26 Cooking Techniques to Master So You Can Ace Every Recipe
Take yourself from anxious amateur to confident cook with these essential cooking tips.
When you're new to cooking, words like "deglaze," "sauté," and "chiffonade" can be a little intimidating, but the task gets easier when you break it down to the basics. Start simple and apply these cooking techniques to some essential recipes. Once you've mastered a few go-to dishes and some easy skills, work your way up to longer, more involved recipes. As you learn, keep in mind that cooking is a skill that takes practice. Each time you develop a new skill, the process will get smoother.
Related: Guide to Different Methods of Cooking
How to Keep Your Food Safe
Food safety should be first and foremost in the kitchen. After all, no one wants to get sick—and it can be easily avoided by following a few easy guidelines. Avoid cross-contamination, keep everything clean (including your hands), store food safely, and thaw it correctly to keep yourself, friends, and family healthy.
Related: This Kitchen Cleaning Checklist Makes Tidying Up Less Daunting
Chopping and Prepping
How to Use a Chef's Knife
Almost every recipe calls for cooking techniques like chopping, slicing, or dicing. Get comfortable with a chef's knife to make these tasks feel quick and easy. Safety comes first, so start by learning basics like cleaning and sharpening your knife. It's an essential skill because dull knives are less safe than sharp knives. Next, master how to make simple knife cuts. The more you cook, the more practice you'll get!
Related: The 11 Best Chef’s Knives of 2023
How to Mince Garlic
There are many ways to mince garlic, so experiment with this kitchen skill until you find the one that works best for you. Chopping garlic with a chef's knife is the most classic way, but you can also use a garlic press or a Microplane. You can even cheat on this cooking technique by buying already minced garlic. Just know it won't have the same flavor as fresh garlic.
How to Chop an Onion
Onions are full of flavor and the base of tons of savory recipes like soups and sauces. Compared to general knife skills, chopping an onion is almost its own art form. It might take a little practice to perfect all the individual cuts that go into chopping an onion, but once you do, you'll get to show off your skills on lots of different recipes.
How to Pit and Slice an Avocado
Avocados are good for much more than just spreading on toast, but you have to know how to slice and pit them. Without the proper technique, it's easy to accidentally cut yourself when removing the pit. With this trick in your repertoire, adding avocado slices to salads will be a snap. What's more, making your homemade guacamole and whipping up fancy avocado toast will all be within your grasp.
Related: How to Soften Avocado 4 Ways (Plus 2 Ways Never to Try)
How to Break Down a Chicken
Whether you want to save money by buying a whole chicken and cutting it into pieces yourself, or you're looking to impress dinner guests with a whole roast chicken, basic butchery is a valuable skill. Fortunately (for the frugal chefs among us), it's simpler than you might think. As you cut, look for the fat lines and the places where the joints meet. The chicken will help guide your knife to where it should be cut.
Baking Tips
How to Line a Pan
This might seem like an obvious and super-simple cooking technique, but it's vital when baking. Line a pan with foil before you bake brownies to cut cleanup time in half. Ensure your baked goods come out intact by taking a few extra minutes to line your cake pans correctly. After all, no one wants a crumbly layer cake!
Related: How to Make a Moist Cake Every Time You Bake for Sweet Results
How to Measure Flour
Measuring flour seems like it should be obvious, but there's a method to make sure your measurements are accurate. To measure correctly, spoon your flour into the measuring cup. Don't use the cup to scoop it out of the container because it can pack the flour down and leave you with too much. When the cup is full, level it off with the straight side of a knife. If you're not measuring flour correctly, your baked goods can come out dry, so this cooking technique is super important. You can also use a kitchen scale to measure your flour (and other ingredients) by weight.
How to Bake Bread
Baking bread is a great cooking technique to have in your culinary repertoire. There's a lot more out there than sourdough, too. Learn how to make simple quick bread that doesn't require yeast. Bake a crusty focaccia or classic sandwich bread. There are many options to try, so start by mastering one recipe, then decide if you want to explore more.
How to Bake a Cake
Even if your go-to is a boxed mix, there are lots of occasions that call for cake. Whether you're planning a birthday party or just a small dinner party, a good cake is never out of place. There's no need to memorize the whole recipe or even all of the ingredients, but having a classic, easy recipe in your back pocket that you know will come out fluffy and delicious every time will come in handy.
How to Make Frosting
Of course, every cake needs a topping; and once you've done it a few times, frosting is a cooking technique you can use without a recipe. Start simple with an easy powdered sugar glaze, or learn how to make the best-ever buttercream. Bonus: As you become an expert in making frosting, you'll also get a chance to practice plenty of decorating techniques.
Cooking Techniques
How to Sauté
Sautéeing is a cooking technique you can use for almost any food, including veggies and proteins. In fact, you can easily cook an entire meal in just your sauté pan! Just think of all the different ways this cooking method can come in handy—sauté a chicken breast for a quick dinner, veggies to serve on the side, or chopped onions to add to another recipe. This technique is a must-know!
