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Kitchen Tips From Top Chefs

Posted by Kai on 16-09-2026

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Good cooking is rarely about complicated tricks. Often, the biggest improvements come from small habits repeated every day: tasting as you cook, keeping the kitchen organised, using reliable equipment and understanding how ingredients behave.

Some of the UK’s leading chefs, writers and food experts have shared the practical lessons that have shaped the way they cook.

Season With More Control

Indian chef Vivek Singh says turmeric should be visible in a dish without dominating its flavour. He also recalls advice from a chef who worked with Pierre Koffmann: salt can be the difference between a good dish and a great one. That does not mean adding more seasoning automatically improves food. Swedish chef Niklas Ekstedt recommends restraint, explaining that too much salt can overpower the natural flavour of ingredients.

Si King takes a slightly different approach and suggests seasoning gradually throughout cooking. Tasting as the dish develops makes it easier to build flavour and adjust the balance before serving.

Good Food editor Alice Shields also stresses the importance of salt when using dried herbs and spices, as it can help release and strengthen their flavour.

Mistakes Make Better Cooks

Cookbook author Ilhan Mohamed offers reassuring advice for anyone frustrated by a failed meal: keep cooking. She explains that skilled cooks are not people who never make mistakes. Instead, experience teaches them to understand what went wrong and how to correct it next time.

This mindset can make home cooking less intimidating. Rather than treating a disappointing dish as failure, it becomes useful practice.

Keep Your Kitchen Organised

Sarit Packer and Itamar Srulovich recommend cleaning while you cook. If something needs 10 minutes in the oven, that is enough time to wash a few dishes or clear the worktop.

Food writer Anna Ansari follows a similar rule. After cooking, she puts ingredients away, washes the dishes and wipes every surface. Keeping the workspace tidy makes the next meal easier to prepare.

Fishmonger Andrej Urosevic offers a more practical safety reminder: know exactly where the plasters are before using sharp tools such as a mandoline.

Choose Reliable Equipment

Chef Paul Ainsworth believes a few excellent basics are more valuable than a cupboard full of gadgets. His essentials are high-quality pans, sharp knives and a solid wooden chopping board.

Pastry chef Matt Adlard recommends adding one inexpensive tool: an oven thermometer. Oven displays are not always accurate, and even a difference of 10–20°C can affect baking results. Knowing the true temperature inside the oven can make cakes, breads and pastries much more consistent.

Use Ingredients More Wisely

Chef Maunika Gowardhan recommends freezing fresh coriander, curry leaves and spinach to prevent waste. She advises adding them to dishes straight from frozen to help preserve their colour.

Lebanese chef Jad Youssef believes good ingredients should remain the focus. Fresh herbs, spices and high-quality olive oil often need very little interference to make a dish memorable.

Registered nutritionist Rhiannon Lambert also recommends keeping versatile pantry staples such as beans, lentils, nuts and seeds on hand. They make it easier to prepare quick meals while adding fibre and variety.

Small Habits Make A Difference

The most useful kitchen advice is rarely complicated. Taste often, season carefully, keep your workspace clean and invest in equipment you actually use.

Confidence comes from repetition rather than perfection. With a few dependable habits, everyday cooking becomes calmer, more efficient and far more enjoyable.