The Best Cooking Tips We Learned at the 2023 Food & Wine Classic in Aspen

We learn a lot every year at the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen from the chefs conducting cooking demonstrations and chatting with our editors and attendees. These little tricks and tips are gold in the kitchen for becoming a better cook. Here are the best cooking tips we picked up from Bobby Flay, Carla Hall, Claudette Zepeda, and other chefs at the 40th annual F&W Classic.

Maximize flavor when frying

Chef Claudette Zepeda adds Mexican Coca Cola, orange juice, and milk to lard for frying. They infuse the melted fat with flavor and the sugars caramelize, forming small browned bits that adhere to the fried food for an extra boost of nutty sweetness. Add the liquids to room temperature lard and gently heat together in a large Dutch oven.

Customize your salad dressing

Carla Hall makes vinaigrette that matches or complements the ingredients in her salad. If you’re using something more bitter like escarole or endive, then brighten up and sweeten the veggies with an orange instead of a lemon for a gentler, sweeter acidity.

Related: 40 Years of Cooking Tips From the Food & Wine Classic

Keep fried foods crispy

Airflow is key for maintaining the crispness of fried foods. Claudette Zepeda says instead of draining foods on a paper towel-lined tray, place a wire rack set over a baking sheet. The wire rack allows air flow underneath the fried food and keeps the bottom from becoming soggy.

Season like a chef

Bobby Flay says the number one thing that separates home cooks from restaurant chefs is aggressive seasoning. “So, if you're cooking at home and you think you have enough salt and pepper, enough chile, etc., just go back into that dish and add a little bit more. It makes all the difference.”

Make better rice

Francis Lam, host of NPR’s The Splendid Table, says the single best thing you can do for your kitchen is to buy a rice cooker.

Related: Rice Is Everything

Boost flavor with this secret ingredient

Chef Anna Castro says don’t underestimate the power of chicken bouillon — it adds so much flavor to your cooking.

Level up store-bought desserts

When you’re short on time, it’s OK to lean on store-bought desserts and add your own special twist. Genie Kwon shares that sometimes she will buy a pound cake and add homemade cream and fruit — and says people think it’s gorgeous.

Try this soup shortcut

Justin Pichetrungsi recommends purchasing a whole roast duck from a good Chinese barbecue restaurant and making soup at home with it. The duck adds tons of flavor to your broth and requires minimal effort.

Related: Our 13 Favorite Soup Recipes

Don’t make soggy fried rice

When making fried rice, if your rice is a little too wet, sprinkle it with a bit of cornstarch, says J. Kenji López-Alt. Also, use short or medium grain rice rather than long grain.

Make squid ink pasta in minutes

When Bobby Flay makes his Squid Ink Fettuccine with Shrimp, Squid, and Scallops, he makes the pasta dough in less than a minute, buzzing the flour, eggs, and squid ink in a food processor. He seasons his sauce with a pinch of sugar. “It’s ok to put sugar in your tomato sauce — keep a little bowl of it on the counter when you’re cooking and keep tasting your sauce and adjusting,” he says. And, he says to always buy shell-on shrimp, and save the shells in the freezer to make shrimp stock.

Use MSG to up the flavor of cocktails

Stephanie Izard adds a bit of salt with MSG (aka “Chef Salt”) in cocktails like her Tequila Mocking Goat to accentuate the flavors.

Related: 38 of the Best Chef Cooking Tips We Picked Up at the 2022 Food & Wine Classic in Aspen

Make crispier tempura

Use vodka in tempura batter because alcohol evaporates faster than water, says Brooke Williamson. It hits the oil and instantly starts to crisp.

Check your meat temperature without a thermometer

Buddha Lo shared his trick for temping meat with a metal skewer. Insert it into the thickest part of the meat and then touch the skewer to the top of your hand. If it’s the same temperature as holding hands with someone, it’s rare! If it’s stupidly hot, then you’ve overcooked it!

Follow these wok tips

Kenji López-Alt shared tips for cooking with and caring for a wok. Clean and dry it thoroughly after each use. Put it over a burner to let the heat dry it out, and then rub the surface with a thin layer of oil. Always preheat a wok over high heat because that’s what gives it the nonstick properties. Then decrease the heat and cook according to the recipe.

Avoid splatters

Carla Hall says when you are pouring liquid, pour it over a spoon to prevent it from splattering.

Score fish for crispier skin

Gregory Gourdet says to score slits in the skin-side of fish fillets before roasting or grilling for crispier skin and to allow seasonings to penetrate deeper into the fish.

Use a bottle to roll pastry

No rolling pin? No problem! Use a wine (or vodka!) bottle to roll out pastry, says chef Buddha Lo. To create a pattern in your pastry (for Lo’s Salmon Wellington or a pie) use the bottle top lid to punch out nice small holes.

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