Level Up Those Culinary Skills 🔪
Tips I've learned from a career working with chefs and foodies
Humble Beginnings
Let me start by saying I was not raised in a “foodie” household. My mother, bless her heart, had four over-scheduled children, a husband who traveled for work as a commercial pilot, and a limited repertoire of actual “recipes” to draw from. Also, we lived in Louisville, Kentucky, which may reasonably be considered the QSR Mecca of this glorious, fast-food-loving country.
That meant we had KFC or McDonald’s Happy Meals™ multiple times a week; my favorite after-school snack was a box of Kraft Mac & Cheese; and I thought Lasagna legitimately only came frozen (thank you Stouffer’s.)
To say I was a little bit of a culinary bumpkin would not have been an understatement. So when I got a job at a branding/innovation agency working exclusively on food brands, in the upscale town of Boulder known as a hot bed of the natural foods movement, I was definitely out of my element.
Thankfully, I’m naturally curious and was more than happy to be educated by the talented culinary team we had on staff (including trained chefs) and my more sophisticated colleagues on all the things I did not know.
Which was… a long list.
She is Thriving 👏
Fast forward ~15 years and I’ve been #blessed to work on some of the world's biggest food and beverage brands. And I’ve learned a thing or two along the way that stoked my (now) lifelong love of great food and drink. At this point, I can confidently say I know what I’m doing when I cook, and I can also make some pretty f-ing good food.
Here are a few things I’ve learned that leveled up my culinary game and helped me feel 🐅 FIERCE 🐅 in the kitchen.
Browned Butter > Regular Butter. Always. Much of the work I was doing in food innovation came down to writing what we in the biz call a “concept.” It featured an insight (something like, “weeknight cooking is tiring and hard to get excited about”), a benefit (some way we’re making it easier), and a product description, complete with several “varieties,” either flavor or ingredient-based. Varieties used to make me sweat. How do I make this sound sexy and appetizing, not weird or clinical? The secret was that some words always make food sound better. “Browned” is one of those. It ALWAYS worked in concepts. It implies that sweet, deep caramelization that makes food taste richer and imparts a nutty flavor without any extra ingredients. The takeaway for you? If a recipe (cookies, risotto, scallops) calls for melted butter, take the extra few minutes to brown it. You will be handsomely rewarded.
Salt cuts Bitterness better than Sugar. Bitter is an acquired taste, mostly because of natural evolution. In the animal kingdom, bitter = poison (which is why drinks like coffee and alcohol take some getting used to.) I learned this tasty fact working for the International Delight brand on their sweet coffee creamers, which have some salt in them to help cut the bitterness of black coffee. So, if your cocktail tastes bitter, a pinch of course salt will help balance it better than a sweetener (and save you some calories too.)
A pop of parsley goes a long way. I think everyone has herbs they like more than parsley, but it’s what I call a “vanity herb.” When tasting a complex dish, you’ll barely notice its actual taste (smell not so much, either.) But what you will get is a bright pop of green that makes your otherwise beige plate more appetizing for the eyes. It’s your best friend in cooked grains like white rice or cous cous — just don’t mistake it for parsley’s demon cousin, cilantro. (BIG TIME ICK.)
Taking a Trip? Book A Cooking Class with a Local. I remember when Michael and I were planning a trip to Thailand and making our itinerary. Enough people told us “You have to take a cooking class there!” that I reluctantly agreed. I booked us for New Year’s Day at a culinary school in Chang Mai. Enter the MOST HUNGOVER MORNING, with a sticky hot tuk tuk ride and later a bus filled with other hungover Americans, and I thought we made a mistake. Turns out that experience was one of the most ✨ magical ✨ — not just of our trip, but of a lifetime. We learned so much, ate six courses of our delicious food, and got comfortable cooking with ingredients we’d never before seen. The *bonus* is the chef always knows the best restaurants for you to visit before you leave town.
Which of these tips do you like most? What am I missing?
Drop your thoughts into the comments below and LMK if you want me to turn this post into a series and share more tips! :)