21 Years. 21 Cooking Lessons.

If you want to learn how to cook without spending 21 long years like me - read this first!

Even though I grew up in a home full of amazing multi-generational cooks, I only learned to cook in earnest when I moved out of the house for my second year of college.

Since 2003, I’ve cooked almost every day for myself, roommates, friends, wife, toddler and have cooked for 70+ people on multiple occasions, had a falafel pop-up in LA, and so much more.

Let’s get it.

Here are 21 hard-learned lessons from 21 years of cooking (in no particular order):

1. You’re the boss of your sauce. Don’t like cilantro? Skip. Prefer chicken thighs over breasts? Use thighs. Don’t let any recipe tell you what to put in your dish. Recipes are guides; not the word of God.

2. Fail to plan; plan to fail. A loose plan is better than no plan at all. You WILL get overwhelmed and not cook.

3. Getting efficient at grocery shopping takes time but is worth the effort. Grocery shopping is also a great way to pass the time with kids. (Kiddo tip: Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods give kids stickers at the cash register).

4. Adopt a grandma mindset. Shop at international and farmers markets. Buy big cuts of meat (cut what you need and freeze the rest). Don’t follow recipes and make something based on what’s on sale (you were going to buy beef, but organic chicken is $1.99/lb, we’re makin’ a stew baby).  

5. There’s no price tag on quality. Cut mercilessly on other spending habits. Your 80 year old self with thank you.     

6. Place a moist paper-towel under your cutting board before cutting. Wobbly boards = one less finger 

7. Sharp Knives Matter. Dull knives are a safety hazard. Once I started sharpening regularly, I stopped crying when cutting onions.

8. Mise-en-place is how you get speed in the kitchen. Chop, measure, prep before you turn on the heat.

9. Medium-high heat on the stove and 375F/190C in the oven are the best temperatures to cook anything.

10. Fancy equipment doesn’t matter. Buy good, inexpensive equipment at your local restaurant supplier. 

11. A scale and thermometer is now essential in my kitchen 

12. Do not keep a sourdough starter. It’s a waste of time for a busy person like you. Try a poolish instead.

13. Keep at least one herb (my go-to is parsley) in the fridge and lemons. Adding a little herb or a splash of lemon juice will elevate any dish. 

14. Clean while you cook. After each meal you prepare, clean your work area. Whoever’s on clean-up duty will thank you. 

15. Leftovers and food scraps are king. While a variety is important, you will never get the immense benefit of cooking if you don’t use-up leftovers. Roast a chicken on Sunday→ becomes chicken soup on Monday → becomes a taco on Tuesday. 

16. Wabi-sabi. There’s beauty in imperfect food. Tomatoes have a funky shape? Buy it. Pizza turned out like a heart shape instead of a circle? Eat it. 

17. Marry someone who shares similar food preferences as you (at least 80%). If not, you’ll be cooking separate meals for you and them. You will burn out and give up. Mental load is real. 

18. When cooking for kids, you are not a short-order cook. There are two options at the dinner table: take it or leave it. Stick to your guns. They won’t starve. You are the adult.

19. Presentation DOES matter. Kids are picky eaters? Make the dish look desirable. Take pride in your creation.  

20. Cooking for others is not about you. It’s about them. If you navel gaze in the kitchen, you’re robbing yourself of building meaningful connection. 

21. Taste, taste, taste. To get better at cooking, you need to taste great food. Try and go out 1x per week to a great restaurant and taste what great chefs have to offer. Expand your palette.

22. (BONUS) Keep it fun. It’s okay to play with ingredients, flavors and food genres and see what happens. The end result may taste like garbage and you may have to order out. The always be trying mindset is how you get better.  

That’s all for now.

Let me know what lesson you enjoyed most by hitting reply.

Bake it till you make it!

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