10 Kitchen Skills You Should Know by the Time You’re 30

By the time you hit 30, you’ve most likely progressed your cooking skills past ordering takeout. But learning to cook is a process that even the most accomplished chefs say is ongoing. If you're approaching your fourth decade (or heck, smack in it or cruising beyond it—it's never too late to learn!), consider this a great opportunity to hone that culinary know-how.

We've rounded up 10 kitchen skills that will help you boost your home-cooking confidence. Think of them as the foundational basics of a long and enjoyable relationship with making food for yourself and the ones you love. Can you check off all these skills?   

1. How to fry an egg. Frying an egg might seem like an easy cooking technique, but it’s one that takes a lot of practice to get right. Once you know how to fry an egg, however, you’ll also be able to easily cook other proteins, because you’ll understand when and how to manage the heat on the stove to get your perfect meal. Learn the four ways to fry an egg here.  
2. How to defrost meat. With the price of food skyrocketing these days, more people are buying expensive items, like meat, in bulk and storing it in their freezers. But once you have all that meat, knowing how to defrost it is important if you’re trying to get dinner on the table that night. Here’s the best way to defrost chicken and ground beef. 
3. How to make a good salad. Making a good salad goes far beyond greens and a few shreds of carrot. A good salad should feature a variety of textures from different vegetables, seeds or nuts, cheese, and protein. A salad goes from good to great with a homemade salad dressing. Take your salad to the next level with these salad recipes. 
4. How to roast a chicken. A whole roasted chicken is a foundational technique that is the base of many meals. From meat to soup, one chicken can serve many purposes and is a budget-friendly way to get lunch and dinner on the table for a week. Learn the easiest way to roast a chicken and everything else you need to know about the process here. 
5. How to make a good cup of coffee. If you are a coffee drinker, there is nothing more joyful than that first sip in the morning. While there are many types of coffee makers on the market, from single serve to pour-overs, there’s a big difference between a good cup of coffee and a sad one. Even if you’re not a coffee drinker, knowing how to make a good cup of coffee with or without a coffee maker is a skill to master that will pay off. 
6. How to make spaghetti and meatballs from scratch. Mastering a meal from scratch takes time and practice but it’s worth it. Spaghetti and meatballs is an easy one because you can learn how to make each component—the pasta, the sauce, and the meatballs—from scratch, and you end up with a delicious meal that almost everyone will love. 
7. How to make a fridge clean-out soup. It’s the end of the week, and there are a bunch of bits and pieces of vegetables in your fridge. Instead of throwing them in the compost, or even worse the trash, learning to make a good vegetable soup will not only mean you prevented food waste, but you’ll also have a healthy meal.  
8. How to cook fish. When I asked 30-year-olds for the one food they wish they knew how to cook, the same answer came from all of them: fish. Knowing when it’s done, how and where to buy it, and the best way to cook it were all barriers to making a delicious salmon dinner. Since fish is less forgiving than meat to cook, there’s no other way to learn to cook it than to practice. If you’re ready to accept the salmon dinner challenge but want a fool-proof method, this is the way to make sure your salmon is perfect. 
9. How to store herbs. Most often, your recipe won’t call for a full package or bunch of herbs. But herbs are the easiest way to brighten a dish, both in flavor and beauty. To extend the life of your herbs so you have them all week, there’s a simple trick to storing them. 
10. How to clean your oven. Ugh, I know this one isn’t fun, but keeping your kitchen tools clean is essential to being successful in the kitchen. And since the oven is the workhorse of any kitchen, it’s important to keep it clean. Learn how to clean your oven without the self-cleaning function here.