How to Roast
Whether you're roasting vegetables, chicken, or another protein, this cooking technique adds a delicious crispy, caramelized coating to everything you cook. Roasting vegetables is a great way to take them from plain to mouthwatering. Just know that not all vegetables and proteins roast for the same amount of time. Pay close attention to your recipe's instructions while you learn this technique.
Related: The 8 Best Roasting Pans of 2023, Tested and Reviewed
How to Cook with Fresh Herbs
Leave the dried herbs on the grocery store shelves and use fresh instead. You'll be surprised how much more flavor fresh herbs can add to a dish. They won't keep as long as dried herbs, so make sure you know how to store them correctly. Fresh herbs might take extra time to chiffonade, snip, strip, and more, but the result will be well worth your effort.
How to Deglaze a Pan
When you finish roasting a chicken or sautéeing a steak, deglaze your pan to make a thick gravy or a yummy pan sauce. It's a great way to take your dinner to the next level without adding cost. Deglazing allows you to incorporate the browned bits left in the pan after cooking into your sauce. This process adds a ton of flavor and ensures the sauce complements your meal. This is an especially useful skill for Thanksgiving dinner, but it can come in handy for almost any meal.
How to Use an Instant Pot
There's not much that this one-stop pot can't do, including pressure cooking, slow cooking, and sautéeing. Whether you already have one for yourself or it's on your wish list, mastering the basics of pressure cooking and slow cooking can absolutely help you save time and energy in the kitchen.
Related: The 6 Best Instant Pots of 2023, According to Lab Testing
How to Use an Air Fryer
The air fryer is the king of quick dinners, and it's the best appliance for quickly cooking crispy, crunchy foods. It can handle French fries, chicken, fish, vegetables, and even desserts in less time than your oven. It's also a healthier alternative to deep-frying, so if you love quick, good-for-you recipes, learn some techniques and make this countertop appliance your new best friend.
How to Prepare Staple Foods
How to Cook an Egg (a Few Different Ways)
Hard-boiling, poaching, scrambling—it helps to learn them all. Why? Knowing how to cook an egg is essential for breakfast and brunch, but an egg also makes a quick, easy protein boost for lunch or dinner—especially when you are crunched for time. Plus, if you stock hard-cooked eggs in your fridge, it's super easy to add one to a salad or to grab one for a protein-packed snack.
Related: How Long to Poach an Egg for the Perfect Runny Yolk
How to Make Salad Dressing
Homemade dressing is better than store-bought for several reasons. You can make it just the way you like it, and you know exactly what ingredients went into making it. It's also a super easy cooking technique because you just need oil, vinegar, and a few seasonings. Once you find a combination that works for you, make a big batch and store it in the fridge to customize your salads!
How to Cook Chicken
Is there anything a perfectly cooked chicken breast can't do? You can add it to salads, serve it with a side of veggies, or eat it all on its own—it'll be delicious every single time. There's more than one way to do it, too, including grilling, broiling, sautéeing, and boiling. Just be sure to master at least one method that will work best for you.
How to Cook Steak
Enjoying a great steak is a delicious way to mark a special occasion, but you don't have to go to a steakhouse to do it. Using your oven is one of the simplest cooking techniques to enjoy a tender, juicy steak at home. Knowing how to broil a steak will allow you to sink your teeth into a celebratory meal in hardly any time at all, and it's just as easy to learn how to pan-cook or grill a steak.
How to Bake Fish
There's no doubt that fish can be a healthy, satisfying dinner any night of the week. For beginners, baked fish is an easy, good-for-you protein perfect for basic dinners and special occasions. The key is learning the flaking test to know when your fish is done baking.
How to Make Broth
Sure, store-bought might be easiest, but homemade broth is the most delicious option. Plus, making chicken broth is a two-in-one recipe—not only do you end up with tasty broth, but also cooked chicken that's great for making chicken noodle soup, pot pie, or a casserole. All of your future soups and sauces will be much better once you learn how to make broth.
Related: How to Make Broth for Delicious Homemade Soups and More
How to Bake a Potato
Whether you need a simple side dish or an easy lunch, knowing how to bake a potato is a cooking technique that will come in handy. And there's nothing better than a fluffy baked potato with all the fixings. If you've found yourself questioning how long to bake them or whether or not to wrap them in foil, now is the time to learn!
How to Cook Rice
Rice is an easy, healthy addition to mealtimes, so knowing how to cook it properly is a must. Knowing how long to cook it and how much water to add can be intimidating, especially since rice can so easily be overcooked or undercooked. If you use a lot of rice, it might be worth investing in a rice cooker. But, once you master cooking it on your stovetop, this technique is hard to beat.
How to Cook Pasta
Quick dinner? Check. Set a pot of salted water to boil and warm up a pot of your favorite sauce (or heat it in the microwave). Before you know it, there's a meal on the table. Serve it up with just a little bit of butter and cheese, or chill it and add veggies and your favorite dressing for a lunch pasta salad. With so many uses, perfecting the cooking technique for al dente noodles is a must!
Related: Test Your Knowledge with Our Guide to Cooking Terms and Definitions
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