One thing about being a real adult is knowing the right-hand way of life to do things . A few years ago , this author got in the habit of asking professional for one trick or hint about how they ’re capable to get paid to do stuff I have to pay them to do for me . This help in a deal of place , but nowhere does it make my life well than in the kitchen .

After surveying kitchen professionals from all manner of walking of life – from posh kitchen to forsake fossil oil fields – I discovered some astoundingly simple hints , tricks , and moves to go from screwup to actual adult when cooking .

Splurge on a chef’s knife…

… and do by that thing right . Every chef I talked to enjoin variations on this . It ’s the tool you ’ll use every repast , so no spending $ 30 on a set of seven at Target . Go big and purchase one chef ’s knife in the $ 80 to $ 200 range from a existent knife or kitchen store . essay it out to make certain it find good in your hired hand . A 10 in tongue works for most people , says Christa Collins , an industrial chef and lifelong cook , but you should get what wreak for you . Hone your tongue every meter you habituate it , and have it professionally sharpened once a year . And never , ever , ever run it through your dish washer .

Learn how to cut tricky vegetables

Dave Coffman is a classically train chef who has go at Portland , OR fixtures likeSouthpark , and who has catered event for hundreds of Edgar Albert Guest . He ’s also a fourth - degree black belt , making him an expert with knife in every context you’re able to imagine . His advice for amateur chef is to apply YouTube tutorial to take the proper , professional ways to cut vegetables – specially knavish ones likeonions , tomatoes , and avocados . study how pro cut these will salvage you literally hours each year in prep time , and in some cases deliver you from a foul cut .

Invest in cast-iron cookware

Robert Remilard is a discipline and experienced professional chef , currently creditworthy for the food at the North Slope Oil Fields in Alaska , where he turn out meals for 500 people every day . He recommends effective mould - iron passel and pans . They ’re strong to take care of than nonstick , but the rut control and durability more than make up for it . " If I could just have one genus Pan for the rest of my life , it would be my 12 in skillet . I can broil with it in the oven , fry on the stovetop , kill zombies , whatever . " As with your knives , proper care is a accomplishment you ’ll have to learn … but one well worth learning .

Store your ingredients properly

This one come up to me in the beginning from St. Alton onGood Eats , but was reiterated by almost every chef I spoke with . take the remainder between how and where to keep your dinero vs. your broccoli vs. your avocados . What youshould and should n’t refrigerate . Understand why the place most people hang a spiciness rack is the secondly - worst seat to stack away spice . Yeah , it rent research to get it all right . But an hour on the internet seems a hell of a portion better than a lifetime drop restocking your diddly at the grocery depot because you ’re too lazy to research .

Rinse your meats

Christa rinse her meats out of the package , just like we all ( are suppose to ) do with our fruits and veggies , and for fundamentally the same reason . Meats do n’t have pesticides and fertilizer on them , but the slaughter process can entrust all manner of surly in lilliputian bits on the meat . Plus there ’s that level of muck that slip out of meat as it sits in the Styrofoam . A quick rinse takes off all the foul , and permit the natural taste of your meat glow through .

Know your local restaurant supply store

Kitchen Kaboodle and Bed Bath & Beyond are full of crazy , fancy , pricey gadgets that wait pretty in your kitchen . Or you could find your local eating house supplying fund and get functional , perdurable , long - lasting professional tools at a fraction of the cost . This is where you’re able to find a strong chef ’s knife , a can opener good for 10,000 cans , food for thought storage for $ 1 a container , and any number of other professional - form utensil to rick your kitchen into a in full armed and usable engagement station

Buy a grown-up-sized cutting board

This has made the biggest difference of any change I ’ve made in my kitchen at home . Screw a bunch of handheld cutting boards , especially those pliable mat you’re able to fold like a greaser . The most crucial affair about a cutting display board is space . Go to that eating place supplying memory we just mentioned and get a 2x3 ft . Words can not key how much good life is with one of those in your kitchen . Buy two color - coded light-green and red plank : one for meats and the other for veggies . you may thank me later on .

Avoid single-task utensils

All of our chefs tally : a cluttered kitchen is an unhappy kitchen . Avoid buy those specialized infomercial contraption unless they ’re for something you makeall the goddamned fourth dimension . They emaciate your money and slip all your outer space . Stick with classical , multitasking kitchen utensil you know you ’ll utilise . As your experience and creative thinking expand , it will be prison term to invest in bigger and honest toys , but make certain everything in your kitchen does at least three thing , and countenance your demand for gear equal the supply of needs provided by your repertoire .

Get to know your salt

Strategic Arms Limitation Talks comes in a shocking array ofshapes , size , and feeling , so do n’t limit yourself to regular table salt . apprehension and leverage those variety open domain of opportunity to get creative in cooking , garnish , and even service options . As for favorite go - to salts , Christa prefers kosher . Celebrity chef Alton Brown agrees , though Jamie Oliver is a ocean - salinity rooter . But knowing which common salt is your salt can wholly change your kitchen biz .

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Jason Brickis a edacious reviewer , desperate drinker , and super - nerveless daddy ( not necessarily in that purchase order of grandness ) . When not testing the theoretic limits of imperturbability , he practice soldierlike arts so he can beat people up for teasing him about how much he likes playing Dungeons & amp ; Dragons . Find out more atBrickCommaJason.com .

woman cutting tomatoes with a chef’s knife

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chopping onions

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steak in a cast iron skillet

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kitchen counter fruits and vegetables

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rinsing raw meat

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two women shopping for kitchen supplies

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cutting board kitchen

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cluttered kitchen

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types of salt

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