Chefs reveal their ultimate cooking tips

tunisante February 16, 2017

A Quora user asked: ‘What do good cooks know yet others don’t?’
Chefs shared top cooking tips in response, such as always having a sharp knife
They said novice cooks tend to use a low heat – but a high heat adds flavour

Imogen Blake For Mailonline

Published:
06:21 EST, 16 February 2017

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Updated:
06:21 EST, 16 February 2017

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If your cooking is more Cordon ‘bleurgh’ than Cordon Bleu, professionals chefs are here to help.

A handful of expert home cooks and top chefs have shared their ultimate cooking tips to turn your disappointing dishes into fantastic feasts.

From only using salt to season to never cutting the fat off, these are the answers chefs gave in response to the question: ‘What are some things that good cooks know yet others don’t?’ on question-and-answer website Quora.

Eighty-five people replied to the question ‘What are some things that good cooks know yet others don’t?’ on Quora, dishing out cooking advice

Many users claiming to be professional chefs said the number one rule of good cooking was to always have a sharp knife on hand.

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They also said that novice home cooks tend to use a low heat, but a higher heat will increase the flavour of their food.

This insider says use as much fat as possible in your cooking and always wash your mushrooms – just dry them in a colander afterwards so they’re not too watery

Using a high heat and plenty of salt to season were two common themes that kept being raised by chefs on the Quora thread

The secret to delicious food is to balance flavours expertly, according to this insider

This cook had a few tips for budding chefs, including never washing meat, and letting it rest after cooking to make it more tender

One insider said it’s important to manage your time efficiently in the kitchen so that food is served up hot. He recommended working backwards with timings

Practice makes perfect for this insider, who also advises not being too heavy-handed with spices. He also says that salt is the only seasoning you really need

Don’t be afraid to fail and cook badly to then learn and get better, and always use plenty of salt when cooking pasta, this insider says

Using real butter, ground salt for finishing and preheating the oven are all insider tips from this foodie

This foodie says you only ever need to season food with salt

This insider said don’t use fish after three days, always prep before a meal and experiment with your cooking

Home cook Marj Weir said she tries to replicate professional chefs by prepping ingredients she needs first in a ‘prep box’, so she can then cook meals in just five minutes

Having a good chef’s knife was a common answer that cropped up on the Quora thread

You don’t need to follow a recipe exactly if you know how to follow a number of basic procedures, such as how to sautee and to roast, according to this chef