- Take recipes with a pinch of skepticism and avoid following them blindly. The recipe developer may have used slightly different ingredients than you, and some quantities may be off. They probably used different cookware and appliances, so cooking times are just an approximation.
- To make your home-cooked dishes truly delicious, add something sour, something sweet, and something spicy. Wine/vinegar, honey/maple syrup, and black pepper/red chili flakes are your friends.
- When a recipe calls for wine, use one you would actually drink. The flavor of the wine will concentrate as it cooks, so quality is key.
- Use less salt than you think you’ll need, then give your dish a taste and add more if necessary. You can always add more salt, but you can’t take it away if you’ve overdone it.
- If your dish turns out too spicy, tone down the heat with cream or add more liquid/ingredients to dilute it.
- When cooking with herbs, remember that dried herbs are more potent than fresh ones. Use a third the amount of dried herbs as you would use fresh herbs.
- When garlic is burnt, it becomes overwhelmingly bitter. Sauté your garlic for 15 to 30 seconds before adding other ingredients or cooking liquid to the pan, which will bring the temperature down. The garlic is sautéed when its aroma fills your kitchen.
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