The 16 Best Cooking Tricks I Learned In Culinary School

And not just any culinary school, the Culinary Institute of America ― a school known for its long and demanding program.

For the first several months of school I kept getting docked for serving under seasoned food. As time went on, I realized that if my food tasted bland, it usually just needed more salt (not more ingredients like I first believed). The key to flavorful food is to season with salt during every step of the cooking process and at the end.

Do you ever wonder how restaurants get their sauces so shiny and rich? It's because they finish them with a few pats of cold butter (aka monter au beurre) before serving them. Next time you're making a sauce, try adding a few pats of cold butter at the very end to add richness and shine. Learn how to do it here.

I remember my teacher watching in horror as I scrubbed the burnt bits out of a hot pan. Turns out, those brown bits that get stuck to the bottom of the pan (aka fond) are what makes pan sauces so flavorful! Instead of washing them down the drain, deglaze them with wine or stock to build a flavorful base for your sauce.

Toasting nuts and spices brings out their flavors and takes your cooking to a whole new level. For spices, give them a quick toasting in a dry pan over low heat or bloom them in hot oil. For nuts, toast them in a 350°F oven for 10–15 minutes before cooking with them.

Cook your pasta until it's almost done, then transfer it to your sauce to finish cooking. The pasta will absorb a ton of flavor and cling to the sauce better. If the sauce is too thick, add some reserved pasta water to thin it out and give it a beautifully glossy shine.

Do you ever wonder why pork chops and chicken are so much juicer when you get them in a restaurant? That's because they brine them (which is just a fancy word for soaking meat in salt water). Brining meat makes them juicy, succulent, and bursting with flavor (and a brined meat is way more forgiving when overcooked). Learn how to do it here.

The first cooking class I ever took was butchery, and something that I was told over and over again was let your meat rest. Resting meat after cooking it allows the juices to redistribute throughout so you won't lose a ton of moisture when cutting into it.

Before you start cooking for the day, hone — or realign — your knife. It won't sharpen it, but it will keep the edge aligned and prevent it from becoming warped. See how to do it here.