FoodJUL 30, 2026

30 Cooking Tips People Say Made Them Better At Cooking

Anyone who’s ever set foot in a kitchen can tell you that cooking is a learning process. Whether you effortlessly whip up Michelin-worthy plates in no time or, on the contrary, hesitantly swirl around and manage to burn everything you come in contact with, it's a skill that takes time to master. But it’s oh-so-rewarding when you prepare a mouth-watering dish that makes everyone squeal in excitement. And while you need proper practice and techniques to do it well, you can always benefit from the handy little tricks of others.

If you want to up your culinary game right away, this thread posted on the 'Cooking' subreddit has got you covered. "What is the single greatest cooking tip you ever got?" asked Redditor profligateclarity and invited hundreds of cooking enthusiasts to share their helpful advice.

People immediately typed out the things that changed and improved the way they approach food. We’ve gone through the thread and hand-picked some of the best responses to help you impress everyone at your next dinner party. So scroll down for some delicious nuggets of wisdom and upvote the ones you agree with most. Keep reading to also find an in-depth interview with food and travel blogger June d'Arville. Be sure to let us know which kitchen tips and tricks you find most useful in the comments, we’d love to hear them!

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#21

30 Cooking Tips People Say Made Them Better At Cooking

Just because you chopped all those onions (garlic, herbs, etc.), doesn't mean they all have to go into the dish.

lensupthere, alleksana

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An art form, a skill, a science, a basic tool for human survival — whatever you want to call it — cooking is an important part of our lives that keeps us going and brings us together. Even if you’ve never picked up a skillet or a whisk, improving your culinary skills can significantly improve your quality of life. June added that even the best chefs, who dedicated years of training to master the skill, still make mistakes. So don't feel discouraged when it comes to cooking because it takes time and practice, and the more you do it, the easier it will get.

And as June told us, the culinary world keeps changing all the time. "New cooking techniques come up, and you can often find new ingredients at your local supermarket or farmers market. It is a never-ending story. You decide whether these new influences or flavors would really up your culinary game," she concluded.

#22

Taste as you go, even when for instance making meatballs: season them and cook a tiny simple then adjust if needed.

RandomAsianGuy

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#23

If you want the best fried mushrooms, fry them without any butter or oil. There is so much liquid in mushrooms, that the won't burn for quite some time. Frying them like that, makes them sort of hyper concentrated. Once all the water has cooked of, add butter. They will [be bad] up all that flavor.

maszah

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#24

I was surprised that I had to teach my husband the stove had settings other than high, and things WILL cook on lower settings !

User

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#25

If it's bland, add something fermented! A spoonful of miso will add so much depth and flavor to even a western style stew, and alcohol can save a sauce.

onionsforthepoor

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#26

Use a scale to measure things. It's even easier if you set the scale to grams, not ounces. Much easier to scale a recipe up and down that way.

RLS30076, Felicity Tai

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#27

A falling knife has no handle. Something that is hot enough to give you 3rd degree burns looks the same as it would at room temperature. If you have to walk with a knife, do not change directions in the stabby direction (counterclockwise for right handed people). Slow is smooth, smooth is fast.

Chalky_Pockets

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#28

Oven controls are wildly inaccurate. Get an oven thermometer and figure out how hot it really gets.

oddsnsodds

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#29

When I was 19, the grandmother of a friend taught me that it's easier to brown flour without any fat, just all by itself in the pan. Brown the flour, let it cool, put it in a jar, add your liquid, cap and shake the h**l out of it. Return to the pan, bring up to temp, THEN add your butter. Life changing! I really used to struggle with fat coated raw flour trying to brown it.

endorrawitch, Life Of Pix

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#30

Brown your ground beef like you’re frying a giant burger. Get it nice and charred on both sides and only THEN break up the meat.

diz408808, Karen Laårk Boshoff

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