: Donna Britt

6. When zesting citrus such as lemons or lines, hold the zester/grater upside down on top of the fruit so that you can avoid zesting the pith, which is bitter.

7. Before whipping cream, first chill the bowl, the whisk and the cream for best results.

8. Save your vegetable scraps for making stock. Put veggie scraps in a plastic freezer bag and store in freezer, adding scraps each time you cook until the bag is full. To make homemade vegetable stock, place all the frozen scraps into a big stockpot, cover with water, add a bay leaf or two and simmer for at least an hour before straining and using to make soup or other dishes.

A freezer bag of vegetable scraps makes for a good homemade veggie stock. Credit: Donna Britt

9. Work smarter not harder in the kitchen!

Double recipes you like and freeze half.
Save by buying in bulk.
Repurpose leftovers into other meals.
Keep in mind that a cooked final product keeps better than loose ingredients, so use fresh ingredients you have on hand to make a dish, then freeze it.

10. Trust your instincts. Taste your food as you’re cooking and don’t overly rely on any recipe. Use your gut and your tastebuds and have fun with it. It’s not rocket science, it’s just cooking. Cook to your own liking, since you’re the one eating it.